Chereads / A Ranger's System / Chapter 2 - A Bamboo Raft

Chapter 2 - A Bamboo Raft

Nash awakens on a bed of dried grass he had constructed the night before next to the dying embers of the fire. He had no luck yesterday finding any sort of civilization. So he packed up his gear, tossed dirt on the fire and wandered through the bush in the V of the river. That's when he spotted the perfect material for a raft, a large growth of bamboo he had failed to see in the dying light of yesterday's sunset.

He pulls his Saxe knife from its scabbard, and easily cuts down a bamboo shaft, and insists, "I must be getting stronger."

He continues cutting the bamboo until he has enough to build a raft, hearing the familiar system voice, "woodcutting plus 1."

"Is it the woodcutting skill that's making it easier to cut wood?" Nash asks himself.

The system replies, "Yes, the higher your woodcutting skill the easier it is to cut the wood."

"Handy," Nash says to himself. 

He takes the dried grass he had used for his bed and repeats the practice of beating the grass and raking it out with his knives, then he threads the grass together to make several 2 foot sections of twine. He begins braiding them together over the period of several hours until he has a strong fiber rope with a length of about 25 feet. He then cuts it in half and ties the rope to the bamboo, fixing them together at the front and back of the bamboo platform.

"Crafting plus 1, Ability Point unlocked," the system exclaims.

"Put that one into Accuracy," Nash says.

He has nothing to test his accuracy on, but trusts its improvement based on his improved perception. He ties the raft off to a root dangling out over the water. Then he climbs aboard the raft, ensuring it can support his weight, and finds it could hold him, and likely another 300 pounds.

He sheathes the knives in the scabbard, and pockets the two extra throwing knives. Then he cuts the bamboo raft free from the edge of the river and pulls it a foot or so onto the shore. Before he pushes off aboard the bamboo raft, he takes a final look over his gear and his campsite, making sure he left nothing behind. He grabs a bamboo shaft, and shoves it into the bank, pushing off into the river.

He rafts down the river, taking notice of how much more efficient the journey is by raft. He sees herbs and rocks shining from the banks everywhere, some stuff that he missed with his perception at zero. However, it's of little importance with the efficiency of the ride. He notices wildlife crawling around the forest floor, nothing much bigger than a squirrel. He suddenly realizes he didn't eat the entire day yesterday.

"I must have been in shock," he considers, "the new environment and system must have distracted me from my hunger." 

Nash grabs the bamboo shaft, pushing himself towards the shore. His hunger overwhelming any other thought, he misses the mark he left on the tree where he started up the river, pulling his raft up onto the shoreline. His stomach growls loudly, resembling the angry moans of a savage creature. He pulls his bow off his back, and his compass out of pocket, and begins walking East away from the river. He pockets the compass, and readies an arrow as he continues through the thick forest. 

He spots a small squirrel, and although his hunger is fierce, he knows there is little meat on its body. He continues past the squirrel attempting to stay quiet, his hunting instincts taking over to stalk through the woods. His steps make the slightest noise, and every few steps, a twig snaps underfoot. He takes little notice of the noise he makes, as he sees movement through the woods in front of him. 

A large wildcat lays in the branches of a tree, a blue aura surrounding it. Nash nocks an arrow in the bowstring and draws the Bow back to his cheek. He takes aim at the wildcat, whispering a silent prayer for the creature before he lets the arrow loose. It flies past the surrounding leaves and branches of the trees before driving home, right under the head at the back of the neck, severing the brain stem. The cat goes limp and drops from the tree.

"Hunting plus 1." 

Nash looks around the woods. With his heightened perception, he notices all of the smaller animals, fleeing from the wildcat he'd just targeted, as it slams to the ground. He runs over to the large cat, making sure its dead before removing the arrow and Examining the creature.

"Examining Blue Eurasian Lynx, large adult, 70 pounds, imbued with an ice enchantment," the system explains.

"Ice Enchantment?" Nash asks, confused, to no reply from the system.

He sets to work, lifting the big cat over his shoulder, and walking down to the riverbank. He spots his raft and drops the big cat beside it. He removes the skin with his Saxe knife, rinsing the skin off in the river before placing it in his bag. He separates the meat with his knife, grabbing a chunk before dropping it in surprise.

"It's cold?!" Nash exclaims, shocked by the frigidity of the meat.

He recalls the ice enchantment of the Lynx, understanding the properties of the ice imbued to the meat. He picks the chunk back up and places it on the raft, continuing to separate the meat from the body. He finishes his task, tossing what remained off of the raft. 

He notices the pile of icy meat laying loose on the raft, and goes back into the forest to find something to contain it. He spots several saplings growing from the ground nearby, and begins pulling them up and weaving them into a basket. In his search for saplings, he notices a familiar mark etched into the wood, one he left himself when he first departed up the stream. He's almost done weaving the saplings together, when he notices movement from deep in the woods. He quickly pulls his bow and nocks and arrow, drawing it and staring out at the figure moving noisily through the woods.