[Potion of Haste
Reduces cooldowns by 50% for 20 seconds]
[Are you sure you want to buy Potion of Haste x1?]
[You have spent Tokens x1000]
Anthony discovered a group of wild hogs, not too faraway from where he had killed and harvested the boarlet and the sow. It consisted of eight members and was the group which he suspected the two belonged to.
It was his first time seeing such a number of hunt animals gathered in one place, and he was itching to throw his spear. There was a problem to be solved first, however.
He could at most only kill two or three, before the rest runs away out of reach. The wild pigs wouldn't wait for his cooldowns. And that would be a several thousand tokens wasted.
That's when he thought of the potions. In the games he played, there were items that shorten the cooldowns. And so, he opened the shop and browsed, and found the potion of Haste. A little expensive but an investment that could return many folds.
A small birch tree and the vines that had climbed over it served as his cover, as he observed the boars and calculated how he would perform the attack.
The sounder could be divided into two, in terms of the distribution of it's members in the area. Three wild hogs, were grazing the nearest to him, and further up east, were the rest consisting of four wild hogs.
His spear throw skill, the skill that has 100 percent accuracy, only works for targets within twenty meters. While the potion would reduce the cooldown to four seconds, it would be useless if most of the boars could quickly get out of the range and scatter to different directions.
Taking all the factors he could think of in mind, he formulated a plan. He would prioritize the farthest targets first, and ignore the nearest ones. Also, he would avoid moving too much so that the pigs would scatter in one direction and thus easier to pick out.
The time came to perform the plan into action.
He walked out of his hiding place and disaster struck. One of the cords of the vine, got hold of his boots and caused him to lose balance. The vial that was in his hand fell down with him, shattering against a half-buried stone. The blue liquid splattered, and was soon drunk down by the forest soil.
To make matters worse, the thud had alarmed the pigs.
Hastily, he stood up, brushing off the pain on his knees. He used the spear throw skill and was able to take down one of the squealing swines.
[You have killed a boarlet]
[Mastery +15]
Then he used the piercing shot that was able to carve through one of the pig's thighs, successfully immobilizing it.
With the cooldowns still rolling, he resorted to the basic skill shots. He gave chase and threw all his remaining spears, six in all, but only one would take down a pig.
An embarrassing failure, at least for him. An expensive potion lie wasted on the ground, while a potential harvest only yielded three boars, two of which were boarlets and one bigger juvenile male.
Despite it, he would continue in the afternoon, wishing to redeem himself. However, his luck streak had ended, and he wasn't able to add to his haul, even a single rabbit.
So even though, overall, he bagged an impressive eight thousand tokens, he went home with a heavy heart. Disappointed in himself and wishing that he could turn back time.
He emerged from the trail and saw a familiar sight. Like the other day, there were no kids playing and villagers peeking out of their windows to welcome him. It was also eerily silent.
Thoughts about his botched operation disappeared, and a bad feeling took over.
He hastened his pace towards the village square, wishing to find out if something similar had happened.
"What are you doing, aren't you here only for the mage and his wife?" the familiar voice of the village chief reached his ear before he could make the turn.
"You have harbored our escapees, promising you instant deaths, is generous enough." a voice answered, deeper and more sinister, also familiar.
"And that mage you're talking about, we'd be happy to deal with him for you, but he has probably escaped by now."
Upon hearing the voice, he hurried to see the situation while keeping his cover. Hiding behind one of the houses adjacent to the village square, he took a peek.
And alas, what he saw was the fulfillment of his greatest fear.
Irene and David, along with other villagers, have been rounded up.
They were surrounded by Imperial Cavalrymen, the same ones who guarded their caravan. And this he knew because he recognized the faces of the soldiers who gave chase to him, as well as the sergeant.
"Psst" the sound stopped him from coming out of hiding, having already planned to recklessly attack.
He pivoted his head to his right and saw the eight hunters taking cover on the house across the road. Like him, they arrived after the horsemen had already searched the village for people. One by one, they slowly crossed towards his position.
"What happened here?" he asked Jason, who shared the same worried look with him.
"Basil, that old rat. He has betrayed you. He is a Lavrian fanatic who believes mages such as yourself are of the evil gods."
He scanned the faces of his colleagues and all seemed to share the sentiment. It was to his relief because if their loyalty still belonged to Basil, then they might turn him over.
"What do we do now, Lord Anthony?" asked the youngest of the group, and also the most fearful.
Anthony stared at him for a good few seconds, deep in thought. Then he summoned the system.
[Are you sure you want to buy Potion of Haste x1?]
[You have spent Tokens x1000]
[Are you sure you want to buy Long Spear x8]
[You have spent Tokens x160]