18 Camping for the Nigh (1/2)
The hunter duo continued down the path westward till nightfall. Rydel led them off the path and into the surrounding forest. He activated his spacial bracer and retrieved a tent. ”We'll camp here for the night. At this pace, we'll reach our destination tomorrow night.”
Jack was winded from trying to keep up with the lv. 29 Rydel; they had to take breaks multiple times while Jack caught his breath. With the flick of his wrist, a palm-sized crystal appeared in Jack's hand. ”Yo captain, we should connect crystals before I forget. Just in case, you know.”
Along the way Rydel was trying to figure Jack out and how this lv. 1 was able to get his hands on such treasures. When he caught glimpse of the contact crystal, he mentally winced at how spoiled this newbie adventurer was.
He said nothing as he took out his crystal, touched it to Jack's, and activated it to link the two. As long as the crystal was in contact him, Jack would now be able to mentally contact Rydel. Of course, Rydel would have to take out his crystal out to respond but he didn't like the thought of Jack pestering him constantly.
”Go and gather some firewood. I'll set up my tent and prepare the fire pit,” said Rydel, giving Jack a somewhat cold shoulder.
The young hero didn't mind the cold treatment at all as he began to search for stray wood under the moonlight. Though Reinolt City had its own port and dock to the north, the rest of it was surrounded by forests. It was very dense near the city walls, but plenty of moonlight was able to shine down in the outer regions, like where Jack and Rydel were setting up camp. Fallen branches and stray wood were scarce but after enough time Jack had enough to last the night.
He returned to see Rydel inside his tent, relaxing on a cot he must've brought. The fire pit was half a meter deep and surrounded by a ring of rocks. Jack brought the firewood out of his storage and placed them to side.
With a few branches placed in the pit like a teepee, Jack asked, ”Got a light, captain?” As soon as he finished speaking, a flaming arrow flew out of the tent and into the fire pit. Everything went up in flames instantly and nearly singed off Jack's eyebrows before he could back away.
”There, now I've shown you how to start a fire. From now on, you do the rest. I can't wait for dinner, so make sure it's really good.” Rydel's casual voice caused Jack to shudder.
Jack didn't say anything and only sighed dejectedly. Without refusal, he got up and drew his bow. Trying his best to perceive his surroundings and find a trace of life nearby, Jack stilled himself for a few moments. Soon enough he left the camp and crept into the woods.
After a few minutes of traversing the woods, he was grateful that he leveled up his perception. If he hadn't, he may not have eaten dinner, or worse he would have to deal with a cranky Rydel. Jack was following the small tracks of what he assumed was a brown fox.
He hunted all kinds of animals during his gamer days, so he felt familiar enough to recognize the simple tracks. When he noticed the large dark brown fox hiding in the hollow of a tree, he was stunned. It was far larger than Jack had anticipated and would be very difficult for him to deal with if he couldn't finish it off with a single arrow.
Luckily, this was exactly why he preferred being a hunter and increased his bow skill to lv. 2. His body instinctively moved to nock an arrow and aim for its target. Before the fox had a clue, an arrow had lodged itself in the fox's head and quietly silenced it.
”Wow, that was easy,” thought Jack as he walked up and removed his arrow from his prey. He threw the fox over his shoulders and was about to turn around when he noticed something hiding under the large fox. It was small, fluffy, and had small pointy ears. Its fur coat was a deep brownish-red that appeared regal. Feeling the body over top it disappearing its tiny head looked up and opened its dark eyes.
Jack flinched when he saw the adorable baby fox. Regret pierced his heart as he imagined leaving this beautiful and adorable fox stranded without anyone to protect it. He killed countless animals and beasts as Jack_J in ”A Hero's Tale,” but seeing this undeniably cute infant fox caused him to hesitate greatly.
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The baby fox blinked and tilted its head when it saw its mother atop Jack's back. It felt its mother's pulse stop just before the mother's body was lifted away. Its instincts screamed that Jack was dangerous.