I dug Bassir's bestiary out of my pant pocket and flipped to the pages describing the Gnasher. The beast would hibernate until it heard or smelled something nearby its hiding place, only then becoming alert and readying a dash.
Once the prey passed the Gnasher, it would already be over, as a Gnasher was essentially impossible to detach from you after it bit down. The more the victim thrashed and tried to separate from its strong jaws, the faster their blood would flow and the quicker the venom would paralyze it.
'Judging from its hunting style, I should be looking for bushes or ditches near game trails or other hotspots for traffic,' I pondered, scouting the frosted shoreline.
The lake would be a likely target. The thing that united most living organisms was the need for water. This lake and its corresponding inflow and outflow rivers were the primary water sources in the area.
The lake was frozen, yet both rivers should be rapid enough to stay flowing. Since going to the inflow river needed us to climb the 300-meter cliff, I readily directed us toward the stream pouring out from the lake, on the opposite side of the massive waterfall.
The walk along the lake edge was silent as I observed the forest edge vigilantly. Now that I was to lead the hunt, I was responsible for our safety and thus had to ensure nothing snuck up on us. The Gnashers couldn't dash this far out of the forest, yet they weren't the only threats in this world. Not by a long shot.
Clearly, Bassir took his judging just as seriously as I could feel his eyes digging into my back, following my every move.
Nothing jumped at us from the treeline, and the walk to the river went smoothly. We had to step into the woods near the river as the ice was getting thinner the faster the water below flowed. The outflowing river was shallow and around 60 meters wide, yet only the middle 10 meters were underwater. The water level in the river and lake would likely rise considerably once the snow thawed, dousing the thin floodplains in freshly melted water.
The dry edges of the riverbed had vastly smaller groves growing on them. I suppose getting waterboarded every spring wasn't too nourishing for the trees.
I was getting a little nervous, thinking about entering an area where Gnashers likely lurked. I didn't know if I'd have enough Agility or reflexes from Perception and Mind to dodge the dash, yet I could only march onwards. If I folded at the mere possibility of danger, I'd have no right to leave my workbench, much less Melgir.
Walking on the base of the river, between the flowing rapids and the suffering woods, I pierced every bush and boulder I passed with my eyes for any signs of life, yet came up with nothing. I suppose Bassir wouldn't have been that confident if it was easy.
An hour later, we were still creeping along the river's edge. We were already well into the genuine wilderness, having passed under the only bridge crossing the river within the first dozen minutes. The over-vigilant sneaking had started to wear on me, so I decided to take another approach. Within an ecosystem, everything interacted with each other. I could use this fact to form a plan.
A Gnasher would only hunt larger animals since it wouldn't gain enough from the smaller creatures to warrant a dash. This meant the areas around Gnashers were safe for such critters, and the two creatures enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. The vermins would lure larger animals to the Gnasher, and the Gnasher would protect them in return.
I moved right to the edge of the rapids and inched forward, slowly looking for any small animal tracks. It didn't take long for me to find a bunch of tiny disturbances in the thin layer of snow and the dead leaves underneath. One or multiple mouse-sized animals had clearly gone down to the river for a drink and back into the forest numerous times.
I activated my tracking skill on one of the tracks, and the world became colourful. The ground where the set of marks was lit up in my sight, and a thin floaty trail appeared above similar tracks leading into the thin woodland by the edge of the riverbed, around 10 meters away. The grove following the edge of the dried riverbed was only around 20 meters wide until the regular, towering trees continued into the healthier, ordinary forest.
This peculiar animal had, evidently, travelled back and forth from the forest multiple times, as shown by the floating tracks that gradually became more bluish the older they were. The latest bright red line led straight to the woods at a slight angle away from where I came. The critter had likely noticed me and rushed back into the cover of the undergrowth straight away.
I ignored the latest trail and followed the previous set of paths. Bassir followed closer behind than previously. The frosted leaves crunched with every step into the grove, and I noticed something alarming. The trees were even more sickly than the others in the riverbed. I halted, unsure of what it meant and examined the closest frail tree after confirming it wasn't hiding a Gnasher.
