I decide my best bet, is to follow the stream back downstream. That's the only place I have previously seen any moss rats. I plan on using my dash skill, not only to get to where I found the before quicker, but to also find the limit of the skill and the cost.
So without delay I open up my status window, activate dash and start running. Looking at my status, I see that my MP has decrease by 5. I keep running whilst keeping track of my MP, and after about 3 minutes, my speed drops to about half of what it was. The dash skill has ended.
I stop and check my status again, noticing that my MP is still at 45. So my dash skill costs 5 MP to activate and lasts 3 minutes. I try activating it again but nothing happens.
It seems that there's a cooldown period. I deciding to hide in a bush and try to time how long the cooldown is, not only do I need to know how long it is, but I also don't want to be caught in a situation where I need to use it but can't.
After about 10 minutes I feel like I can suddenly use it again, I don't know how I can tell but I guess it's like animal instinct. I activate it again just to male sure I'm right, stopping running after a couple of meters. As soon as I stop running I can tell it deactivated and entered its cooldown period again. I hide back in the bush for another 10 minutes, before I can feel that I'm able to use it.
Feeling a lot more confident in myself now I know how my dash skill works, I set back out looking for my first moss rat of the day. I decide to search a bit deeper into the forest, away from the stream. Having found 1 moss rat at the stream before and the 2 that chased me, I feel like there must be a place close by with more of them and they just use the stream as there water source.
Whilst searching I crouch down low and try my best to walk stealthy, aiming to try and get the stealth skill. I'm not sure if I'm doing it the right way but it can't hurt to try right? After searching for about 20 minuets, I see 2 moss rats scurrying around the forest.
I'm not confident enough to think that I can take out the 2 of them at the same time, so I decide to stalk them for a little while to see if they spit up at any point. After following them for about 10 minuets, I get a notification.
[ding!]
[you have learned sneak level 1]
Finally!
I'm not sure if them 20 minutes trying to sneak around, with out an enemy present actually contributed to me getting the skill or if it was only when I was stalking the moss rats, but either way I got the skill.
Continuing to stalk them for a little while longer, we start to approach the stream. At this point one of them finally leave and carry on going, whilst the other one stops and takes a drink. I decide I'm going to go for the one that's taking a drink.
I wait a couple of minutes until I'm sure the other moss rat is gone, before sneaking closer to the moss rat. This time the moss rat doesn't sense me coming until I'm about 3 meters away. At this point it's too late, before it's even finished turning around, I activate my shadow magic. Manipulating the shadows to cover its eyes I go in for the kill.
SCREE...
I use bite, gripping the back of the moss rat and throwing it to the ground, not even letting finish screeching at me. Without giving it time to stand back up I pounce on it, using bite again this time aiming for the neck.
[ding!]
[bite has levelled up to level 2!]
Blood filled my mouth as the life fades from the moss rat.
[ding!]
[you have killed a moss rat and gained 30 xp]
Before I'm even able to read the system notification I hear another loud screech.
SCREEECH!
It seems the moss rat from before heard the commotion and came running back. It's still bait too far for me to use my shadow magic, so I have to wait for it to get a bit closer before doing anything.
This time I want to try a different tactic. I can't keep on relying on the same method, there my come a time when the enemy doesn't need to see to attack me.
As soon as the rat gets within rage, I start manipulating the shadows again. This time I will them to cover the rats feet. As soon as I succeed, the rat visibly slows. I doesn't come to a complete stop, but its about as fast as I was when I was still level 1.
I activate dash and charge straight at the moss rat. it almost looks as if it is moving in slow motion. one has to remember that my agility was only 2 when I has level , and now its 8. With the task skill doubling my speed, its as if my agility is 16!
Before the moss rat can even realise what is happening, I arrive in front of it and use bite, tearing its throat from its body. The rat drops to the ground, blood seeping out onto the forest floor.
[ding!]
[you have killed a moss rat and gained 30 xp]
Wow...
My fist insta-kill. I would have never had imagined this new method of attack, being so effective. I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment in what I've just done. With this new method. I might even be able to take out 2 at once, as long as I can catch the first one off guard.
Still only 30 xp though. I don't know how much xp I need to level up, but I feel like it's going to be a lot more than that.
Sigh...
I'm just going to have to keep hunting regardless.
I decide to quickly eat 1 of the moss rats I killed before dragging the other one into a bush trying to hide it. If it's still here when I pass by here later then I'll take it home with me. If it's not then...
Well I'm not really bothered anyways, I'm bound to find more of them. I start heading back to where I first saw these moss rats, there must be more of them in that direction somewhere.