WILD LIFE: CHAPTER 8 ~*SHRICK*~

By the time Hope and Dalamund made it back to Fort farthest word of her heroics in the goblin raid had spread. To make matters worse Dalamund then proceeded to spread word of her actions against the trolls. Hope was actively sought out now as the promiscuous troll slaying hero of Restia. This was far too much attention for her liking so Hope decided that rather than read her shiny new book she would work on tailoring till she could properly handle that dire wolf leather she'd claimed.

As a result of sneaking away from the rangers, merchants, and the occasional player for days on end so that she could work in peace...

*ding*

A new Passive Skill has been generated: Stealth

StealthThe ability to hide your presence. Makes you less likely to be detected as skill level rises.

Hope smiled as she read about her new skill. Certainly as a wandering warden and a person who preferred to travel alone this skill would be invaluable to her...

Over the course of the next three weeks the people of Fort Farthest began to notice that Hope, Hero of Restia, was a very odd person. During the first week she was spotted many times shamelessly stalking people throughout the outpost. During the second week she was more difficult to detect as she not only traversed the grounds but the rooftops and alleyways as well while keeping an eye on her target. During the third week she had become nearly invisible and was beginning to get on people's nerves having been caught spying on some of their more... intimate moments.

Hope having decided to practice her new skill, with the exception of the time that she took everyday to visit the ranger station for repairing, sharpening, polishing and cooking, took to stalking random people for a while. After the first week Hope was satisfied with her level of stealth... however she had begun to have fun. While finding new ways to stalk her prey Hope became more adept at climbing, running and jumping silently. After the first two weeks Hope had found that stalking the people of Fort Farthest was actually a very rewarding activity. For one, she had learned quite a few rumors and juicy tidbits that if, should the need arise, could be used to her advantage. However the greater reason was that now instead of being followed around and engaged in conversation, people were actively making an attempt to avoid her. Happy with the results of her "training" she went back to her primary tasks.

After a few days she was satisfied with her mastery of tailoring, mainly because after hitting intermediate level one and generating a new skill it felt like she had passed a threshold.

*ding*

A new Active Skill has been generated: Ironing

IroningThe ability to temporarily increase the parameters of any cloth armor through the use of an iron.

Effects become more potent as skill level rises.

Hope decided to call it a night before she got to work on crafting new gear with her precious dire wolf pelts. She didn't want to feel rushed while crafting something that she planned to get a lot of use out of.

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Back in the real world Nadia exited the capsule, did her usual stretches and headed down to the kitchen. As usual, whenever she had missed dinner a plate of food was still waiting to be reheated. Sitting down to begin her feast Sam walked in and made himself a cup of tea before sitting down across from her.

"You missed dinner again Nadia." he said

"Sorry Sam, it's just too easy to lose track of time in there." she explained

"Well we don't mind as long as you're enjoying yourself. That's what this is all about anyway right?"

"I'm still sorry... I do enjoy spending time with both of you." she said apologetically

"Well don't dwell on it too much Nadia."

"I'll try not to."

"By the way... Jess and I are thrilled that your having fun but... you still haven't made any friends Nadia." he said accusingly

She began "I have made fr..."

"Human friends Nadia." he interrupted

She looked away feeling a bit guilty. "I know Sam..."

"Nothings gonna happen unless you try Nadia, you can't avoid people for the rest of your life."

Nadia said with a conflicted voice. "I'll... think about it Sam."

"It would be one thing for you to get close to people out here... I know that's asking too much right now, but in Royal Road they can't hurt you Nadia. It isn't real." he explained

"You don't understand Sam... it almost feels real. Half the time I forget until I see a window pop up or look down at my status."

"But it isn't real." he said adamantly driving the point home.

Nadia was a little shocked by Sam's actions, out of respect and understanding she said honestly. "I'll... watch, if I find the right people then maybe... but I won't go looking for them Sam."

"That's all that we ask of you love, keep an open mind. You of all people understand that no two people are the same. We're all unique."