The tree looked fine, if a bit rotten, on the outside, but after I peeled back the outer layer of bark, I couldn't help but be revolted by the sight. The whole interior was filled with small white, slightly pulsing eggs.
I couldn't have dropped the piece of bark I was holding any faster, after which I immediately backpedalled and checked out my palm for damage. Fortunately, none of the eggs or their owners had made it onto my hand.
I had no idea what those eggs hatched. For all I knew, they were parasitic worms that swiftly drilled through your layer of skin into your bloodstream, slowly eating you from the inside.
Just in case, I checked my status panel, yet I still had full health and no debuffs. Reassured, I used Identify on the eggs from a distance while going to the river to wash my hands as I read.
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Rotswarm Gnat Egg - Level 1
A small egg of a Rotswarm Gnat. The eggs serve as a potential food source for many creatures.
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My stiff muscles relaxed, and I released an audible sigh of relief. If I remembered the bestiary correctly, a Rotswarm wasn't dangerous during winter as all the adults were dead. They could even be helpful for other creatures since the eggs were filled with protein.
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The find further supported the idea that the sickly grove was home to a Gnasher. Rotswarm breeding grounds would spawn a feeding frenzy during the harsh winter, and such an abundance of small creatures doubtlessly lured about larger predators. An appetizing notion for a Gnasher.
I stared at the stone-faced Bassir for a moment. No wonder he snuck closer to me the moment I'd begun striding toward the grove. He was worried I'd walk straight by a Gnasher, and he wouldn't have enough time to react. He probably already spotted where the beast was hiding.
So there was a Gnasher here, yet I knew not where. Pondering for a moment, I began picking up small stones. Once my pocket was filled, I rose from the river, creeping back to the egg-infested tree.
I judged the Gnasher had likely burrowed underground, seeing no larger bushes in this area. The beast had clearly not moved for many days since there were no considerable disturbances in the snow.
'Well, I won't get anywhere just looking at it,' I admitted, commencing the hurling of pebbles at the slightly more conspicuous patches of snow or leaves. It was bizarre watching the rocks launch out of my hand at Olympic speeds. I was still not used to my improved Agility and Strenght.
The result, though, was rather anticlimactic. The pebbles just landed naturally, creating puffs of snow and dead leaves from the contact, yet on my fifth toss, the stone didn't stick in the ground like the others, instead bouncing back into the air.
I froze, staring at the patch of regular ground you could find anywhere else in the forest. I threw another rock and watched it bounce off at great velocity as well. There was no clinking sound you could expect from a stone hitting another, instead replaced by a deep thud.
Just in case, I threw a third pebble, yet this time, I inadvertently jumped back from the reaction. The whole patch of ground suddenly leapt toward me at immense speed. Said patch of ground also appeared to be smiling with a wide-open toothy grin as it flew through snowflake-filled air, only to land multiple meters away from me.
I stared at it, and it stared at me. I began readying the bow off my back, and it slowly meandered towards me, its initial speed having worn off.
As I pulled the string back, it didn't even bother to move anymore, instead just staring at me. It seemed strangely intelligent. Like it knew it was dead and I would be its killer. The creature almost seemed pitiful, just sitting and gazing at me calmly as if it had accepted its own death.
[https://images2.imgbox.com/df/ba/YE1WF20t_o.png]
I held back the string, feeling it press against my hand. The arrow was resting between my index and middle fingers. I almost wanted to let the beast go, yet instead, I let go of the string. The bolt flew through the air with a twang and instantly pierced the creature's forehead, entering its brain.
The Gnasher didn't make any sounds, only slumping its head on the snowy ground, eyes still open and looking at me. I hadn't gotten a notification. The animal was still alive. I pulled and released another arrow, and the eyes closed. This time I received it.
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You have killed a level 14 Gnasher.
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With a sigh, I went to receive the arrows buried deep in the beast's head, and Bassir finally broke the facade of a solemn judge. "Well, I'll be damned! You actually did it!" He quipped. "I was sure I'd have to jump in and rescue you!"
