After lunch, they decided to meet at the main square in one hour. Both Luca and Michelle said they had to get ready for the hunt, so Bryn used the time to rest for a while.

He laid down on the hay bed he had created inside his tent and pondered about this morning. They are good with mobility, I would be the last one should we need to run away… They are not as precise as I am, but that is only a matter of time and getting used to. If we need to hunt rabbits, at least I already have experience and can do something. Should they decide to hunt anything else, I’ll have to absorb everything they have to offer. Are they good hunters as well? Bryn thought.

Lost in thought, the hour he was supposed to rest was up.

Bryn left his tent now accompanied by his short sword. Walking he felt like a real adventurer, few people walked with their weapons ready to go at any moment. That gave him a sense of pride he had not experienced before.

Arriving at the center square, Bryn does not see Michelle or Luca. He waited for some time, either sitting down or walking around. He had to properly place his scabbard a few times in the cloth entrapment he had made to hold it on his back.

When the two arrived, Bryn comprehended the difference in status and preparation he faced. He was wearing a beige shirt made of cloth, open at the neck, shorts, and a belt around his waist to hold his sword. He had already gotten used to the cold in the region. His body hair and fur no longer stood on end due to the lack of coats. He was sure his origin as a faun helped in this ability to adapt.

Both brother and sister had similar armor. The design focused on practicality and movement. On every vital spot there was an extra layer of protection, a type of plate was evident under the material. From the joints, one could see the internal insulation with some type of fur. The armor looked skillfully made by a craftsman. Over their legs there wasn’t as much protection as their upper body, there were well-positioned plates protecting the inside and outside, but that was it.

Michelle smiled at Bryn, waving her bow as to say hello.

Luca kept walking in his direction. He looked prepared for anything. A small pouch on the back of his waist and small knives stored in leather pockets throughout his ribs. Two short swords, one on each side as well as a small shield on his back.

Bryn couldn’t help but remember the time when the first Assass*n’s Cr*d game launched, all that was missing was the white hood.

“Where are your things??” Michelle asked.

“This is it” Bryn placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, raising his head.

“It is not wise to go hunting unprepared. ” Luca said as he walked around and looked at Bryn.

Without answering, Bryn could only think, As if it was my choice to be like this.

“Depending on how well you do, we can ask Seraph to make you an armor. Now let’s go.” Luca continued.

“Where should we go, big bro?” Asked Michele.

“Today we start by walking towards the mountain, but we won’t go inside the mountain range yet. We have to test Mister Instructor over here…” Luca answered pointing at Bryn.

The three of them left the village to the northeast. It took them half an hour to arrive at a location where human presence wasn’t seen.

“Bryn, here we’ll start seeing a few animals. Your classical rabbit, a few elks and bears. Bears are rare, so you do not have to be afraid.” Said Luca.

“Rabbits I have a bit of experience hunting, Elk and Bears I have none.” Without anyone asking, Bryn offered his expertise.

“We shall start with you being the leader. Find us some rabbits to hunt.” Luca got back to him.

Accepting the challenge Bryn started to scan the area looking for signs of rabbits. It took some time to find traces, but once he did, his heart started to increase the speed at which it was beating. Remembering the feeling he felt last time, his instincts kicked in and like a bloodhound, he started to run.

Luca and Michelle were silent, simply following behind him. Some brushes broke during the pursuit, but they soon found their prey. The rabbit was bigger than the ones Bryn had seen before, about half a body in size. Bryn kept his distance for a short moment while he created a plan of attack. Without saying a word, he ran at the rabbit, striking it with all his might. Startled, the creature tried to jump away, but it was too late. The short sword had already lodged itself into its chest.

Happy that he was able to get the rabbit on his first try, he smiled back at both Luca and Michelle. That is when a notification rang and a similar box appeared on his face.

- Level UP ! -

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Level 1 -> Level 2 (2%)

Gained 8 status points

His smile increased, now showing all his teeth as well as his eyes growing in size. To a point where Michelle was worried for him, “Hey Bryn, are you ok??” She asked.

“More than okay! I leveled up!” he answered.

Mom, Dad. I hope you are alright! If you can see or feel this… I took another step toward getting you back!!

Those thoughts came with lingering feelings and memories from his past. The past weeks were like a vacation compared to the previous years. He had hidden those feelings deep within his heart. Now, that notification had opened the gates a little, and with them, came tears from both his eyes.

Luca and Michelle looked at each other not knowing what was happening. Michelle, as a good 8-year-old, said “Good one Bryn! Level one to level two is hard, but there is no need for you to cry…”. Luca on the other hand, could only tell something different was up. He tried to get his focus back on hunting. “Bryn, good job. Use your status points, and let’s get to the next target.”

