On her way back to her blind, Zalia again cut off and took as many herbs and plants as she could,
Congratulations! Flora identification has reached Tin 2.
Congratulations! Stasis has reached Tin 3.
Congratulations! Herbalist has reached Tin 2.
She found quite a few more bits of Bitterbalm and Snow-leaf but no more of the rare bronze rank Frozen Heart or the silver rank one she had left with Glemp.
Reaching her blind, Zalia quickly set up a small fire, field dressing and skinning the rabbit she put it on a spit above. Actually skinning the thing took a considerable amount of time because cutting through the metallic hide was quite hard. While it cooked she used some of the Thyme, Rosemary and Bitterbalm sprinkling it on. It wouldn't be the best meal she’d ever had but it would do. She kind of wished she had some salt somewhere but out in the snow you do what you can with what you have.
“Probably can't fight any creature above iron and especially not if I don't have my long cooldown abilities,” Zalia thought, “Mmm Glemp wasn't lying that the Bitterbalm is quite good for cooking... and I'm poisoning myself by eating this but healing presence is countering it”
Now that she didn’t have the emergency back-up of those two abilities for six hours she was feeling a bit less comfortable going out for another hunt just yet. As such, she spent the rest of the day collecting herbs and trying out what she could do with them. Chewing on a bit of Frost-leaf she found that it quite significantly cooled down her body temperature but didn't do much else. The Bitterbalm just tasted nice, speaking to its use in cooking. When she decided to eat a little bit of the Frozen Heart, she found that it did feel like it healed her a little. Though she couldn't speak to its ability to slow down any disease or bleeding it could be useful in the right circumstance.
Zalia didn't have any experience in alchemy like Glemp did, and neither did she have any interest in learning it. She was more interested in very simple applications of what herbs could do quickly. She decided to fold up the hide of the bunny and give it to Glemp as a gift next time she went back that way.
The next week and a half were spent testing out and finding the limits of her newfound magical powers. Zalia found a few more of the bunnies, these all of an iron rank however and relatively easy to take down without her use of the high cooldown abilities. Her bag was packed with as many herbs as she could find so she had taken to leaving it at her blind now. She came across a few more pieces of the Frozen Heart and had to use some in one of her fights where a bunny had gotten in a particularly savage headbutt. Coming in closer to the week and a half mark, Zalia decided to hunt something a bit bigger. She was sticking to her iron rank only rule, making sure not to attack anything higher than that and running from anything that decided to give chase. Before going on this final hunt, she checked her progress,
Congratulations! Kill shot has gained five levels reaching Tin 14.
Congratulations! Hunter’s mark has gained four levels reaching Tin 12.
Congratulations! Escape has reached Tin 5.
Congratulations! Hunter’s sight has gained five levels reaching Tin 9.
Congratulations! Survivalist and associated skills have gained five levels reaching Tin 10.
Congratulations! Hunter class has reached Tin 5.
Congratulations! Flora identification has gained five levels reaching Tin 7.
Congratulations! Preparation has gained five levels reaching Tin 8.
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Congratulations! Stasis has gained three levels reaching Tin 6.
Congratulations! Harvester has gained five levels reaching Tin 7.
Congratulations! Herbal magic has gained two levels reaching Tin 4.
Congratulations! Herbalist class has gained two levels reaching Tin 4.
Congratulations! Nature’s wrath has reached Tin 5.
Congratulations! Protection of the wilds has reached Tin 5.
Congratulations! Healing presence has gained four levels reaching Tin 7.
Congratulations! Druid class has gained two levels reaching Tin 5.
Congratulations! Low light vision has reached Tin 2.
She was quite happy with her progress, although Herbal magic was falling behind a bit because she didn't find any Tin rank herbs she could do rituals with. Nature’s wrath and Protection of the wilds had the same issue where they weren’t levelling as fast since she couldn't or didn't use them as often. From what she thought, they all seemed to gain at least some experience from each kill, thus levelling even when not used. Some of the higher level skills were also slowing down a bit as they got higher and she got used to fighting what she had dubbed the Ironfur rabbits. Her healing presence however, actually leveled from healing the slight poisoning she got from eating the animals she killed. Each fight had gotten easier as her abilities grew in strength too, dealing more damage, healing more and having more effect in general. She also grew somewhat stronger and faster, being able to take more punishment before a long cooldown ability needed to be used. She didn't know why the bunnies themselves were so violent but she assumed it was part of why they grew to such strengths. She had a sneaking suspicion that they were also carnivorous and probably what had taken her deer in the first place. The last thing she had discovered was that if she dried up, crushed and mixed some of the Snow-leaf with the poisonous berry gel she had started calling My very own poisonous berries of hell, the effect of the poison was heightened and caused whatever was poisoned to move a little slower.
Zalia’s new target was whatever creature was making a new set of tracks she had found. A large four legged creature it was about her size from what Hunter's Sight told her. It seemed to move by itself, not in a pack, which was good for her. At least, she thought it was. She had tracked it down to what would be called a den of some sorts. Not wanting to go in, she had set a trap out the front of the den, pushing a bunch of sharpened spikes into the hardened earth in front of the entrance and covering them again with snow, she waited with bow strung. This time around she knew to have both her axe and dagger pre-poisoned just in case.
An hour later, Zalia caught sight of the creature. Dog-like, the creature was four legged and looked like it could run plenty fast. It had two tentacle-like protrusions coming out from either shoulder, quite thick furred with cold blue eyes. As it came out of the den, it sniffed at the air before looking in her direction.
? - Iron rank
Luckily for her, iron rank. It was exactly what she was looking for. It met her eyes as she stood, activated hunters mark and shot, the arrow lodging into the creature's shoulder. It yelped before looking her way again, this time its eyes glowing. She felt herself slow down and freeze as the two tentacle-like protrusions lifted up and three crackling ice spears growing between them. Just as the ice spears shot towards her, Zalia used her escape ability and threw herself out of their way. Receiving just a scratch for her efforts, quickly healed, she nocked another arrow as the creature ran towards her. As it ran over her trap, it slowed making some more angry growling sounds as its feet were stabbed into by the poisoned spikes.
? (Poisoned) (Slowed) - Iron rank
Zalia fired off another shot, hitting it in the leg before it went down at speed, tumbling towards her in a pile of limbs. She hopped out of the way once more, activating kill shot before delivering one more arrow to its head as it tried to get up.
Congratulations! You have killed ? (Poisoned) (Slowed) - Iron rank. You have received extra experience for killing a creature one rank above your own.
Congratulations! Kill shot has reached Tin 15.
Congratulations! Hunter’s mark has reached Tin 13.
Congratulations! Healing presence has reached Tin 8.
“Doesn't seem like there are many other Tin rankers out there,” Zalia said, “Maybe other humans are closer to my rank, though this seemed easy enough since I dodged most of its magic with one ability.”
She quickly removed her arrows, of which she had only six left of her original twelve. Many had broken on the Ironfur rabbits during her week and a half of hunting. This creature had actually used some magic so she thought Glemp might take an interest in it. She could visibly see the creature's veins discoloured from where her arrows and spikes had poisoned it. It turned out the constant damage amplified by her hunter’s mark did significant damage, as did arrows to the head. Hauling the thing up onto her shoulders she made her way towards the goblin city.