My first day on the road was, thankfully, uneventful. As the sky began to turn purple, I knew it was time to make camp.
Monsters weren't common around these parts, but I wasn't about to risk it. Luckily for me, they hated light in any form. Once I had a campfire going, I'd be set for the night. Then it'd be back to walking the seemingly endless stretch of road to Starkfell, with nothing around but the rolling green hills for company.
I had promised Daedra-what felt like years ago now-I'd take her to the nearby town. I hadn't planned on going for any other reason, and walking this path alone felt…wrong. It sat like a weight on my chest that I couldn't shake off, no matter how hard I tried. Hopefully, after all this mess, I'd get the chance to fulfill that promise.
Melancholy threatened to sink in, and I gave myself a hard shake before it could take hold. There was no use in thinking like that. I had entirely too many things to do that required my attention.
Like finding somewhere safe to camp, setting up a fire, and then going over which stats I needed to increase the most.
With my new list in mind, I scanned the area. The road was nestled between two sets of hills with not a tree in sight. On the bright side, that meant there was nowhere for monsters to hide if they did sense me. On the downside, I couldn't just camp on the road-that was a surefire way to get killed by bandits or a passing wagon.
I glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky and sighed. Alright, I'd make a torch first and then worry about setting up camp.
Thankfully, Clyde caught me on the way out of town with a bag of supplies. I hadn't had a chance to go through them yet, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't at least some flint and steel in there.
Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I dug into the bag until I felt the familiar items and pulled them out. Certain survival skills had been taught to the town guard, so within minutes, I had a torch clasped in hand and a small bubble of light surrounding me. With that done, I started walking again, keeping an eye out for a suitable place to camp.
Unfortunately, most of the area was plains, so there was no tree coverage or even leaves to pad the ground for sleeping. Normally, I would have had a mat, but with all the injured in Dawncrest, the town needed every scrap of bedding it could gather. A hard night on the ground wouldn't kill me, and I'd sleep better knowing someone wounded or elderly was using my mat.
After a few more minutes of walking, I found the perfect spot.
The ground evened out into a smooth, flat area to the side of the road, with steep inclines surrounding it. It would take time to scale it, making it perfect for defense.
Setting up camp was nearly second nature, and in moments, a campfire blazed. Not a moment too soon either. The sky lost the last of its red hue, settling fully into the inky darkness of night as stars winked to life across the ebony expanse.
I leaned back on my elbows and took it in. Ever since I'd adopted Beatrice into our little family, we made a habit of watching the stars at night. We'd noticed their various patterns and made it a game to create new ones. Maybe they were doing that now…
A twinge of longing twisted in my chest, followed by comfort. No matter how far I went, at least we were under the same sky. That would have to be enough for now.
I soaked in the peace for a few more moments before reaching for the small mirror Clyde had left. Before I started training, I needed to know what skills would need the most attention.
The mirror would come in handy anytime there were no reflective surfaces or rivers nearby to check my stats, like now.
My dirty silver-haired reflection stared back at me with tired eyes, and I focused past that until the status menu popped into view.
Frederick
Level 2
Hit Points: 20/30
Mana: 30/30
Status: Bone Contusions, Minor Exhaustion
Well…at least I'd recovered five hit points since yesterday. At that rate I'd be fully healed before I reached Starkfell, as long as I didn't run into any monsters.
They wouldn't attack during the day, so I should be safe on that front.
Despite that, I glanced around the clearing, just to be safe. When nothing out of the ordinary revealed itself, I focused back on my status.
On the far right sat a second list.
Quests
Reputation
Skills
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Spells
Stats
I focused on Quests first. Only two appeared, as I expected.
Kill The Mad King and His Dragon
* Find/Commission A Sturdy Weapon
* Train To Withstand My New Power
Convince Nearby Towns To Offer Aid To Dawncrest
* Make It To Starkfell
I could probably ask the residents of Starkfell about any Dwarven blacksmiths in the area while I was there. As for convincing them to help…I'd figure that out once I got there.
Shutting that menu, I opened Stats instead.
Strength: 13
Stamina: 11
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 9
Charisma: 16
Wisdom: 12
Endurance: 9
Perception: 12
Eesh, no wonder that strike nearly broke my arms. Since Dawncrest was such a small town, it had been redundant to raise my level or stats higher, but now…Well, now was different.
Endurance would need to increase at least five points for me to stand a chance at withstanding the power from yesterday.
My Hit Points and Mana would rise by twenty with every level I gained, so I could start taking down low level monsters to work on that. If only the other stats raised the same way. As it stood, I'd have to do things that specifically built each individual stat I needed. Even the thought made me groan.
For Endurance, I'd probably need to get hit more often. My body needed to be able to withstand taking damage until the muscles and bones were harder to break.
That wasn't exactly possible without someone to spar with though…
Maybe I could focus on increasing my Strength instead, at least until I gathered a few party members.
