On our way back, there was another noise in the jungle and it was coming towards us fast. It was a Raptor. The moment I saw it, I removed a bola from inventory as I yelled to the others. "Don't kill it. Shoot it with laced arrows."
I spun my bola in the air and then released it. It wrapped around the Raptor's feet and it collapsed to the ground. I pulled my crossbow and my last remaining laced arrows. I put one onto the string and I pulled it back until it locked. I adjusted the crossbow in my hand and then I fired.
My arrow hit the Raptor which was thrashing about on the ground. Next to my arrow, which had stuck in its ass, were Twon's and Isot's arrows they had fired.
Just as it was about to break loose, it fell upon the ground without any sign of movement. It was out, cold. I grinned and walked towards it as a blue window popped up in my field of vision.
___________________________
You have rendered a Raptor (level 12) unconscious. If you attempt to tame the Triceratops with your level of mana and control, you will have a 80% chance of success. 2 mana will be used.
Will you proceed? [YES][NO]
___________________________
I hit "YES" and this time, I focused upon my Soulstone myself. I remembered the feeling and so I guided all of the extra mana in my Soulstone towards the exit of my mouth. My eyes were closed and the only sense I allowed to exist was that strand of mana.
I traveled into the Raptor's splayed open mouth and I searched around. It took me a few minutes to find the heart. I entered the beating heart of the beast and deep inside, I found a perfectly spherical glowing ball. There was mana inside. I quickly enwrapped the soulstone and began to attack its subconscious mind.
The Raptor did not try to put up a defense, instead, it tried to reach out from the soulstone to rip apart the strands of my mana that were assaulting it. I snuffed out those meager tendrils of mana and then continued onwards towards the now dim light of the beast's core.
There was no mental wall. The beast's will had been broken. The strand of my mana had penetrated the Raptor's very soul. He was mine now and I imprinted my will upon him.
I left commands upon him. "You will not harm me or anyone in my tribe unless I ask you to. You will always listen to my commands."
I left a portion of my mana in his core, so that I could always control him. With the rest, I tied a sort of string back between my core.
As my eyes opened, I saw the Raptor stand up and then a blue window appeared in front of me.
___________________________
*Congratulations, you have tamed a Raptor (level 12)!*
^Hidden Quest completed: you, subject 6535, are the third to have tamed an animal. Reward → Rare Sigil.^
Note, tamed animals will permanently kill a subject since a survivor's mana is tied to them. At level 50, a creature's mana core will become a Soulstone and their mind will expand to the point of intelligence.
*WARNING: All of your mana has been depleted. Further draw of mana will destroy your soulstone.*
Status screen: You have 34,000/100,000 experience needed for level 13.
Health → 110/110. Stamina → 61/150. Speed → 100. Weight → 84.2/300. Strength → 250. Combat Sense → 80. *Mana capacity → 0/5*. Mana sense → 3.
Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, Crossbow, basic stone pickaxe, 18 arrows, 1 bola, combat knife, 1 Makeshift set, a metal hatchet, and 2 laced arrows.
___________________________
I glanced at the window and then dismissed it. With my soulstone, I could feel the tie that I had forged with the Raptor One-sidedly. I could feel that he was fully in denial of what had happened. His very soul and free will had been taken from him. He understood that fully.
I walked up to the Raptor and stood face to face with it. "You are mine now."
The Raptor just stared at me. It stood just slightly above me. Twon and Isot were standing behind me. "Congratulations!"
I nodded and then removed the rare sigil I had received. I ripped it apart and a blue portal opened up in the air. From it dropped a medium soulstone which vanished into my inventory as I grabbed it.
___________________________
Status screen: You have 34,000/100,000 experience needed for level 13.
Health → 110/110. Stamina → 61/150. Speed → 100. Weight → 92.2/300. Strength → 250. Combat Sense → 80. *Mana capacity → 0/5*. Mana sense → 3.
Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, Crossbow, basic stone pickaxe, 18 arrows, 1 bola, combat knife, 1 Makeshift set, a metal hatchet, 2 laced arrows, and a medium Soulstone.
___________________________
I smiled and told Isot what I had received. His eyes widened. "You lucky motherfucker."
"How much mana do you think it has in it?"
"I don't know, let's go back to the cave and find out."
And so we did.
At the entrance of the cave, I saw Font walking out. We walked up to him and his eyes widened at the raptor we had brought with us. I nodded to him. "Don't piss your pants man, I tamed it."
He scowled at me. "Obviously."
I shrugged. "Did y'all get much metal?"
He smiled. "I mined several hundred metal ore, Zint got several thousand fiber, but we did not find any sulfur. Someone did scout our base though."
"Wait, WHAT?"
"Yeah, Zint saw someone snooping around in hide armor."
I frowned. "That is not good."
"Yeah."
The rest of the day was going to be filled with making preparations for the night. We would arm ourselves heavily with weaponry. Even if he had been alone, I would take that precaution.
***
It had been an hour since we returned to the cave. We had cooked all of the metal that Font had harvested, and I was now crafting everyone compound bows and metal arrows. We already had one compound bow from the fight yesterday, but we needed four more and a lot of metal arrows for them. I also wanted to craft some close combat weapons and bolas.
___________________________
Crafting stream is finished. You have crafted 4 compound bows, 100 metal arrows, 8 bolas, and 4 combat knives. You have received 12,000/24,000 experience.
You have 46,000/100,000 experience needed for level 13.
___________________________
I distributed the weapons and I stored away my crossbow. I would try out the compound bow since it dealt more damage with metal arrows than a crossbow. I looked in my inventory. Everything looked good.
___________________________
Status screen: You have 46,000/100,000 experience needed for level 13.
Health → 110/110. Stamina → 38/150. Speed → 100. Weight → 182.5/300. Strength → 250. Combat Sense → 80. Mana capacity → 1/5. Mana sense → 3.
Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, 4 bolas, combat knife, 1 Makeshift set, 2 laced arrows, medium Soulstone, compound bow, and 20 metal arrows.
___________________________
We were ready for whatever would come. My only regret was that I had uselessly expended a third of my stamina in the morning.