"That's part of what makes it so hard to trust someone... I'd rather dangle a person over the edge of a skyscraper and interrogate them before I decide whether or not they're trustworthy." Nadia claimed acidly

Laughing Sam responded "In case you've forgotten that little stunt got you into a fair bit of trouble Missy. Try to tone it down a bit next time, for all of our sakes please. I'm sure Doctor Crews doesn't want to give you another psych evaluation anytime soon."

Nadia looked down at her plate a bit embarrassed "I'm really sorry Sam, how are his acrophobia sessions going?"

"It's okay dear, my brother is a very understanding and strong man. He won't be a stranger, mind you he won't be visiting us near any tall buildings in the next decade."

After some hearty conversation and sneaking desert behind Jessica's back the two parted ways and Nadia retired to her room for the night. After spending a few minutes gazing at pictures of the time she spent with Julia she dozed off.

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The next day after selling her goods... clothing... crafted clothing to Mister Merchant then buying some of his highest quality cloth while batting her eyelashes, Hope made her way to the tower on the southwest wall. Hope wanted to be in her favorite place while crafting the new equipment. She didn't want to make it complicated and decided to start with the most important piece first in case she made mistakes and needed to use more of the earthen dire wolf pelt than she had intended.

After several hours of very careful and meticulous work Hope was finished with the first piece. It was a simple, full body, sleeveless leather armor with leather faulds hanging from the entire circumference of the armor. But the most important part was the high quality cloth hood that she'd attached to the armor.

-You have received an Earthen Direwolf Cuirass

Earthen Direwolf CuirassTypeBody ArmorQualityFineDurability125 / 125Artistic Value50CreatorHopeDefense24Well crafted, lightweight leather armor made with the purpose of protection and anonymity.RestrictionLevel: 50 Strength: 30 Agility: 90Effect(s):

Can conceal the wearer's identity while hood is equipped.

Hope spent a few more hours just as carefully crafting the other six pieces of equipment that she intended to make. She started with the three that would require dire wolf pelt, the bracers, shin guards and shoes. All three were completed with less difficulty than the cuirass.

-You have received Earthen Direwolf Bracers

Earthen Direwolf BracersTypeBracersQualityFineDurability90 / 90Artistic Value30CreatorHopeDefense10Well crafted, lightweight leather armor made with the purpose of protecting ones forearms.RestrictionLevel: 50 Strength: 40 Agility: 80Effect(s):

Strength + 5

-You have received Earthen Direwolf Greaves

Earthen Direwolf GreavesTypeGreavesQualityFineDurability90 / 90Artistic Value30CreatorHopeDefense10Well crafted, lightweight leather armor made with the purpose of protecting ones shins.RestrictionLevel: 50 Strength: 40 Agility: 80Effect(s):

Agility + 5

-You have received Earthen Direwolf Moccasins

Earthen Direwolf MoccasinsTypeBootsQualityFineDurability90 / 90Artistic Value30CreatorHopeDefense5Well crafted, lightweight leather armor made with the purpose of quiet movement.RestrictionLevel: 50 Strength: 10 Agility: 120Effect(s):

Agility + 10

Stealth skill level rises by one.

After Hope was done with her armor she stowed away the last little bit of her dire wolf pelt and began to tailor the last three pieces of equipment she has in mind. Using more of the high quality cloth that Hope had bought she created form fitting leggings that would reach up to her knees like tight silk socks. After those were finished she tailored archers gloves leaving the necessary fingers exposed. Turning her attention to the final piece of equipment Hope decided that rather than save the dire wolf pelt she would use it for the sake of having matching armor...

Hope remeasured herself and then very, very carefully got to work. After a few hours the final piece was complete.

