The sun was setting by the time Jake had almost finished, looking over the two bundles of arrows and the five bottles as he waited for the water in the pot to boil. Andy had given him some advice the previous day when Jake had explained his Skills and current build, advising Jake to try using his [Alchemy] Skill to make some potions. While the process had proven simple, all Jake needing to do was grind up a few Helthi Mushrooms in his Mortar and Pestle of the Wilds and add the resulting paste to some boiling water, it had taken him several tries to actually get a successful potion.
Now he watched the pot carefully, allowing his Skill to tell him the moment the water reached the right temperature, dropping in the paste. He waited patiently as the water turned a dark red colour, steam billowing out of the pot as the concoction quickly reduced. The moment the dark red liquid turned a vivid crimson colour, he pulled the pot off the fire, setting it on the ground and watching it closely as it cooled. He had used the last of his Helthi Mushrooms to make this batch, and if it failed, he would either have to go searching for more, or just accept the amount of potion he had already made.
Glancing at the closest bottle, he read the screen that appeared.
Silverbark Bottle
A bottle shaped out of Silverbark wood to hold drinking water or potions.
2/5 Charges of Simple Potent Health Potion.
Restores 150 Health Points.
Increases potency of stored potions.
Quality: Epic
Soulbound
Looking back at the cooling potion in front of him, he smiled as the notification telling him he’d succeeded appeared, carefully pouring the single charge of potion into the bottle, bringing its total to amount to three. Letting out a tired sigh, Jake sat back, inspecting each of the five bottles in turn. Two of them contained the Health Potion he had made, one of which was full, while two others contained five charges of Stamina and Purification potion each. The main reason he’d chosen to make the Purification potion instead of a Mana Potion was due to the final bottle, Jake reading over the screen as it appeared.
Silverbark Bottle
A bottle shaped out of Silverbark wood to hold drinking water or potions.
5/5 Charges of Simple Potent Death Bringer Poison.
Inflicts the Poisoned Status.
Increases potency of stored potions.
Quality: Epic
Soulbound
While Jake was hesitant to use the poison, he had half a plan in his mind for how to deal with the wolves, and this bottle was instrumental in it. Shaking his head, he stood and stretched, turning to look at the quickly darkening sky.
“Impressive,” Gaia said as she stepped up beside him, Jake glancing at the stag skull, its eye sockets housing the burning green orbs that were the goddess' eyes, “You have made quite the powerful Healing item.”
“Thanks,” Jake hummed, looking back at the sky as the first stars started to appear, before quickly gathering the bottles and hooking them to his belt, making sure he knew where each was, “It took a while, but I’m finally ready to start.”
“So, you’re going to go face the wolves?” Gaia asked, a sadness in her voice as she spoke, “They were once the Guardians of this land, you know?”
“They were?” Jake blinked, looking at the statue as it stared at the sky.
“Yes,” Gaia sighed, turning to look at Jake again, “However, after they were Corrupted, they began hunting any and everything in the Dark Woods, slaughtering dozens of creatures before they were able to flee. Did you not think it strange that they were the only beasts or monsters in the forest?”
“I…I didn’t actually think about that,” Jake admitted, “In the Bio-Dome we only have a few species left, and they are carefully monitored at all times to protect them.”
“Bio-Dome?” Gaia asked, “Something from your original world?”
“Yes,” Jake nodded, “I worked there, protecting and caring for the plants and animals.”
“That goes a long way to explaining your respect for nature then,” Gaia chuckled, “But enough chatter, is it not time for you to go hunt?”
“Not quite,” Jake shook his head, “I said I was done preparing to start. Now I need to do just that.”
------
“Dammit,” Shadow sighed as the three-man party sat on a bench in the town square, “I can’t believe we were too late to get any decent Quests from the Adventurers’ Guild today.”
“And whose fault was that?” Andy said jokingly, patting the Rogue on the shoulder, “You logged in pretty late today, everything okay in the real?”
“It’s fine,” Shadow huffed, “I just overslept a bit. Sorry that some of us need their beauty sleep.”
“I’d hate to see you without it,” Andy chuckled.
“At least we were able to help out around Dusk Keep though,” Holi said, “There were plenty of Quests to do, even with all the other players around.”
