Chapter 15: "Bad father...!"
At the stream,he had picked some feathers dropped by the birds. This had him thinking of making a bow. With a bow and some arrows at hand,he could easily take out animals from a distance,and mostly the birds.
Leo had come up with a theory on how the looting ability worked. The amount of meat looted would correspond not the size of the animal,but to its level.
A level five rabbit and a level five goat would all give him the same five pounds of meat.
As for the other items,it depended on the animal slain.
He got animal fat from the succulent chubby and juicy piglets but not from the boar or the goats.
He got four hooves from the he-goats and two from the she-goat’s. The difference was due to the she-goat’s giving him milk, which was of more value than the water from the he-goats.
And following this pattern,Leo eyes were on the birds,as he believed that killing a level five bird of any kind would result in him looting some eggs. He could then craft a stone pan for making scrambled eggs,or simply make some poached eggs.
As he fantasized,his hands never stopped working.
System Alert: You have crafted a rudimentary stone arrow head.
System Alert: You have received fifty experience points.
It only took him ten minutes to craft his first stone arrow head,and less for his second. By the time he was on his fifth arrow head,he had mastered the carving,and thus increasing his speed,from the original ten minutes per arrow head to three minutes.
By the time the boy announced that supper was ready,Leo had twelve sharp and pointy stone arrow heads scattered around him.
"The dust from the stone curving is irritating..."
Leo left to clean his hands and face before sitting down for supper.
"Here..."
He handed the boy the wooden cup he had crafted,and a piece of wood of the same size.
Knowing what was expected of him,the boy quickly replicated the wooden cup.
"Your ability is one for many to envy..."
Leo said.
It had taken him about an hour to craft that cup, being careful not to dent or get the dimensions wrong, while it took the boy about a three minutes to replicate it.
"Have some juice..."
Leo poured the boy some juice as they both dug into their supper.
"Not bad..."
Leo acknowledged the boys cooking, though it needed improving,the soup was acceptable and the vegetables good.
After the meal,the boy cleaned up,as Leo went to his crafting corner.
"I should finish the arrows first,then the bow..."
Leo planned to craft for a couple of hours before calling it a day.
For the arrow shaft,he found a dozen straight but thin yet sturdy branches.
At first,he planned in attaching the stone arrow head and feathers with thin slices of vines,but this later proved to be a hindrance,as the vines added to the weight and no matter how hard he tried,the arrow heads were a little bit loose.
"I need smaller arrow heads..."
The failures had Leo frustrated.
He kept the arrow heads aside,and pondered on his next move,and that was when it struck.
He recalled that the level five common rank goats and boar easily died when they got impaled on the stakes in his pitfall. This was a clear indication their low defense attribute. And since the arrow targets would be creatures of same level and rank,there was no need for the stone arrow heads.
He quickly picked up his stone knife,that now weighed as much as a feather,thanks to his increased level.
The twelve thin sturdy branches had one of their tips sharpened,and later smoked to harden it.
He then tied two feathers at the other end, completing his first set of arrows.
System Alert: You have crafted a rudimentary arrow.
System Alert: You have received fifty experience points.
With the twelve arrows done,it was time for the bow. Which proved to be his easiest craft.
All he did was tie a tendon to a small curved branch,that was neither light not heavy. The weight and the size was perfect for his build and current strength.
System Alert: You have crafted a rudimentary bow.
System Alert: You have received fifty experience points.
"Ninety-six more to go..."
Leo took count as he knocked an arrow, pulled back,and let go.
"Twang...!"
The arrow swiftly flew as it span, lodging itself on one of the roots on the other side of the lair.
"Not bad..."
Leo thought as he decided to call it a night and retire for bed,or rather hides. By then,the boy was fast asleep.
"Again...!"
The boy swung his sword, a sword bigger for his size and twice his weight.
The boy was currently sparring with a mountain of a man,who wielded a wooden sword.
"Again...!"
The mountain of a man ordered as the boy,who had been sent flying and his sword scattering away struggled to his feet as he spit out a mouthful of blood.
"That’s enough..."
The graceful voice of a woman,filled the sparring grounds.
A tall,slim and elegant lady walked into the training grounds.
One look at the boy and her eyes turned ice cold as she glared at the mountain of a man,who took two steps back and adopted a submissive attitude.
Behind the woman was a small girl. Even at her age,one could tell that she would grow up into perfect replica of he mother’s beauty and gracefulness.
"Big brother...!"
The small girl cried out as she rushed to help the boy to his feet.
She wiped the blood at the corner of her mouth,before turning towards the mountain of a man and giving him what she thought was a frightening glare. But with her chubby angelic face,her angry glare turned into a cute comical look.
"Bad father...!"
She said as she pulled the boy behind the woman and clang to her dress.
"mh...!"
The woman snorted at the mountain of a man before leaving with her two kids.