-You have received Earthen Direwolf Shorts

Earthen Direwolf ShortsTypeLeggingsQualityFineDurability100 / 100Artistic Value40CreatorHopeDefense10Well crafted, lightweight leather armor made with the purpose of vanity.RestrictionLevel: 50 Strength: 20 Agility: 100Effect(s):

Charm + 30

Shortly after admiring all of her work Hope began to equip all of her armor. When she was finished she checked to make sure that all of it was form fitting and wouldn't make any noise as she moved around. After that Hope sat down for a moment to think of what she would do next. There were a few things weighing on her mind. The first was that if she had faced a cyclops or a troll mother alone she would not have survived. The second was that she had a new profession to learn about, she had skimmed over the book and found some very interesting things. With some careful deliberation Hope decided to put off learning about her class till she improved three more of her skills. Hope felt that blacksmithing, archery, and sword mastery should be at least to intermediate one before she moved on.

As Hope made her way to the ranger station she noticed that she was getting a quite a few stares but decided to ignore them. However, upon entering the ranger station she realized that the staring was not something that would stop. Walking up to Dalamund Hope asked "What is everybody, including you so fascinated by about my new wardrobe?"

"I dare say that none of us had any idea you were quite so... defined. Really it's hard to imagine that you were hiding such a well toned frame beneath those linens you usually wear." he explained

"Oh ok... as long as there's no... holes." Hope said pushing some annoying memories out of her mind. "You've a place to train correct?"

"Yes we do" he answered

"May I use it for a while, I'm feeling a bit rusty."

"Of course Hope, right this way."

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Hope spent a very long time trying to figure out the best way to use her machete effectively in combat. She meticulously went over all that she could remember about fighting the goblins and all that she could remember of the troll's movements. Hope had begun to draw a crowd of admirers. When she was begging to feel that she had a few decent ideas, with one particularly well timed vertical strike...

*ding*

Through Sword Mastery a new Active Skill has been generated: Helm Splitter

Helm SplitterA Vertical slash that uses a blacksmith's striking proficiency to devastate all but the most armored opponents.

-Melee attack damage + 40%

-Costs 45 mp

-Requires blacksmithing

After reading her new skill's description Hope decided to test out something she'd been meaning to try for a while now. Hope activated fury stance and strength boost, then raised her machete overhead and used helm splitter. The effect turned the blade a glowing ember color as it swung down full force at the training scarecrow. *CRACK*

The rangers that had gathered to watch Hope practice... even the ones that had gathered just to watch her and not her swordplay could only gape in shock as the scarecrow exploded into two separate halves.

Hope looked down at the scarecrow and was very happy to know that it is possible to stack multiple buffs, after realizing what she had just done Hope turned to the rangers and said "Do I have to pay for that?"

"... no I don't think so." Dalamund answered

"Thank goodness, could you tell me a few good locations for hunting any of the unnatural creatures that have taken up residence nearby?"

"That wouldn't be a problem Hope."

"Good I have a feeling my time will be better spent hunting monsters." she said

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Would you mind taking a few of us with you? We could guide you as well." Dalamund asked

"Not at all, may I ask why?"

"Our rangers could use the training and I have a feeling that you'd give them a real workout." Dalamund explained

Hope looked over the gathered rangers "A "real workout" isn't something I can do in public Dalamund."

*ding*

Familiarity with the Farthest Rangers has increased.

Charm has been permanently increased by 4

-A title's parameters have increased.

Laughing a bit Dalamund said "Just a normal workout please, I'd rather my men come back stronger not broken."

"What are we wasting time for here then, let's get a move on." Hope said walking out of the station and moving towards the gate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope and a few rangers went from one troll nest to the next wiping out any goblins and wendigos that crossed their path. The rangers would lead Hope to enemies while scouting out the surroundings. Battles generally started with arrows flying at multiple enemies but as soon as they were engaged Hope would throw her knives and wield her machete. The enemies would focus on Hope as rangers continued to pick them off. The rangers purposefully led the group towards larger gatherings of enemies for the sake of training.

During their third battle Hope's archery mastery hit beginner eight and she learned two new passives.

A new Passive Skill has been generated: Multiple Shot

Multiple ShotThis archery skill increases firing rate with a bow.

This bonus rises with skill level.

-Firing rate + 3%

A new Passive Skill has been generated: Penetration

PenetrationThis archery skill increases the ability of your arrows to pierce through defenses.

