Chương 13: Forest Stalker

Standing up, Mark realized how much he missed a few creature comforts from his old life. Calling it his old life still felt strange, but there was no point denying it anymore. This was his life now. Looking around camp, he found himself thinking about something surprisingly simple. He missed his chair. He could fix this. He went to the forest and looked around. He was looking for three sticks of similar length. Not too long, and not too short. But strong enough to hold him up.

Taking them in the middle, he bound them together with his fiber cord. Picking it up, he spread out the three sticks. They were a little too tight, so he adjusted them. Taking more fiber cord, he wrapped them again. They needed to be solid for his three-legged chair. Looking through his inventory, he found torn hides from the razor rabbits. Taking two of them and more fiber cord, he made a crude top for the chair. After putting it all together, it stood near the height of a standard chair.

Not pretty, but it would work. He put it on the ground and gently sat on it. It creaked a little at first but then held. That would work. He then received a system message. [New Craft Discovered: Basic Camp Chair] Okay, back to work. Standing up, he went to check his traps again. The first few had no changes. Then he came to one that was completely destroyed. What had happened here? He picked up some of the fiber cord that was in the remains of the trap. It was not just broken but shredded.

To think this was a reinforced trap. What was strong enough to shred it? Looking around more, he found some blood. It was trailing away from the trap. He followed it behind the next tree. He found some remains of what could only be a razor rabbit. Something had stolen his food. He walked back to the remains of the trap. Two could play this game. Mark started to build a new trap. It needed to be stronger. More sturdy than before. Better fiber cord and stronger wood. Not only better but stronger.

It took a while but he finally had something he thought would work. The last thing he did was put a piece of razor meat in it. He took out a limb with leaves and cleared the area around the trap. He wanted to make sure he could see if something checked it out. Satisfied, he continued his patrol. When he was done checking traps, he found two more field mice and a small river trout. He gained 10 XP and the normal mouse and fish loot. Returning to camp, he sat on his new chair to think. It's bigger than a rabbit.

Maybe the stalker was back. As he sat there thinking, he heard a noise. Wait, that was a cry? Mark stood up excitedly and rushed into the forest to check his trap. Approaching the trap, he did not find what he wanted. The trap was still there. Nothing in it. He went closer; the trap was sprung. It had hit the trap and gotten out. He looked closer. It had snapped the line. Too much force. He followed the drag marks. Whatever it was had not panicked. It had pulled.

Looking down at the snapped line, he could see some fur caught in it. It was the stalker. Looking around Mark could see where the trap had been dragged and then snapped off. He did not need to stop it; he needed to slow it down. He had caught the stalker; he had just not kept it. He needed to adjust the trap. Anchor it so it will not move. Looking again at the snapped line, he realized it was too taut. He needed to adjust the tension; it needed to give some. Slow it down and do not break.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Mark picked up the trap and examined it. The more sturdy trap was still pretty solid. It just did not stay in place. He needed to anchor it. Make the fiber cord more flexible. It needed to be strong enough to hold it but with enough give that it couldn't snap it. Looking around the path the trap was on, Mark looked for something to anchor it to.

Down the path a short way he found a root that was exposed that he could tie his trap to. Rebuilding the trap, he made sure that it was flexible and strong but not brittle. He also looked more at its placement. Maybe not directly on the path but a little off it. He adjusted the placement of the bait to give a better chance at a catch. As he stepped back, he received a system message. [New Craft Discovered: Anchored Snare Trap] After looking around one last time, he headed back to camp.

Glancing at the sky, he could see that the sun would be setting soon. He would have to wait until morning to see what his trap would find. After arriving back at camp, he cooked some food and settled in for the night. When morning came, he was eager to see how his trap worked. Taking it slow, he went past all the traps one at a time. His first couple traps had no activity, so he adjusted them and moved on. Then in one trap he found something. [Level 1 Brush Hen] Good, he needed more feathers.

He killed and looted the hen. He received five feathers, raw poultry meat, and 10 XP. He continued his rounds; a few traps later he found something different. [Squirrel — Level 2] It had an attitude just like the razor rabbit. He received 2 small pieces of meat, light hide, tail fur, and 10 XP. Mark wondered what tail fur could be used for. At last he made it back to his stalker trap. The forest was quiet. His trap had moved. But his anchor had held. The level three forest stalker was watching him; it was stuck.

It had pulled and tested the line but could not get free. Mark watched it for a moment. He didn't rush. Staying well out of reach, he drew his bow and took aim. The arrow flew straight. Mark stood there for a moment. It had worked. A system message appeared. [Forest Stalker Level 3] He received 25 XP. He really did it. Mark looked at the trap, then at the body. It had worked because he understood it. Not because he got lucky. Mark touched the body and looted it.

He received a tough hide, two sinews, high-quality meat, and two sharp bones. [New Material Unlocked: Sinew] Mark wondered what the sinew could be used for. He then repaired and reset the trap and then turned to head back to camp. That is when he saw it. Tracks, not stalker tracks. These were large, and the tracks were deep. Wider than the stalkers. The soil wasn't just pressed down; the ground had split where it had stepped. It was torn open. That was not something he could catch.

He was getting better but not enough for whatever made those tracks. Whatever that was would tear straight through his traps. He tightened his grip on his bow. He was not ready, not yet.