With the new day came new things to do.
I woke up and went to pick up some food from the warehouse for breakfast (three pieces of raw bird meat).
After breakfast was over I took a wooden spear and set off hunting.
This time instead of aimlessly wandering around I picked a random direction (northwest) and try following it for as long as I can.
In two hours' time the only fruits of my work were the literal fruits of an apple tree that I stumbled upon. I collected almost a whole kilogram of apples in the end.
Eventually the trees in the forest started to change to mainly pines. The only success I had for the first three hours was killing an Yeshe, a thirty centimeters long feathered lizard. I just noticed it standing on a random branch, eating a mouse. I threw my spear and was lucky enough to kill the animal before it could react.
And then I started noticing weird stuff about the surrounding area. The tree were were chewed on, some practically devoured. A big rock bitten in half. I wonder what did that.
Then I noticed a rather large area cleared of tree. In the middle, an enormous beetle, standing one meter long at the very least and forty centimeters tall, was tending for several.
I wonder if I could take it down. I was right behind it so a surprise attack could do something... What was I thinking?! That would be hardly possible, just look at the exskeleton. But what if I strike where the various parts of the exoskeleton connect (like the joints). The armor should be thin there. Also I'm noticed yet.
My plan is to try killing it slowly without taking any risks. That is why I will aim for the legs.
I rush towards. Only when I start moving does the beetle notice and tries to turn to face me. I am too fast though and strike the knee joint of the back right leg. It continues turning, but I stab its leg once again with the spear. A terrible sound was heard. The beetle's mouth was way too close to my flesh for me to feel comfortable. I stabbed it in the legs two more times and stepped back.
Seeing that the animal tried to get to me. It took a step forward. I could see that the insect's limbs were seriously damaged.
And its screeching was not ending.
The beetle took one last step and tipped over. Killing it afterwards was really easy.
"Hooray!" I said to myself. "That must be at least forty kilograms. When not counting guts and etc, the limbs probably too, also the chitin shell... five kilos of pure meat? Plus the eggs... I think this is good."
And then I noticed a lone figure staring at me. Another gigantic beetle. This one was probably male, judging by the pair of at least seventy centimeters long mandible like extensions on its face. It seems like the other beetle had attracted somebody's attention with its screeching before dying.
The male beetle tried closing the distance between us but I was too fast and ran away.
After a few seconds in the bushes not too far away I told myself "You aren't going to give up your prey, are you?"
I would not. I checked the beetle. It was standing where the eggs and the corps of the female (I assumed) were. Trying to get behind the beast was proven unsuccessful since it would always turn to face me.
If being sneaky won't work, I won't be. I prepared the knife in my left hand and the spear in the right one and started to walk slowly toward the enemy. When I was about five meters away the beetle reacted like a lightning and charged forward. I dodged the mandibles from slashing me by jumping backwards. It tried slashing again. I jumped to the right. Still I felt pain while my bless was being sliced. Blood was dropping from my left hand.
"Don't think about it!" I ordered myself.
I had an opening. I used it to try stabbing the animal's eye. I missed and hit its chitin shell instead. The spear broke.
I jumped on its back. Using my knife I cut where two of the back plates meet, killing it in the process.
That wasn't easy. At least I can rest and enjoy the fruits of my hard work now. I checked the eggs since I was curious about them.
Seven eggs were placed inside a nest consisting mainly of wood. Even the smallest egg is at least seventy grams in weight, the biggest almost three hundred. They are spherical, almost white in colour and warm at touch.
Before I could return to the village I needed to choose what exactly I would bring back because I couldn't carry everything. But first: time for a snack.
I first tasted the eggs, which were probably the most delicious things that I had eaten by now. The beetle meat wasn't bad, too, I assume. Honestly in paled in comparison. At the end I had eaten four eggs and some of the meat.
I packed up the rest of the meat, the three eggs left and one beetle eye (the eyes were nice round and shiny. It would be a shame not to keep at least one), I considered taking part of the shells but I eventually decided that it would only slow be down, and set off for the village. At least my bleeding had stopped.
I had returned late once again. At least one hour after sunset. Whatever.
In the warehouse I stumbled upon Lashi skinning a gigantic mammal I couldn't describe well.
"Hey, what's that?" I asked.
"Oh, Stralk! A Mretik. I en' Ketalbi stumble upon its burrow." she explained.
"And why she's not helping you?"
"I skin for a bunch of people, they do me favors. Whatev. How your day?"
"Well, I assume. I got two wood-eating beetles."
"Oh, Quohorts! Was there nest? Did you bring any back?" her eyes shining with excitement.
"Yeah.. a few. Want some?"
"Of course! What give in exchange?"
"I don't care that much. You decide."
"It must fair. What about... want flint and steel? For fire it good." she took out it from her pouch.
"Hmm. Okay." I said and gave her two of the eggs.
I didn't expect them to be wanted, and I didn't particularly care. Food's just food.
Before leaving I took a pelvic bone (I had a specific idea about it) and a bit of meat for dinner.
At my hut I quickly ate up the food and started working on my project. If I encounter and fight something, I need some... heavier weapons. Especially in close combat. I broke off one of the curved halves of the pelvis and start sharpening the edge using my knife. I wanted an axe.
"Excuse me." I suddenly heard a male voice. The words were spoken with no stutter whatsoever. "I am looking for somebody named Stralk."
The man who said that was standing at the entrance to my hut. He was tall (at least 160 centimeters in height). His eyes were bright yellow, the teeth absolutely straight. The man was wearing a suit made out of scaly skin, loose pants and a blouse. He was the definition of a handsome.
"I'm Stralk. Why asking?"
"I just want to check on my sibling. I'm Lorthax, by the way." he smiled.
"We're related?"
"Same father, same mother. I call that being related. Right? May I enter?"
"Well, of course."
"Thanks. So how have you been doing? I was in the mountains, so I'm a bit in the dark now..."
"Very well, I killed two Quohorts by myself today in direct combat. And what have you been up to?" I asked out of sheer curiosity.
"Some bastard wyvern stole my prey twice in a roll. And it wasn't a small thing. I decided to follow it to its nest... That reminds me, I've prepared you a present." he said and took out a dagger. A metal dagger.
My eyes were wide opened. It wasn't like metal was rare; metal pieces were regularly looted from the undead. It's just that their reign was so many years ago that nowadays their equipment has... rusted away. That's why the few metals tools we have have come from trading with either the south or the east.
The dagger itself was had 25 centimeters long blade, which was pretty wide, about 6 centimeters. The hilt was roughly 13 centimeters long. The blade was grey in colour, probably iron.
"Thank you." I said "If you want anything, I'll try to repay the favour immediately."
"Don't bother yourself. Presents are to make good first impression, right?"