This bonus rises with skill level.

-Armor penetration + 3%

During the last week of their training Hope managed to bring her archery mastery as well as sword mastery up to the level she wanted. Upon getting intermediate archery mastery Hope learned a new skill.

Through Archery Mastery a new Active Skill has been generated: Dire Arrow

Dire ArrowBy focusing your vision and strength you become able to shoot your next arrow much farther with great accuracy. This skill causes tunnel vision while in effect.

-Critical attack damage + 50%

-Ranged attack damage + 20%

-Range + 100%

-Costs 200 mp

Intermediate Sword mastery had also come with a nice perk.

Through Sword Mastery a new Active Skill has been generated: Cleave

CleaveA Horizontal slash that uses a blades weight to sever opponents with ease.

-Melee attack damage + 20%

-Costs 40 mp

The rangers now respected the promiscuous troll slaying hero of Restia a great deal more than they had when she had first arrived. Hope decided that it was time to return to the outpost as soon as she had reached her goals and no one complained as they hadn't expected to spend an entire month in the wilderness in the first place. Upon their arrival they were greeted by Dalamund who gave his fellow rangers a few quick looks then said "Good work Hope, I knew you'd handle them well."

*ding*

Familiarity with the Farthest Rangers has increased.

"I should be thanking you since they made things much easier for me out there. I won't be needing an escort again as I've got the area mapped out pretty well now." she said

After saying her goodbyes Hope turned her attention to the local smithy. When she walked in she was greeted by a friendly human man "Hope good to see you."

"Hey Gustav, mind if I make use of your forge?"

"Not at all I owe you that much at least, you did do my job for nearly a month after all. As far as I'm concerned it'd be a good thing if you decided to live here for a few years." he chuckled

"Thank you Gustav, I won't be here for quite that long. I'd rather not be blamed for you draining the stores of liquor during your vacation." Hope said accusingly

Gustav laughed wholeheartedly as he left Hope to her work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Hope had managed to reach intermediate blacksmithing she felt very, very proud of herself and decided that rather than go straight to reading the wandering warden's book she would find a nice place to enjoy it first. At first she headed for the tower but then stopped and began walking towards the gate. Hope had thought that maybe the tower isn't the best place to be learning skills she'd be tempted to use as soon as she got them. So after some careful deliberation she made her way to the grove where she had once left Bjorn.

As she approached the grove Hope spotted several goblins. Using her stealth to get closer undetected she counted seven goblins. Hope readied her bow, activated dire arrow and took aim at the goblin that was wielding a staff.

*schhwaff*

Sneak Attack Critical Hit!

-Goblin Shaman has been slain!

As the arrow pierced the goblin shaman Hope had already sent a second dire arrow flying through the air.

Critical Hit!

-Goblin Marauder has been slain!

Before the remaining five goblins could reach Hope she had managed to kill three more of them through the repeated use of three fold flurry. As the final two goblins approached she threw all three of her knives at the farther one to put some distance between the two goblins. Drawing her machete Hope activated her offensive buffs then used cleave. As her blade glowed Hope swung it from right to left across the goblins torso, the goblin reeled backwards from the attack as Hope dodged a steel ball thrown by the second goblin and moved forward with an upward slash to finish the first goblin. Once the first goblin faded to grey the second turned to flee, Hope pulled her bow back out and loosed a three fold flurry into the back of it's head.

Critical Hit!

-Goblin Thug has been slain!

After collecting the loot Hope promptly found a nice sunny rock, laid back, let out a sigh of content and retrieved "The Warden Ways" from her pack.

Hope had a general understanding of what it means to be a wandering warden from the introduction chapter... for the most part the book seemed to imply that you just wander around and dispense justice as dictated by the guidelines in the book. The guidelines were... vague at best leaving a whole lots of gray area. Also, if you did hear about something big, like say a goblin army uprising you should most definitely do something about that. Then there was a whole lot of yada yada about respecting nature this and sentient beings that. The part that interested her the most was about how wandering wardens have some sort of connection to nature due to their mastery of it. The book explained that as your affinity for nature became stronger you would unlock some minor abilities that would only grow as your own strength and affinity became stronger. By the time Hope was done reading through the book's skill section she had learned two class skills, two passive skills and two active skills.