I felt a bit saddened by the intelligence the creature showed in its last moments, yet I knew how dangerous the Gnasher was. If the situation was the other way around, I would be on the ground, bleeding out. It was just the survival of the fittest. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Watch out with the arrows. You don't want any spit getting on any open wounds. Wouldn't want to get paralyzed," Bassit explained as he took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves while rummaging around his bag for a couple large glass vials. "Watch. I'll show ya how to extract the saliva."
Once I retrieved the second arrow, Bassir nimbly turned the Gnasher on its back, preventing blood from flowing to the mouth area and propped the maw open with his hand. The jaw of the Gnasher was filled with sharp, long teeth, but behind them, under the tongue, two small holes were leaking a clear liquid.
Bassir blocked one of them with his finger and pressed the first vial on the second hole. "The venom ain't dangerous if it can't get in yer blood. Just make sure it don't get on yer clothes as it lasts long," he explained. "Go on and press on the underside of its jaw."
I did as he asked, and the liquid started flowing from the hole faster. The spit gland must've been inside the bottom jaw.
The Gnasher's rough skin was coloured an earthy brown. There were occasional jagged pieces of skin that resembled branches. The beast's claws were long and meant more for digging than maiming. It wasn't hard to imagine how easy it would be for such a creature to camouflage on the forest floor.
"Aight. That should do it," Bassir announced, closing the jaw. He began wrapping the outside of the glass vials with hemp twine, likely to prevent them from breaking. "Got to say, lad. Ya really did well on this one. Knew ya didn't have a chance to spot it regularly, so you used your brain instead. You'll go far with that mindset, long as ya keep it."
The dwarf seemed a little bittersweet. "Thanks, Bassir. I know it's dangerous, but I'll manage. You were my teacher, after all," I reassured with an equally bittersweet chuckle.
"Tell ya what. Let's head back for now, and we'll hold a feast to send ya off real good," the dwarf announced while handing me the saliva vials. "Here. Take the venom. If ya dip yer arrows in it, they'll cause more bleeding and paralyze the mark after a bit. Won't even ruin the meat, as heat from a fire will neutralize the effects."
I took the vials earnestly, and we headed back toward the city, leaving the Gnasher's corpse behind. It was an anticlimactic end for the creature. The only valuable part of the beast was their spit, though they were mainly hunted for the danger they posed to others.
This time we avoided the lake, opting to traverse over the river using the cobblestone bridge. The mossy cobblestone bridge crossed over the floodplains, clearly prepared to face the spring floods. The top of the bridge was icy, thanks to the damp mist stemming from the rapids below.
It was nice to jog along an actual path where you didn't have to worry about your footing. Soon enough, we were at a crossroads, and after taking the right turn, we arrived back by the city gates.
Begnik, who greeted us when we left, had ended his shift, replaced by Nelat, his son, and another guard whose name I didn't know. The unknown guard looked around the age of Begnik.
"Whatchu huntin'?" Asked Nelat when we arrived in talking range.
"Gnashers," I replied. "Got one too. A level 14."
"Impressive! I remember my first Gnasher fondly. Evil bastards, they. Luckily managed to spot it just in time," Nelat congratulated, muttering the last part meekly only to be mercilessly caught by the other guard: "Bullshit! Ya were so dang blind, yer pops had to kill it when ya walked right into its ambush!"
Seeing this, Bassir chuckled wrily. "Trenor... I don't think ya should be yapping bout being blind. For some reason, I don't remember ya being any better on yer first try!"
"Ahh, come now, old man! Why ya gotta expose me in front of the younglings like that!" He cried half-heartedly.
During my time in the dwarven city, I noticed nearly everyone knew or was friends with one another. It seemed strange to me, a human, as there couldn't be less than a thousand dwarves living in the city. It did make sense, though, since the dwarves clearly had a lot more communal culture than the people back on Earth.
The chat ended with Bassir inviting both guards to the Mountain's Brew once their shifts ended. The Mountain's Brew was the same tavern I had spent last night in. I doubt the invitation changed anything, as they were undoubtedly headed there anyways, like they always did.
Although I usually protested going to the tavern, today, it seemed appropriate. This was the last time in a long while I would get to see the people I had spent my first three months with in this strange new world. This would be my last night at Melgir. I wanted to make it memorable.