The Contest of Saints is held every ten years in the exotic city of Al-Lazar. It is a great martial tournament, where warriors from all over the land vie with each other to prove that they stand among the strongest in the world, to fight for the title of the Saint. No weapons are allowed in this most-holy of competitions. The contestants, or pilgrims, fight to the death, or until they yield. To walk on the sacred red marble of the temple’s arena is a holy offering to the gods.

- The Fanciful Travels by Beron de Laney 376 AC.

Overall, I judged that we had made a good showing. However, there was one hairy moment when one of the River Lurkers made a beeline for Patches and wounded our beast before we were able to hurriedly put it down. I was forced to use a Heal to stem the flow of blood from the donkey’s haunches. Thankfully, apart from this, the culling of the river creatures passed mostly uneventfully. It was more a test of mental and physical endurance, as opposed to a trial that sorely tested us, and we didn’t even need to make use of our hastily-prepared traps. We had become so efficient that we even ended the last few groups well before the tree line, with Kidu’s bow inflicting a bloody toll on their numbers.

Thanks to our efforts in reducing the local Lurker population, I was able to gain another two hundred and fifteen additional Experience points, which pushed me ever closer to my next level. I had even gained a single point in both Constitution and Dexterity, though none of my skills had gained a point naturally, which was a little disappointing.

We butchered the River Lurkers as quickly as we could. I even helped a little, as we were pressed for time. Surely, soon, the smell of blood would attract larger and more dangerous predators. We had far exceeded our quota of three hides and we were forced to discard the lion’s share of the meat and the more damaged hides in a hastily-dug pit. I could only hope that we would be able to sell the extra hides somewhere in the city. However, Elwin seemed to be more excited at the prospect of having some new shoes made from the hides, no doubt to be used as a conversational point to impress.

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Not wanting to get my equipment wet, or for that matter, drown myself, I unequipped my heavy arms and armor, which had grown slick with blood and gore. Elwin and I waded into the cool, fast-flowing water, keeping an eye out for other threats. Kidu stood as a sentinel along the bank, with a serpent-swift arrow nocked to his yew longbow. The remaining juvenile River Lurkers had long fled, as even their reptilian brains could understand the threat that my group presented.

As instructed by Kidu, we felt our way down along the long stems of the River Root that anchored the plants to the bottom of the river. Then, with a sharp tug, as close to the base of the stem as possible, we harvested the herb, swiftly and methodically. My efforts even rewarded me with a new useless skill, a nominal amount of experience, and a much-welcomed attribute point.

5 experience gained.

You have gained 1 Wisdom.

You have learned Herbalism (lvl.1)

I didn’t much see myself as a picker of herbs and flowers, but the gain in Wisdom was definitely useful, as I knew that the attribute affected my overall Mana. How it affected my actual thought process, however, was still a mystery to me. I definitely didn’t feel much wiser. Besides, how exactly was Wisdom measured?

I shut down these thoughts as we hurriedly moved from the river. Such was our rush that we did not even take the time to wring out our clothes, let alone see to our armor. Elwin and I simply piled our gear onto Patches, which drew an annoyed bray from the beast. I fed the donkey a carrot, which seemed to mollify her somewhat, but she still looked at me in what I construed as equine indignation.

Once Kidu had judged that we were a suitable distance from the slaughter, we began to make camp as the sun began to set. I staked out Patches and helped place some Zajasite stones around the perimeter, extending the light of the campfire. We threw all pretense of stealth out of the window, deciding that it would serve us better to see our enemies if an attack came.