The Great Harvest

Everyone had finished making 20 jars of jam. Sighing, Marcus realised they might have definitely gone overboard. There were 10 blackberry jam jars, 4 strawberry, 3 red currant, and 3 plum jams. All of them had crab apple for the pectin which helped it to cool and set properly.

Today their job was to harvest as much rye grass as possible. Everyone would cut the heads from each strand of rye grass and stuff them into sacks Marcus had sewn together this morning using the parachutes from crates. He continued to receive the parachutes and para cord from his send aid skill. They now had a shelf dedicated to plasters in the bunker too.

Stopping for breaks every half an hour or so, they eventually filled every sack. They then carried this up to the main cave and each got to work with separate grinding stones until every bit of grain had been used up. Going up and down the mountain was tiring but soon their work was leaving a visible impact.

The flour went into large jars and pots. By the end of the day, they'd filled 20 jars that were about half a foot wide and one foot tall. Marcus was sure it would last the winter. There was so much to do. They couldn't waste time double checking everything again and again.

They decided the barn should be built last since the goats and chickens weren't going anywhere. Marcus wasn't sure if they would migrate or not. That meant the next task was drying fish plus any meat they could acquire. Except, the only person who knew how to set up traps or hunt had been Marya. They'd have to learn from books and the survivors handbook.

Everyone sat inside doing research. Some stopped to look over each other's shoulders and discuss what they'd found as well. Marcus opened the survivors handbook on a page about traps:

'Build traps near trails, runs and bodies of water to achieve greater success. Placing traps randomly in the middle of the forest will not catch as much game.'

'Snares - a slip knot or a simple noose will effectively strangle your prey. As they instinctively try harder to escape, it will only kill them faster. Tie the snare to sticks and fix them in the ground deep enough so that the prey does not pull them from the ground. Even better if you can tie the snare to saplings or things already fixed in the ground. Snares work effectively against rabbits when placed in front of their warren entrances. Twitch-up snares are made by bending a young sapling so it is taught. Remember to place a trigger that isn't too hard to activate.'

'Deadfall - Be careful not to get your scent all over the trap or animals might not even take an interest in it. However, good bait will tempt nearly any rodent to scurry up to their death. Prop a large rock up with a stick and place the bait near the back. Check not too often but at least once a day so if something is caught, it's not just rotting away or worse being eaten by another animal.'

There was more information on traps in general as well as more detailed diagrams on how to set them up. There were even some techniques on hunting with spears and bows. Deciding to give what they learnt a try, everyone left the bunker with the things they might need to trap or hunt creatures.

Marcus set up snares first outside of warrens as well as deadfall traps below trees that sat near a stream. It was quite arduous having to repeatedly set up trap after trap but Marcus had become quite good at it. Not to mention, the skills he unlocked were useful.

'New skill unlocked - trapper (level 1)'

'New skill unlocked - tracker (level 1)'

'New skill unlocked - animal sense (level 1)'

'Congratulations! You have unlocked an enhancer skill: animal sense. Tap for more info.' Marcus was elated when he quickly read the system notification. He didn't realize enhancer skills could be unlocked through actions. Marcus assumed it was only something he could earn with skill points but he was still far away from saving up enough so he thought it would be something he'd get after winter.

More info revealed the skill could be used once a day just like his tactical skill. Levelling it up would allow it to be used more often or even reveal more insights to any animals in the surrounding area. Leveling it up could even increase the radius it could reach. Essentially, it was a UAV for potential prey or predators.

The skill tree revealed Marcus had unlocked the enhancer skill from revealing all the common skills directly linked to it.

Grabbing his bow along with a spear, Marcus made his way over to an area of the forest he'd seen monkjack deer before. It was here he used the animal sense skill and immediately felt a ping resonate in all directions with him at the epicentre.

'Monkjack spotted 50m away at 2 O' clock. Bird's nest in the tree above you.' Marcus checked the time on the system's clock and was about to say, 'it's not 2 O' clock. It's 3- ' when he realised the system meant the direction of the monkjack deer. Looking up, Marcus saw the bird's nest so it must be telling the truth.

It had been right about the monkjack as well. Taking aim with his bow, Marcus planned on taking it out quickly. A quick release sent the arrow into the creature's side. Having missed the kill shot he originally planned on, he rushed it with the spear.

The deer tried to escape but Marcus was faster than any hunter gatherer had been before due to his increased agility. He didn't even have to chase it for long because it hesitated. It didn't even get to set off. He drove his spear into it, pinning it against the tree. His prey collapsed without putting up any resistance and the light left its eyes.

Since he'd consumed his daily use of the enhancer skill, Marcus was only able to find and catch one more monkjack but it certainly added up when compared to what everyone else had caught. James had killed a wild boar and Lana, who had managed to kill hers with just a single arrow, had caught a roe deer. Sam had missed her chance unfortunately but had set up the most traps.

Although, the hardest part wasn't complete yet. Gutting and stripping their prey was much more difficult than gutting fish. It took up a lot of time and the gang couldn't help being squeamish. Even Marcus was new to this.

Carrying back 2 cute but most certainly dead animals hadn't been fun even if everyone congratulated him and were ecstatic to have meat. The bunker's library was extremely helpful for teaching them the skills to cut strips of meat which could then be dried in the sun.

Marcus rubbed the salt he'd acquired from the fine dining quest into every piece to help the preservation process along further. They'd need a way to get more salt as most of it had been used up now. Even if too much was bad for you, salt was still essential in every human's diet. Too little could result in muscle cramps.