A new Skill has been generated: Beast Mastery

Beast MasteryThis skill allows one to befriend animals who will accompany the warden as familiars throughout their journey. As skill level and nature affinity rises animals become easier to befriend.

-At the cost of five character levels the warden may summon any previously dismissed familiar.

-Summon penalty is reduced or negated according to familiarity with the familiar.

-At the maximum level of intimacy, familiars gain bonus power through their bond with the warden if the warden is willing.

A new Skill has been generated: Nature Magic Mastery

Nature Magic MasteryThough it isn't as powerful as shamanic magic, through their affinity for nature wandering wardens have learned how to wield some forms of nature magic. As skill level and nature affinity rises any nature magic that one uses will be more effective.

-Nature magic potency + 5%

-Nature magic duration + 5%

A new Passive Skill has been generated: Animal Communication

Animal CommunicationThis skill allows one to speak to and understand animals.

A new Passive Skill has been generated: Mana Flow

Mana FlowThis skill was created by wandering wardens in an attempt to make up for their lack of innate mana. Doubles the mp conversion rate for both wisdom and intelligence.

A new Active Skill has been generated: Rejuvenation

RejuvenationA ranged buff that heals the target over time.

-Heals 2% of the targets health every five seconds.

-Duration time = 60 seconds.

-Costs 75 mp.

A new Active Skill has been generated: Mend Wounds

Mend WoundsA spell that requires physical contact to heal the target. Also repairs physical ailments and disabilities of npc characters.

-Healing formula (nature affinity + wisdom = x/2 + 5% per skill level)

-Costs 50 mp.

After looking over her unique abilities one more time Hope decided that she'd better pay Bjorn a visit before she set off on her journey. When Hope finally arrived at Bjorn's cave she found the bear feasting on a pile of moose. After patiently waiting for him to finish Hope approached.

"Hello Bjorn" she said grinning

"So you've read the book." he claimed

"Yes, it was very enlightening thank you. I don't have to give it back do I?" she asked timidly

"No the book is yours child, it has been a long time since a warden wandered Versailles... I'm looking forward to hearing of your misadventures."

Hope laughed "Misadventures huh?"

"Well from what I've seen of you they won't be very normal that's for sure." the bear grinned

Hope wanted to get back to the reason she'd come here in the first place "Bjorn may I try one of my new abilities on you?"

"Of course" the bear answered as he steeled himself for attack.

Hope approached the bear slowly, placed a hand affectionately on his muzzle then thought 'mend wounds' in moments the bears damaged eyes cleared.

*ding*

Nature Affinity has been permanently increased by 10

The Forest of Despair has become a safer place thanks to your actions fame + 20

"My eyes... elf! What manner of elf are you!?" Bjorn demanded

"I'm a wood elf." Hope answered with her head cocked sideways.

"Many things are making more sense Hope, I couldn't tell from the way you look. Wood elves as you know have an innate connection to nature. Most wandering wardens go years, some even their entire lives without learning any form of nature magic. What you've just done is quite the feat." Bjorn explained

"Oh I didn't realize that my race had helped so much." Hope answered honestly

"You are indeed lucky to have found your way to me elf, we have greatly benefited from one another."

"That reminds me..." Hope said pulling some bison meat out of her pack. "I brought you more bison since you seemed to love it so much."

"Indeed I do, the flavor of bison and the leanness is very pleasing." the bear said as he started to dig in.

Some small conversation and five minutes later Bjorn was very heavily asleep... Hope had drugged him...

Hope walked up to the massive bear and pulled out her carving knife "Toss me into a bush will you?" she said with an ever growing smile upon her face.

*shrick* *shrick* *shrick*

A few minutes later Hope walked out of the cave very happy to have gotten her hands on some incredibly rare fur of the nearly extinct species of kermode spirit bears...

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