“That’s because they’re just delivery Quests,” the short man sighed, “It was so boring!”
“Hey, we managed to make a decent amount of coin out of it,” Andy laughed as he stood, “Come on, let’s go get something to nice to eat. I’m sure we’ll have better luck tomorrow morning.”
“You hope,” the Rogue pouted, getting up after him, “Anyway, I want meat! Oh, we should also go check on Miri, she has a habit of forgetting to eat when she’s working.”
“I would like to see if she’s finished with the robes I asked for as well,” Holi added as the three of them walked off, the first stars starting to appear in the sky.
------
Jake wiped the sweat off his forehead as he rammed the spike into the floor of the deep pit. It had taken him most of the night to dig the hole and line the bottom with wooden spikes carved from Silverbark Saplings, but it was finally done. Carefully, he opened the bottle of Death Bringer poison, holding it away from his face as he started to pour a small amount on each of the spikes, having to the shake the bottle slightly to get the thick black substance to drip out. It took three full charges to cover all the spikes, Jake sighing as he jumped out of the pit, grabbing hold of the edge and pulling himself out carefully.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Looking back at his creation, he found himself cringing at the sight. It was a basic trap, but one that could prove to be extremely effective, especially if he could trap multiple foes inside. The thought didn’t make him feel any better though, only serving to remind him of why and how he knew how to craft such traps. His Ranger training had included a course on building and concealing traps, both so that they would be able to recognize said traps more easily, and be able to disarm or destroy them. Now he was using that knowledge to do the very thing he’d been trained against, which felt wrong to the man.
Shaking his head, Jake set about covering the hole in branches, sprinkling soil and leaves over the top to make it harder to spot. Done, he turned to the several piles of wood and rope behind him, looking at the other traps as he sighed. He still had a lot to do before he dared approach the location of the wolves’ den, and he didn’t have a lot of time to do it in.
------
“Are you kidding me?” Shadow gasped as they looked at the Quest on the board, alongside a dozen other players, “A World Boss? Already?”
“A World Boss?” Holi hummed as she inspected the drawing on the large poster, “What’s that? It just looks like a fat goblin with a silly hat to me.”
“A World Boss is just that,” Andy answered, “It’s a Boss that roams the overworld instead of being at the end of a Dungeon. And this one is a Goblin Lord, so it’s probably a lot stronger and tougher than any goblin we’ve faced so far.”
“So, are we going to take the Quest?” Shadow asked excitedly, “If we can be the first to beat it, I bet we’ll get an Achievement and Title!”
“I don’t know,” Andy sighed, “We’re a little low on fire power at the moment, with only you as our main source of damage. Not that you’re bad at it, but we’ll need someone who can deal consistent damage rather than burst damage, like you do.”
“So, we need a Fighter then?” Shadow asked, pouting, “But all the decent ones are probably already taken. Isn’t there another way?”
“If we could get a powerful Mage, we might be able to kill it before it can kill us,” Holi offered, “Especially if they can hit it hard in the opening moments of the fight. Even if this World Boss is as tough as you claim, I’m sure I could keep Goldy alive long enough for Shadow to strike a decisive blow.”
“You have such faith in me,” Shadow sniffed, wiping away an imaginary tear, “Thanks, Holi!”
“We’ll just need a Mage then,” Andy shrugged, “Maybe a Fighter as well, just to be safe.”
“But where are we going to find one?” Shadow sighed, “Most of them will have been snapped up by other parties by now, I’m sure.”
“Leave that to me,” Andy grinned as he opened his Message Screen, “I think I know just the person.”
------
The inside of the cave was hidden behind an inky darkness, keeping Jake from being able to see beyond the entrance. Calling it a cave was something of a stretch, as it looked more like a small hill of stone with a large crack in one side, leading into the darkness within. It didn’t particularly matter to Jake what it was called or how it was shaped, all that mattered right now was that he had found the den of the wolves and could begin to enact his plan.
It had taken him most of the morning to finish setting it up, a small part of the forest now filled with traps and hazards that he hoped he could lead the wolves towards. Now he was crouched in a tree about a hundred or so meters away from the cave, watching as three wolves lounged in the small clearing that surrounded it. He sat perfectly still, watching for any sign that the wolves had either sensed his presence, or worse, smelt him.
