My What Big Teeth You Have

Callum's smile remained in place as he read the notification. He had hoped that his vow would be accepted. And it had!

He had been powerless when his parents were taken from him and the Murray family farm was dismantled. He had been helpless as his community and friends had turned on him. And he had felt weak when faced with a simple Snow Lynx.

He had just wanted to farm, but they hadn't left him in peace. But now . . . now, he would take a stand against his tormentors. He'd grow strong enough that he didn't have to fear anyone or anything. Instead, he'd be the one they feared!

He still didn't know the reason for the actions taken against his family. But that didn't change the fate of all those who raised their hand against him and his. He glanced once more at the notification.

'Vow acknowledged

You have vowed upon your soul to punish those who acted against you and your family. Your ancestors and the gods themselves have witnessed your vow. They have deemed your vow worthy and will adjudicate your progress.

Rewards and punishment will be awarded based on your progress.

Time remaining before first penalty (1Y | 11M | 29D | 23:58:49) Targets: (0/18)

Known Targets: Alister Murray, Lieutenant Anthony Caldwaters, and Baronet Jean Blanchett. Gather further information to identify additional targets.'

The only surprising information for Callum was that eighteen individuals had been involved in the plot. He raised an eyebrow as he read that. Clearly there was more going on then he had initially realized.

In the end though, it didn't matter to Callum. Those individuals were just bodies that didn't know they were dead yet. One or a hundred, their time was coming.

The 'Soul Vow' was a commonly understood aspect of Terra. Swearing upon his ancestors didn't do anything unless the vast majority agreed with the vow. Likewise the majority of the gods needed to agree before it would be affirmed.

There were cautionary tales of impudent vows backfiring. A popular story involved a king vowing to eat a sandwich. As punishment, a Dire Troll had suddenly appeared right next to and promptly ate the king. Although, rumor was that the glutton gods had approved the vow.

Callum didn't have to complete the vow within two years. Killing some of the targets would extend his timeline. His ancestors and the gods just wanted to see progress.

The length of time a vow lasted was immaterial to them. Some vows were quickly over with, such as defending a castle against an army. Others, such as dismantling an evil empire could span decades. The gods were patient.

However, penalties or rewards would be imposed depending on the progress or lack of it. Either could take the form of changed stats, active status effects, or unique skills or abilities. Successful completion would net additional rewards.

The penalty for ultimately failing the vow would be quite severe though. It was after all known as a 'Soul Vow' for a reason.

For now, Callum was satisfied with his overnight progress and his vow. He entered the cave and closed the 'door' behind him. He was tired and needed to sleep. It had been a very long and stressful day for him.

This marked the first day of his new approach to life. He was done being a victim!

_________

Callum woke up hours later. He glanced at his system clock and realized he had been asleep for five hours and it was just past noon. A good side effect of his high constitution stat was he needed little sleep to fully refresh his body.

The cave was warm enough that his 'Cold' debuff had downgraded to 'Chilly' while he was sleeping. Although it was creeping back up now that the fire was almost dead. This gave him additional time in which he could safely be outside.

He felt great. The rage weaknesses had finally gone away and his injuries were fully healed. He carefully removed his bandages and put them back into his bag after a couple of <Clean> cantrips.

He had a suspicion he'd need them again before he found civilization. Hungry, he decided to head towards his 'fridge' tree. The fire was stoked before he left to ensure it was still going upon his return.

He armed himself with the best spear he had created. It was his only weapon with any range to it and the lynx had taught him that he didn't have any armor or damage mitigation methods. Keeping his opponent(s) at bay seemed in his best interest.

He donned his bag, empty of everything but his medical supplies. His hatchet and knife were attached to his belt. The spear might have better range, but his other weapons had better damage. Besides, in this situation 'too many' weapons wasn't an issue for him.

Thus equipped, he began his adventure. After grabbing some lynx meat, he decided to climb the hill that his cave was nestled into. Callum still hoped that he could find signs of life in the area. And the hill was tall enough to give him a good vantage point.

The slope was treacherous, especially with the deep snow hiding obstacles. But Callum slowly struggled up the height. He often resorted to using his spear like a walking stick.

A small grove of barren trees crowned the summit. From the hill's height, he could only see mountains, snow, and yet more mountains. No smoke, regular shapes, or bright colors hinted at civilization.

_________

Yellow eyes tracked the progress of a shape floundering in the deep snow. Predatory instincts told it to hold and the target would come to it. He was downwind of the target and his prey was heading this way.

A silent snarl graced lupine features. Large canines were revealed as the predator readied its attack. Patience was something this animal understood well. And so it waited for the unwary meal to struggle closer.

The young wolf judged the distance carefully. Once in range, the Dire Wolf's coiled muscles sprung forward as it leapt at its target. His youth became apparent when it let out an involuntary snarl. The sound alerted its target at the last instant.

_________

Callum heard something behind him. He quickly whirled about to face a new foe. He crouched down and readied his spear to stab out. Only to see nothing but a tree branch swaying without any wind to move it.

A small flurry of snow underneath the bare branch and its weighted brethren was enough of a clue for Callum to understand what had caused the 'plop' he had just heard. A tree branch had just shed its snow.

"Well at least I didn't fall on my ass that time," Callum muttered to himself as his heart rate slowed.

Callum continued his small walking tour of his new 'neighborhood.' Without signs of nearby civilization, he at least wanted to see what his new valley was like. He might find something interesting

A frozen stream meandered in the center of the valley. Cutting through the ice didn't reveal any good fishing spots. But Callum hoped he could find deeper spots with more exploration. He did find a bank of frozen clay that he also marked in his mind.

Satisfied, Callum quickly returned to his cave as the cold was starting to creep up on him once again. He ate a light meal as he tried to think of what else he could do to improve his situation.

_________

The young Dire Wolf snorted to itself in disgust as its prey scrambled up a cliff face. The mountain goat was capable of going where it could not. The old goat had proved too wily once it became aware of the wolf's presence.

The goat's sharp horns were aggressively used to give the goat distance.

A wolfpack, especially of Dire Wolves, would have easily been able to get around the horns. A wiser wolf would have remained silent as it leapt.

This wolf was alone and inexperienced. He had failed to bring the goat down in that first leap. And the goat had led it on a merry chase until it got to the cliff. And so the wolf had to try and find easier prey.

It put its nose into the wind. A scent of a dead animal wafted over its nostril. The scent was weak and miles away, but the wolf started moving in that direction. Towards a wisp of grey smoke hanging in the sky.