Chapter 6: Skill Issue
Julius stared at the notification as he walked beside Yumiko.
"Yes, I have a moment."
"Huh?" Yumiko assumed the response was for her.
"Nothing, just thinking out loud."
She considered the response briefly before accepting it.
[I analyzed your encounter with the bear. The results are below acceptable levels.]
[The Architect Path provides abilities that require mana but your physical attributes are insufficient to compensate when those abilities are unavailable.]
He couldn’t argue with that. Without the eye and the Wardstone he would have been bear food. He had been lucky but luck wasn’t something he could rely on.
A new screen appeared over the existing interface.
[Bond Protocol Initiated]
[I have developed a protocol that aims to improve your physical attributes to at least reach the pinnacle of human physique]
[Iris’s note: This Protocol aims to aid you on your quest of breeding peace among the races]
Julius pondered on this new information.
He had been trying not to think about the main quest since the summoning hall. Part of him already had a working theory about what breed peace actually meant and it was not diplomatic. He would ask about it later. When Yumiko wasn’t with him.
His attention had been so focused on the interface that he hadn’t noticed her closing the distance between them. She was slightly ahead, angled toward him as she tried to sample his scent.
He met her eye.
She stiffened immediately and found something interesting about the trees on her left.
Julius returned to the interface.
He was interested in the Architect path abilities. He recalled the rush he felt from using the Eye but the stinging sensation it left made him reconsider testing it. He was curious what other abilities the system provided. He would explore those later.
His stomach reminded him of other priorities.
He had been watching the trees since morning. None of them produced anything edible. He was considering alternatives when Yumiko stopped walking.
Her ears twitched like an antenna searching for a signal. She turned toward a random direction without an explanation.
Julius followed. Not out of concern but curiosity.
A few steps later he heard it too before his eyes confirmed it. Flowing water. The stream moved fast enough to be loud but gentle enough to wade into.
Yumiko crouched on a rock near the edge of the stream, and scooped water into her hands to drink. Julius washed his hands first before doing the same. The cool feeling energized his body.
He filled his waterskin, splashed his face and sat back to assess his situation.
He had water but food was still an issue.
He looked at the stream hoping to find signs of life. His prayers were answered when he found a school of them trying to swim against the current.
He rolled up his sleeve and reached into the water.
They were faster than he expected. He tried again and bruised his hand against a rock on the second attempt. The fish scattered to where their tiny brains considered a safer position.
Believing third time would be the charm, Julius tried once more but this time he opted to move slowly. His hand hovered against the water. One of the fish swam close to him as if daring him.
Julius didn’t mind, his injured hand was already in the water as he tried to predict the fish’s movement. It almost worked but his grip wasn’t enough and the fish fled to join its comrades.
He gave up and turned to look at Yumiko.
She was already standing in the water watching the school of fish that escaped from him. Her body went still as her eyes tracked their movement.
In one swift motion she sent both hands through the surface of the water faster than Julius’s eyes could process. The fish scattered but two of them were less fortunate.
She held them up, her claws dug into them as they struggled before setting them on the ground.
Julius looked at his hands. Then at the fish. He was hungry enough that eating them raw seemed reasonable. He had seen survival content before so in all fairness this was basically sushi to him.
Yumiko crouched over the fish and looked at him expectantly.
"We need a fire," he said.
She looked at the fish. Then at him.
He didn’t know how to build a fire as he had never gone on a camping trip or had anyone to teach him. What he knew came from content he’d seen online. He gathered bark, small sticks and dried leaves to serve as fuel for the fire.
He picked up two of the sticks and looked at them.
Yumiko arranged what he gathered with the experience of someone who had done this before. She held out her hand. He gave her the sticks without arguing.
She rubbed them patiently. He watched and noted the angle and the technique. It took a few moments before a thin thread of smoke appeared. She added the materials carefully and in a few minutes a small flame came to life.
Julius stared at it.
"Nice," he said.
"Thanks," she replied.
He cleaned and gutted the fish against a rock using the dagger.
This was the one part of the process he was familiar with, and set them over the fire on a frame he built from two forked branches and a straight one across the top.
The fish cooked. The smoky aroma was already refreshing.
They ate in silence.
The fish tasted good enough. Yumiko ate hers quickly. They both relaxed for a while taking in the view of the stream and the sounds of nature.
That is, until she got up abruptly, her eyes trained in the opposite direction of the stream.
A group of four emerged. They were armed but their weapons weren’t drawn. The one in front of them was a tall, silver-haired man with pointed ears.
Behind him, a woman with fox ears and an orange-tipped tail who smiled in an odd way. To her left, a petite woman with a big satchel at her hip and another man who shared the leader’s ears stood farthest away from the group. He carried a bow.
None of them spoke.
Neither did Julius.
The stream ran between them, loud enough to fill the silence.
The silver-haired man’s gaze moved across the scene until it settled on Julius.
