Chapter 3: First Hunt is a success..?

  Silas decided that the Thorn Bind spell was the best choice if he was going to survive the numerous predators on the Island. It left him with a way of defending against and trapping creatures that would otherwise shrug off a bola. Confirming his decision, Silas unlocked the spell.

  Immediately, Silas felt a rush of information and a feeling of connection to the plants around him as if they would rush forward at his command. With just a thought, thorny tendrils shot out in a line, racing to wrap around a nearby tree and constricting with supernatural strength, digging the thorns into the bark. Silas noticed how the original line of tendrils reached about four feet in height and was lashing about, carving grooves in the surrounding earth. Silas watched in fascination at the sight but was partly distracted by the new sensation of fugue that set in after casting the spell, although the feeling was faint but definitely there.

  "So, this is what mana draining feels like... I'd better not over-use it as I'd rather not experience what happens when I run dry of mana." Silas remarked.

  "Skree!" Suddenly, a shrill cry sounded from beyond his line of thorns. Looking past the waving thorns, he noticed an ugly little rodent-like lizard with coarse, quill-like spines with a beak and beady, little black eyes. It called once more in a shrill, aggressive tone before leaping at Silas, disregarding the vines in its path.

  The vines, however, didn't disregard it as several lashed out, whipping the small creature and tearing ragged gashes in its hide with their thorns. Silas watched the rodent-like creature he recognized as a Pegomastax smack heavily into the ground, bleeding profusely from the gashes in its side.

  'I guess the spell description did say it could hold and slow medium-sized creatures, meaning it's probably overkill for a little critter like a pegomastax. Note to self: don't use on humans unless absolutely necessary.' Silas thought as he let out a morbid chuckle. It felt cathartic since Pegos were some of the worst vermin on any of the Ark maps. Pegomastax in-game was hostile on sight and constantly tried to steal items from players. Also, they would eat any edible items stolen from you. Another similar creature would be the ichthyornis, essentially a prehistoric seagull.

  No matter how cathartic the initial thought was, this was reality, and he needed to put the little creature out of its misery. So, without hesitation, Silas brought his pickaxe down hard on the skull of the Pegomastax, caving it in with a single blow to the temple.

  Silas immediately searched for a flat, rounded stone on the shore. Finding one, he pounded it on a boulder until it cracked and fragmented. He was sifting through the fragments and picked up one that still had the rounded exterior on one end with a thin hairline edge on the other. Using this new cutting tool, he cut down the Pegomastax's chest cavity and stomach before stepping back as its guts spilled out onto the sand steaming in the midday sun.

  Grimacing at the stench, Silas began the messy and grueling process of gutting and skinning the Pegomastax. He scraped out the internal organs and buried them in the sand so that it didn't draw too many predators. He'd done this with deer before, so he knew how to dress fresh game well. He began sawing through the tendon on its forelimbs and used the pocket between the hide and muscle fibers to grip and rip the hide away from the meat, leaving the body bare except for the head and feet. He didn't think he'd have time to properly drain the blood from the body as without proper shelter, predators would come to poach his kill and potentially turn him into a meal, so he needed to cook and consume what he could before moving on.

  Making use of the combined knowledge from both the engram and his own experiences camping, Silas began gathering wood and tinder from the nearby trees and ferns that lined the shore. He began building the common tepee-style fire before breaking down some of the larger branches he'd scavenged into smaller pieces and resting them inside the larger logs forming the tepee. He then made a small bundle of dead stems and leaves that those who camp or practice bushcraft call a fire bundle. Before, when he'd broken the stone to acquire his cutting stone tool, Silas had noticed metallic shards amongst the fragments of rock, so picking up one of these shards, he began striking the blunt edge of his cutting tool along the metallic surface. He'd hoped it had a high enough flint content to produce a spark. His hopes dimmed after nothing from the first couple of strikes, but suddenly, a spark flared to life, shining as it fell amongst his fire bundle.

  With a rush of excitement, Silas lifted the bundle slowly up to his face and began slow, methodical breaths on the smoldering spark. After it gained strength, Silas cupped the pile in both hands while raising it to about eye level, doing long, harder breaths before inhaling to the side to avoid inhaling the smoke that was becoming more prominent as it seeped through the fibers of the bundle. As flames flared to life, Silas cautiously set the bundle in the center of the tepee and began feeding it with twigs and small sticks until it caught the other pieces of tinder he'd put in the tepee.

  A familiar ding sounded, informing him of a successfully created item and the rush of experience that followed, pushing him halfway to the next level. Silas sat back on his haunches with a sigh of relief before he forced himself to his feet and walked over to a large, reasonably flat slab of rock a couple of feet away from his campfire. Silas bent his knees as he dug his fingers around the sides of the rock, and with a labored grunt, he lifted the stone to his chest before standing and carrying it to the side of his fire. With a muffled thud, Silas dropped it as close to the fire as he could get before pushing part way into the smoldering coals that had formed around the now roaring fire. Grabbing the carcass of the pegomastax, Silas draped it across the rock, allowing the heat that seeped into the rock to cook the creature.

  After about 20 minutes, the scent of cooking meat filled the air, causing Silas's stomach to growl as he'd had little in the way of sustenance since he'd been placed on the Ark other than a few berries he'd managed to scrounge up without going too deep into the surrounding jungle. But just as he reached out to check if the meat was cooked, a sharp jab pressed between his shoulder blades. 

  "Don't move" A low, female voiced sounded from behind him.