Billy woke up feeling refreshed and excited. Today was the day he was going to shine, or so he told himself. He checked his status screen and then frowned. His stamina had completely refilled but he had only had an increase of 4 hit points. With only 29 hit points he felt less confident about his goal to get the others to grind some levels. He then remembered about [meditation].
He sat on the floor and got into position. It took him a few minutes to calm himself and to steady his breathing. Then he closed his eyes and again focused on his breathing. This time the feeling of peace and calm came to him more quickly.
After a while, he also felt he could something else flowing through his body, easing his injuries. He did not try to focus on them as he was worried that would break his meditation but instead just opened his senses up more and attempted to just feel. There was definitely something there – something being absorbed by his body. He was nearly there to being able to feel it when he was rudely interrupted.
“Hey Billy,” Su Li shouted.
He came to with a start.
He focused on the skill. [Meditation level 2: meditation increases the rate of regeneration and recuperation. At the current level you will regain 2HP per minute and recover 3 stamina per minute. At the current level you can only meditate while seated. Note: you cannot meditate while in active combat.]
Well, that went well and checking his status he saw his hit points were now full. He was ready to battle. Or nearly. He needed to learn how to fight too.
“Billy, open your eyes,” Su Li said. “Come on!”
Billy opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Good morning to you too. What’s for breakfast? Did you make coffee?” He could see she was almost bouncing with energy.
She pulled a face at him. “There was some of the fox meat left but we ate it all. It was too tough for your old teeth anyway.”
“My teeth are as good as yours now.”
“Bah! Come outside. Yuki wants to train us.” She laughed. “Come on! You are too slow!”
Billy laughed too. There was something about Su Li’s energy that was infectious. He followed her outside to find Trevor and Lorna doing some stretching exercises under Yuki’s directions.
“Hey Billy,” Yuki said. “Come to join the session?”
“Good morning, everyone,” Billy said. “Warm-up time?”
Yuki nodded. “You gotta stretch.”
“Stretch for what?”
“For training,” Lorna said. “Yuki says she knows a thing or two about using staffs and spears.”
“My father was a keen martial artist,” Yuki said. “Yeah, I know – Asian stereotype. And no he was not some frigging secret ninja, Su Li. He was just a black belt in karate. But he did show me some self-defense moves. We also had some fun with the Bo staff and the long spear. Not quite the same as these but similar enough.”
To Billy’s surprise, Lorna was the one leading the warmup. They did about twenty minutes of stretching and light exercise, ten minutes more than needed in Billy’s opinion, before Yuki took over with some basic drills using the staff. Halfway through they shifted to drills with the spear.
The drills went on for over thirty minutes until they were all covered in a light sweat.
“Let’s rest,” Lorna said. “Any of that dried meat, Trevor? We need to get some stamina back.”
While Trevor was fetching the meat, Billy checked his status. Even that short training session had drained his stamina by two thirds. He had to get fitter than this. At least he now felt more comfortable holding a staff and after all what was a spear but a staff with pointy end? He laughed ruefully to himself. Yesterday had taught him that fighting with the spear was anything but simple.
“Did anyone get a skill awarded for the training?” he asked.
Only Yuki said yes. Yuki had been [spear mastery] at level 3, probably because of her past experience. She also had [staff mastery] at level 1. Lorna had already been awarded the skill before but she said hers was now at level 3 too. Billy decided that Lorna was probably a natural at most things. It also seemed that combat helped to level up the weapon skills.
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While they ate some meat and washed it down with the last of the water they discussed their plans for the day.
“We should split up to cover more ground,” Trevor suggested.
“Me and Billy can make one group,” Su Li said. “And you three another group.”
“Never split the party,” Billy said almost automatically. He had only played party-based role-playing games a little, but he knew that rule well.
“We stick together,” Lorna agreed. “Yesterday showed how vulnerable we are in smaller groups. However, we do need to find shelter today and some fresh water. I suggest that Billy and I lead the way with the rest of you about five metres behind. That way if anything attacks, we have time to react.”
Billy nodded. Having forward scouts made sense. It is what they did in the movies.
“Sounds like a plan,” Trevor said.
Before they left Trevor dug a hole in the ground and lined it with stones. He then took embers from the previous night’s fire and placed them in the hole along thin strips of meat. He covered the meat with more stones.
“That should do,” he said finally. “I think the meat will cook nicely by the time we return.”
Billy was grateful that Trevor and Lorna had some camping skills. He knew little about such things and he doubted the two girls did either.