Strength was easy to level, after all. If I threw a good amount of stones in my pack I'd probably get at least one stat increase by the time I reached Starkfell. As an added bonus, that would also increase my Stamina, especially if I jogged part of the day. Endurance would just have to wait until I found someone to spar with.
Briefly, I glanced over the ‘Spells’ option and frowned. That…hadn't been there a week ago.
The full menu opened with barely a thought and where before there'd been nothing, now sat one spell.
Retribution.
It almost had to be the one I used on the dragon, and curiosity prodded at the back of my mind until finally, I gave in. Focusing on the spell, I analyzed it.
Retribution, Level Ten Spell
Strikes foe with a celestial-infused weapon attack, does massive damage but when cast at lower levels it harms the caster. Charges per day depend on wielder level.
I'm sorry, I cast a what level spell?!
That was eight levels above me; even attempting that should have killed me on the spot! At the very least, I should have passed out from Mana overuse.
Actually, how much Mana did it cost to cast? I hadn't seen that in the description… I looked again and frowned. It wasn't there. The spot it was supposed to be in was blank, and that only added to my confusion. Did a spell of that caliber really not cost any magic to use? What did it use instead?
Then I reread the last line.
Charges per day depend on wielder level.
I guess that made sense. As it stood, I couldn't even hold up to one of those attacks. Maybe once I increased a few levels and boosted my stats, I'd be able to do them one after the other. Considering how much power went into the strike-enough to crack a dragon’s scales-having something like that in my arsenal would be a boon in the long run.
With my plan set for now, I closed the menu and dropped back onto the dirt. My arms pulsed in displeasure, but I ignored that and stretched out.
The sword Clyde gave me leaned next to my pack and I traced the edge absentmindedly. It was dull and desperately in need of sharpening. Usually I would have asked Harold to do that before I left, but with his outburst…
It was better to not push my luck.
Starkfell would have a blacksmith; I'd just have to make do until then. Before I could consider that more, my stomach let out a long, low growl that echoed through the night.
Right, I hadn't eaten much this morning thanks to nerves, and Clyde couldn't spare any food. It was to be expected, and I knew how to hunt for my own dinner.
Better to leave those rations for someone who wasn’t self-sufficient. Besides, I should have considered that on my walk today, but I'd been too wrapped up in my own head to think about hunting.
A rookie mistake, and one I'd pay for by going without dinner. Monsters often hunted in packs and there was no way I'd leave the safety of the light because I was a bit hungry.
As if in response to the thought, something thudded onto the ground nearby. I tensed but didn't get up. Better to let whatever it was think I was asleep. If it tried to inch closer, I could spring an attack with the element of surprise.
Sliding my hand closer to the sword resting nearby, I opened my eye a sliver and peered at what made the noise.
A tan, furry body sat hunched a yard away, its head bowed to display a full rack of antlers, with long, floppy ears nearly touching the ground. I didn't recognize it, but that wasn't surprising. I'd never gone far from Dawncrest. Definitely not far enough to encounter monsters. The hunters in town handled that. The guards were taught to hunt, but we didn't use the skill.
Out of curiosity, I analyzed it.
Jackalope
Level 1
Hit Points: 5/5
Mana: 0/0
Status: Healthy
So it was a breed of hare. Interesting. For a moment, I considered killing it. The meat would hold me over until tomorrow at least.
But Daedra's devastated expression flashed behind my eyes, and my stomach churned. She adored all kinds of small, fluffy creatures. Killing one when it wasn't hostile would surely bring her to tears.
There'd be wolves and other animals to hunt tomorrow.
Just as I was about to settle down again, its long foot beat the ground in warning. It tossed its head, and I barely had a second to react before it charged. Using its paddle-like feet, it launched forward with its head still bowed, antlers aimed like blades.
I didn't hesitate. The sword came down in a clean arc, halting the Jackalope in its tracks as I cleaved through its neck. Its Hit Points dropped to zero, and it slumped over. I sighed and set the blade aside.
Sorry, Dae. I tried.
Still, there was no reason to waste good meat.
Stoking the fire higher-the previous blaze having dulled to embers, allowing the monster to get close-I dredged up the old memory of how to prepare it. The task was harder than it should have been thanks to the dull edge on the sword, but after a good while of struggling-and many curses-the Jackalope was skewered over the fire.
Its pelt was a mess, far from my cleanest cut, and I wrapped it tightly before shoving it into my bag. The pelt and antlers could be worth something in trade once I reached Starkfell. Since I had no coin and still needed plenty of supplies, it was better to keep all possible resources.
With that settled, I removed the meat from the fire and dug in. Immediately, I grimaced.
Ugh, it was so bland.
Which was to be expected, considering I hadn't gathered any herbs on my walk. Something I’d need to rectify tomorrow. Tonight, though, I'd just have to suffer through the taste.
Once I finished the last bite, I lay back down and yawned, my sword now resting on the dirt next to me. Hopefully nothing else would attack tonight. I desperately needed some sleep if I wanted to make progress with all that training I planned earlier.