Wolf Hunt, Part 2

In the cold night, Gerald made use of his magic to take a slab of stone from the ground and placed it over the bonfire. To heat it up faster, he brought more firewood and threw it directly on top of the fire.

Soon a bright flame could be seen in the middle of the forest, it was a real fire hazard. The stone slab quickly became red-hot and that's when Gerald took it out of the fire and buried it under about ten centimeters of dirt. The ground soon became nice and toasty and Gerald could finally relax.

He laid down on the warm ground and soon after fell asleep.

Sera was observing the whole time, but she refrained from commenting on his absurd actions. She got somewhat used to him doing all sorts of unusual stuff. Still, she got curious and so she came closer. The ground around Gerald was nice and warm, perfect for a relaxing nap.

She hesitated for a moment but then she laid down with her back to Gerald's. She had to admit, the way he made his 'bed' was quite clever. It was definitely much better than sleeping on the cold forest floor. Even though the heat would slowly dissipate, it would still keep them warm for a few hours.

The bonfire slowly died down and only the hot coals remained. The forest was once again enveloped by darkness until the next sunrise.

The next morning Gerald woke up first. He was quite sensitive to light so the first sun rays disturbed his rest.

He was getting ready to stand up when he felt pressure on his body. Turning his head around he noticed it was Sera hugging him in her sleep. At first, he was confused as he went to sleep alone, on the opposite side of her, but then he soon guessed what happened.

A light smile came to his lips, watching Sera sleep so soundly, without a care in the world. He slowly removed himself from her grasp and went a good distance away to take care of business.

The main river that ran near the city of Geldern originated in the northeastern mountains. Since they also went northeast, they often had to cross many smaller streams that combined with the river further downhill.

The camp was near one of those, so Gerald went to quickly wash up. After also having a few drinks and refiling his waterskin he went back to camp and reignited the fire to warm up. He sat down under a nearby tree and started his meditation practice while waves of warmth caressed his face.

Soon Sera also woke up. When she saw what looked like Gerald sleeping under a tree, she remembered the night before and what she had done. She blushed in embarrassment.

The morning passed by quickly. After a light breakfast, they were finally ready to start hunting.

It had to be said, Sera was really good at tracking animals through the dense woods. After not even an hour they already found a fresh track that led them to a small group of wolves.

Not wanting to take a risk, Gerald quickly used the Scent-removing Powder to mask his scent. He also sprinkled it on Sera. They both climbed up a tall tree and waited for the wolves to come closer.

Gerald took a piece of dried jerky, cut it into smaller pieces, and threw them all around the tree. That way the surface area covered by the smell of meat would possibly attract those silver hunters.

A good ten minutes passed and the wolves really came. Gerald slowly lifted his crossbow and aimed at the incoming money bags. 'Yes, yes! Come closer you shiny silver coins. Come to papa!' he was excitedly calling in his mind. He waited patiently to get a good shot and then…

Thak!

The sound of the crossbow spooked the wolves and they all quickly turned around and ran away. Before that happened though, a wolf, closest to the tree, got hit by a bolt right in the neck. The bolt entered right below the skull and sliced straight through the neck, lodging itself in the ground on the other side.

Blood started to squirt like a fountain and the wolf barely ran another ten meters when he collapsed to the ground.

"Damn, these Broad Bolts are amazing! Completely worth the high price." Gerald celebrated his first successful kill. He didn't go down though.

Patiently waiting, he loaded another bold on the crossbow and observed. The pack of wolves came back, worriedly looking and sniffing at their fallen comrade.

They were close, but not close enough for a clear shot. Some vegetation was in the way so Gerald had to patiently wait for an opportunity.

Soon, a brave wolf approached the tree. His fate was the same as his fallen buddy. The rest of the wolves once again scattered, but this time they didn't come back.

Gerald still decided to wait for an hour before going back down. It was then Sera's job to skin the animals. If Gerald did it, he would probably butcher the skin and then they would have to hunt more than necessary.

He collected some meat as well as the Earth Crystals from the wolf's head. They weren't worth much, but he didn't have any other Mana reserves. Although each only contained enough Mana for one or two low-end Earth spells, it was a good boost to his combat ability.

He could feel the Mana in the crystals was ready to be used, but it could only power Earth Elemental spells. That was good enough for him though.

All that walking and running around the forest, combined with climbing, was a great way for Gerald to train his body. In the upcoming day, he greatly increased his endurance together with his upper body strength. He also made use of the plentiful free time to meditate and train his Mana regeneration rate.

***

They spent a few days hunting the same way. Sera would find a pack of wolves, Gerald would set some bait, and then they would hide and wait to take a shot.

The extreme stealth, combined with the Scent-removing powder, was extremely efficient. In just three days they got fourteen Silver Wolf's skins.

Unfortunately, Gerald soon ran out of the Scent-removing powder and Sera also didn't have any. They had no choice but to try and take a more direct approach. It was either that, or they could also set up traps and snares to catch and kill their prey in a safe manner.

Gerald was not a fan of the latter. Besides, with the Unmoving boulder Combat Art, he could almost be immune to bites and scratches. Taking a Greater Mana Potion he could even extend the duration of the skill.

For now, he could regen two Mana points every hour. With the help of Greater Mana Potion, that could go up to one hundred. If used at the right time, he could extend the duration of the Combat Art to about twenty minutes.

That would of course only happen, if he didn't cast any spells.

After a while of contemplation, he decided to go ahead and meet wolves in a fight, head-on. Sera would track them down and then he could use the opportunity to sharpen his combat skills against the beasts.

And indeed, they soon found fresh tracks. This time it was a much bigger pack of wolves. They even had a massive leader. It was more than thrice the size of a normal wolf. It was a more advanced version of the silver wolves called Silverback.

He learned that from Sera. Her knowledge of wild animals often came in handy.

They were currently feasting on what looked like a giant elk. It had massive horns and it was probably at least three meters tall when standing. Anyway, now it was dead and served as a meal for the hungry wolf pack.

Gerald noticed that many lower-ranked wolves were injured, bleeding from the torso or neck. They had many puncture wounds that showed how difficult it was to take the giant animal down. Although there were many wolves, only about ten or so seemed able to fight.

Gerald quickly indicated to Sera to go and climb a tree, just to be safe. She then tied a rope up high and threw it down, in case Gerald needed a quick escape.

Gerald quietly took the crossbow and prepared it for his first shot. He would only have one chance, as his presence would then be revealed. He quietly took a breath to steady his hand and take aim at the giant Silverback.