***
After a quick trip to the bushes, they set off to look for shelter. The deadline for them to be kicked out of the induction centre was approaching quickly.
Billy and Lorna led the way both carrying spears. Even though Yuki was better with the weapon she had not looked ready to take an active combat role. The others had a staff and a knife each. Billy and Lorna were spaced about two metres apart and five metres ahead of the group. They headed in the direction they had found the rabbits yesterday deciding that so far the mobs in that area had been relatively easy to deal with.
Billy still felt some excitement but he grew more tense as they travelled further away from the induction centre. The way the creatures has chased them yesterday was still fresh in his mind as was his painful death. When it was just Loran and himself he had felt less responsibility. He knew that Lorna was better able to handle herself than he was. Now with the others that burden once more settled on his shoulders.
He tried to push his negative thoughts out of his mind. With deep breaths, he steadied his nerves and focused on scanning the terrain ahead while trying to move as silently as possible. They had now reached the area where they had killed the foxes but, so far, they had not seen any animals. The area was now becoming more densely populated with trees so they moved closer together.
They slowly covered another kilometre in this manner when Billy smelled something pungent to his left. He lifted his hand and the others stopped.
Lorna quietly came over to where he stood. Billy pointed in the direction he had smelled something and to his nose. Lorna nodded and then signaled she would have a look. With her [soft step] skill he knew she would be the better scout.
He crept forward as she moved silently between the trees. After moving about 100 metres she stopped. She crouched down and watched for a while before moving back to where Billy waited.
“There are three creatures there,” she whispered. “They are quite small.”
“Let’s go back to the others,” Billy said.
Once they had returned to the others and moved away from the region, Lorna said, “I think we should attack. These creatures have camped near a fast-flowing river. That is fresh water for us and what looks like a good place to camp.”
“Water is good,” Trevor said. “But these creatures have done nothing to us. They could be friendly.”
“Let me look with you before we attack,” Billy said. “We don’t know their levels and as Trevor said let’s not go blood crazy. They may be better allies than enemies.”
Lorna and Billy this time approached together with the main group twenty metres behind. It took one look for Billy to see that the place would be an ideal campsite. To the left of the area was a group of closely spaced trees next to the river that essentially enclosed the area leaving just one main entry point.
If it had not been for the smell they would never have found these creatures. Speaking of which… He focused his attention on the small creatures. With their rat-like faces and their scrawny bodies, he doubted they would be that dangerous. They also seemed to be carrying some basic type of club as a weapon – a stone lashed to a thick notched stick. Even though it looked primitive he did not want to get hit by it.
He used [analyse] on one of the creatures.
[Spindly rat fiend – level 2. Favorite food: garbage.]
He quickly checked the other two creatures. They were level 1 and level 3, respectively. The level 3 creature was busy smacking the smaller level 1 creature about the head. He was not surprised they had not detected their presence. They seemed preoccupied with cooking an emaciated rabbit over a spit. Well, he could not fault them for that.
Just as he was about to move back the larger rat fiend looked in their direction. It sniffed the air and then with a shrieking noise it raised its club and charged at them. Billy cursed and fumbled with its spear, trying to untangle it from a vine that seemed to wrap around it. The rat fiend was now only metres away. Lorna stepped into the gap and Billy could only watch as the rat fiend practically ran onto her spear.
The momentum of the rat fiend caused Lorna to step back and lose her grip on the spear.
Billy growled at himself. The other two rat fiends were closing in. He dropped his spear and charged at them. He grinned at the look of surprise on their face before he wrapped his arms around them and brought them crashing to the ground. He found himself on top of the level 2 creature. He pounded it in the face with his fists, messages flashing repeatedly in his mind.
Eventually, the final message came.
The other rat fiend had by now risen to its feet and looked like it wanted to flee. Lorna’s spear solved its dilemma. Before it could even move the spear impaled it through its chest. She calmly drew the spear back and then planted it one more time in the creature’s chest.
Billy rolled off the dead rat fiend. He slowly rose to his feet. He looked at his knuckles. They looked red raw from pounding on the rat fiend. But at least he had not been injured this time. He silently moved to pick up his spear.
“Sorry,” he said finally. “I think the spear is not the weapon for me.”
Lorna just grinned. “You did ok, Billy. Together we took down three creatures. And look you are not injured.”
Billy nodded grimly. “I can do better. Well at least that was 20 more XP. And my [hand-to-hand] skill has increased to level 2. How about you?”
Her eyes flickered as she checked her status. “Ding, ding!” she said. “I just leveled up.”