Dark rain clouds would cover the sunrise, and they awoke breathing colder and wetter air. One brief look at the sky, and Anthony knew what was about to come.
And so, after a quick breakfast, Anthony bought a wool raincoat, that time period's best rainwear, and swiftly took the driver seat. He wanted to cover as much ground before the rain turns the ground into mud.
It was something he did not notice at first, but the road they were taking was going down a slope. As they go further on, they were slowly descending, which made it easier for the horses, and for the travel to be faster and smoother.
It started pouring when they finally reached relatively flat ground. At the start it was just a light shower, but when the heaven started pouring without restraint and the woolen cover could no longer keep him dry and warm, Anthony finally abandoned his post.
Irene was busy calming the baby down when he stepped into the wagon. The sound of rain hitting the thin wooden roof was loud, and it startled his little heart.
She was quick to solve the problem, and took the blankets and covered herself and David. This effectively muffled the noise enough for David to stop his crying.
It was the same method Anthony used when he was younger, back in his childhood home in El Paso. The only thing different was that he was doing it to calm himself and did it alone.
Shivering in the cold, he was tempted to join in, but he had too big of a physique to fit.
So, instead he took one of the lanterns, removed the cover on top and placed his hands near the candle. It worked out just fine.
The rainstorm started to weaken around noon, and after another hour, it was reduced to a drizzle.
The first thing he did when he came out was do something he hated himself for not doing earlier. He bought fur rags, and covered the entire roof. Something he believed would dull the impact of raindrops the next time and also shield them from heat when sunny days come.
The horses were still standing, as he expected. They were tough animals, and some even prefer the rain. But he would have still found them shelter if he could. It just happened that not a single tree was nearby.
An exasperated sighed escaped his mouth when he looked at the road ahead of them. All muddy and wet, a hell to both the horses and the wagons, specifically to the hooves and the wheels. Not to mention, they would move as fast as a turtle.
"Wow, are those swans?" he heard the excited announcement of Irene, and his eyes swiftly darted to the grasslands.
The rain had created shallow pools of water all throughout, and a few birds have come to celebrate. What was all boring green had now a few white spots scattered across the landscape.
Although he wanted four-footed beasts to be the first victims of his bow, birds could also work. So, Anthony made preparations.
[Bowhunter Hood Equipped]
[Bowhunter Garb Equipped]
[Bowhunter Boots Equipped].
[Bowhunter Attire Buff Activated]
[Bowhunter Attire Buff]
[Bowhunter Attire Buff
Wearing the appropriate attire for your currently equipped Occupation, improves performance.
+10% Accuracy, +10% Power]
Name: Anthony of Thelessy
Health: 217/217
Mana: 114/114
Current Occupation Equipped: Bowhunter
Current Skills Equipped: Longshot, Rapid Firing, Butcher (All Slots Filled)
Current Buffs Active: Bowhunter Attire Buff
Current Item Power: 26
Huntsman Hood: +2 Defense, +10% Spotting
Huntsman Garb: +4 Defense, +4 Speed
Huntsman Boots: +8 Agility, +8 Speed]
Everything was similar to his other occupation. The only difference was that the attire had even less armor. While the Huntsman Garb consisted of a leather cuirass, the Bowhunter Garb only had a pauldron.
The reason being was that unlike the Huntsman, which operates within mid-range and close-range, the Bowhunter operates long-range. And thus not as at risk to hunt animals that could fight back.
"Where are you going, my lord?" Irene had a worried look.
"Hunting?" Anthony replied, a little confused.
"Do you have to hunt them as well."
"Come on now, you were enjoying yourselves with the drumsticks." he chuckled, turned out, the worry was not for him but for the birds.
A horse popped out of nowhere, startling the young woman. It was a dark brown stallion, the same mount they had used in the escape. And Anthony had kept it in his inventory for the very purpose of hunting.
He had almost forgotten all about it, and he feared for the worst. Fortunately, it came out the same when he put it. It was as if time froze inside the virtual storage. This gave him several ideas which he had to set aside, after remembering what he must do.
[Notice. You are mounted on a horse. Please take note that Mounted Archer and Bowhunter are two different occupations. The latter is not optimized to be used while on a moving horse.]
He already knew this, and he would only use the horse to provide elevation and to come within range. The birds were far from the road and were further away in the deeper parts of the grasslands, where all the water went.
The pouting face of Irene was still there when he looked back, and he rode towards the meadows smiling. He had never seen her angry before.
It was as he expected, the grasslands were waterlogged, making it almost as hard to traverse as the muddy road. Every time the hooves land, large and noisy splashes of water were conjured out of the ground. But it was more fun at least.
As he rode nearer to the closest spot, he had to slow down. The nearest pool of water had five swans bathing in it. And although they had noticed him, he was not near enough to be considered a threat.
A hundred yards away, he halted the horse. Then he summoned his hunting bow and an arrow. After getting a feel of the bowstring, he was ready to shoot.