Now I have to increase this as much as possible! This is the first time I leveled up… Where should I put the status points? I already have blessings for extra dex and intelligence. I should talk with Gabriel and Kwame when I get back for suggestions. For now, the things I lack the most are strength and agility, let’s go with 4 on each.

Name

Bryn

Age

8

Lvl

2

Race

Faun

Titles

Blessed by Lugh

Blessed by Flidais

Protected by Kwame Nkosi’s Vow [Temporary]

Status

Strength

5 (+3)

Intelligence

1

Dexterity

1 (+6)

Agility

5 (+6)

Vitality

2

Luck

2

Skills

[Farming]; [Physical Improvement Begginer]; [Butchering]; [Parkour]; [Cooking]; [One-Handed Sword Mastery - Beginner]; [Martial Art]; [Taekwondo]

I should try kicking and using other techniques, but that will be for later on.

“Done, we can keep going,” Bryn said.

“Good. Follow me.” Luca answered as he started walking.

Unlike Bryn’s previous dash towards the rabbit, Luca’s movement was nimble. He was walking faster and faster with each step, but evading all branches in his way. In the middle of the brother and sister, Bryn tried to follow and copy his movements, but it was much different than the mobility training he had come up with. It was hard not to hit anything in his way.

After some time they started to listen to a new noise. Luca stopped immediately. He used his finger to point at his ear. The noise sounded like a stream. Water was always important because both animals and they could use the river to drink.

He started to move slower than before as if he had already traced something for them to hunt. Bryn looked to all sides, unable to see or hear anything.

Their movement went from a straight line towards an angular motion, as if going around the origin of that sound.

It didn’t take long for them to see the river flowing downstream. On the other side of it, is a big Elk. Bryn had never seen an Elk before, especially one alive and well. The animal was huge compared to himself. Its height was almost as large as Mr. Kwame's, but its body was much larger.

As the beast came into their sight, Luca stopped once again. He closed one of his fists while raising it so Bryn and Michelle could see it. The light breeze brought the riverside aroma to the air. Bryn felt an amazing connection to nature while waiting for Luca’s orientation.

“Michelle, you and Bryn stay here. I’ll cross the river and attack it from its back. From my experience either I land a good hit and it gets injured beyond a survivable state or it will run. Your job is to be ready if it tries to run across the river. Understood?”

“Yes, big bro.”

“Yes.” Bryn nodded with his head as well.

With that, Luca left both of them alone on this side of the river.

“Bryn, while brother is getting ready on the other side, we must try and find a good position for our ambush. The goal is to find a spot where the elk won’t notice our presence as well as a place where you would reach the elk as fast as possible. Since this is your first time, follow me without making any sound.”

Bryn was unsure how adept Michelle was at hunting, but her words sounded confident.

Both slowly took position. Michelle guided them towards a better vantage point.

“The entire time we are moving, you have to try and hide your presence. Because the wind is coming from the river, sent won’t factor as much. Noise is super super important, so we’ll stay behind this bush for now.” She whispered.

Her hand gently pushed a few leaves to the side so both could see the elk. It was drinking from the stream, its head and neck lowered completely. The eyes of the elk were moving between the river and its side, patrolling its surroundings.

“As you can see, it hasn’t noticed us yet. Otherwise, it would have stopped drinking and started to use its head and all its senses to see if we are a threat… When big bro strikes, you’ll notice only by looking at him going in. He was able to train with his father and Uncle Jonas to remove most sounds from his sneak attacks. I’m not there yet… He should be arriving near the elk any moment now. You should be ready to attack.”

“How should we attack?” Bryn asked.

“Considering you have a short sword, go for the neck, but anywhere other than the antlers will help. I’ll hit him with my bow, that will startle him so be ready.”

Bryn checked his grip on the short sword, everything was fine. He better positioned himself on the floor and started to visualize his attack as Daniel had taught him.

The plan is simple, as soon as I see Luca, I’ll run as fast as I can towards the river. Arriving there in about 5-7 steps, I’ll aim where the elk will be and attack it with a forward strike as done with the rabbit. I hope Michelle’s arrow reaches him before I do so I don’t block her shot, but since she has more experience, I won’t think much about that.

With each second that went by, sweat accumulated on Bryn’s hand and body. Focusing intensely on the elk was hard, not knowing when Luca would attack. He had to balance the amount of energy spent on watching the situation and the amount needed to react instantly.

He looked around to see where Michelle was. The girl had climbed atop a nearby tree and had her bow semi-pulled. Her eyes were similar to a hawk. The only movement he perceived when looking at her was the breeze moving her hair.

Wiping the sweat from his hands, he checked his stance once more. As he swallowed, he found his throat dry from the nervousness. The sound of the external world had diminished and he focused everything on what was coming from the river side.

In a flash, Bryn saw the elk raise his hand and a blur dash towards its side at astonishing speed.

That was it! It was time for them to attack.