Jake blinked as the symbol flashed in the corner of his vision, distracting him as he let out a small sigh. While Jake was grateful that he’d remembered to ask Andy how to stop the notifications from appearing in front of him all the time, the small blinking dot that now appeared whenever he got one was arguably just as annoying. Looking at the symbol, he opened the notifications and scanned over them quickly.
Skill [Sharp Eyes] has levelled up.
Skill [Hide] has levelled up.
This was the second time Jake’s [Sharp Eyes] Skill had levelled up since he’d started watching the cave an hour ago, and the fourth time his [Hide] Skill had increased as well. Dismissing the screens, he looked back at the wolves outside the cave, using [Observe] on one of them for the dozenth time.
Shadow Wolf
Beast
Level: ??
Corrupted
He still couldn’t see the wolves’ levels, which meant that they had to be at least ten levels above him. At least, that was what Andy had told him, claiming it was a common feature in these types of games to dissuade lower-level players from fighting enemies too far above their ability. Unfortunately for Jake, he didn’t have much of a choice. Jake froze as one of the wolves yawned, looking around, its gaze seeming to stop on him for a moment, before it lowered its head back to its paws, making him swallow nervously.
Jake knew full well that he had no chance of facing any of the wolves in a head on fight, and especially not in a group. This meant that not only did he have to separate them, but he had to disable them somehow as well. This was where the numerous traps he’d set up would come in, hopefully allowing him to pick off his targets from a safe distance. Of course, that was only if he could get the wolves to fall into his traps in the first place.
A low but powerful growl shook the trees around the clearing as Jake saw the three resting wolves suddenly jump to their feet, scampering back as the massive form emerged from the shadows inside the cave. Jake could only stare at the eight-foot-tall beast that walked out of the darkness, its ebony fur shining in the late morning light, its eyes sharp and focused, even as Jake could see the tell-tale swirling shadows of the Corruption in them. Four more wolves followed it out, including one which was obviously pregnant, her belly swollen, showing that she was perhaps only weeks away from giving birth. Swallowing, Jake used [Observe] again, this time on the massive wolf.
Shadow Wolf Alpha
Beast World Boss
Level: ??
Corrupted
The Alpha suddenly twitched, its gaze locking straight onto Jake as the man froze on the branch he was crouched on, a shiver running down his spine and cold sweat gathering on his skin. A moment later, the Alpha looked back at its pack, letting out a low growl as they stared back at him. One of the wolves suddenly twitched, shaking its head as it let out a growl, turning to look into the woods as Jake watched its eyes, the shadows consuming them entirely.
It had barely managed to take a single step forward, before the Alpha lashed out with a paw, sending the beast flying into a tree, yelping in pain as the Alpha snarled and barked at it. The wolf staggered to its feet, snarling back as it suddenly darted into the woods, the Alpha making like it was about to follow the other wolf, before stopping, shaking its own head as it let out a snarl of its own. Jake watched as the darkness swirled in the Alpha’s eyes again, seeming to almost cover them entirely, before it blinked, the darkness receding.
Jake stared as all this happened, unsure as to what exactly it all meant, but knowing that he had to act now if he wanted his plan to work. Drawing an arrow, he readied his bow, taking careful aim at his target, ignoring the quiet creak of his weapon even as his heart began to beat loudly in his chest. Jake released the arrow, the shaft of sharpened wood flying through the air, and striking the ground just beside his target.
The remaining wolves all turned to look at the arrow in confusion, before one spun to face the direction it had come from, letting out a loud howl, the other four of the smaller wolves answering it as they started to charge into the woods. The Alpha snarled and snapped at them as they ran off, barking frantically as they vanished between the trees, Jake watching as it turned to look back at the pregnant wolf, who could only look back.
Swallowing, Jake turned away from the Cave, silently jumping down to the ground before he started to sprint in the direction of his traps, knowing full well that if he was caught, he would die once again. Shaking the thought off, he forced himself to run faster, even as the howls of the wolves drew even closer. Once again, the hunt was on.
But this time, Jake was prepared.