Soul Caller 1 - Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Shaking himself free from the thoughts that swirled in his mind, Merrick settled down and sank deep into his meditation. Recently, he had taken to meditating for nearly an hour before working on the mana circuit on his left hand. And when he finally focused the Song of the World inscribing it into his palm, he found himself calm and alert. Waking from his meditation, he could feel the throbbing pain in his hand, but he didn't mind it. It was a reminder that he was making progress. When he stood up he caught his trembling reflection in the rushing river, blurred by the flow of the water, and felt he was starting to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Warrior in his dreams. The thought amused him, and with a chuckle, he drew his spears and began to practice once again.

The meat from the giant wolf, he estimated, would last a few weeks, and not wanting to press his luck with the remainder of the wolf pack, Merrick stayed in his camp as he worked on the giant wolf's hide. It took him a week and a half to fully cure the hide, and when he was done, he was left with a luxurious pelt, soft and thick. Before adding it to his clothing, he took another trip out into the canyon, this time hunting for the snow rabbits that he had been seeing all over the hills.

They were hard to spot at first, as their fur blended in almost perfectly with the bright white hills, but eventually he found the trick of standing still in a copse of trees while he watched the hillside, waiting for one of the rabbits to bound by. Rather than using his rifle, he dispatched them with swift throws of his spear, killing four rabbits in as many hours before returning to his camp. Excited to have something to eat other than wolf, he cooked and ate all four of the rabbits.

While stripping their skins and pulling out their tendons to serve as thread, Merrick used his bone needle to take apart his coat, intending to rebuild it from the ground up. The cloth interior was still intact, though the hide exterior had been ripped when one of the wolves latched its teeth onto him. Doing his best to repair those holes using strips of rabbit fur, Merrick cut the large wolf pelt into an overcoat and sewed it together with the cloth inner coat. The first time he put it on, he almost worried that it was too warm, but he soon got used to the adjusted temperature. The giant wolf's fur was a grayish-white, and adding the white rabbit fur to cover the dark buckskin and boar hide gave him a coat that would blend much better with the snow. He still had months until the snow would melt, and he intended to increase his hunting frequency during this time so the coat would be helpful.

A thought struck him, and he pulled up his status. He was only seven experience points away from being able to level again, and at the third level, he was expecting to receive a major blessing. Excited for the prospect, Merrick decided to increase his hunting speed, and after leaving the cavern, he focused on setting traps out in the areas close by. Keeping the traps relatively far apart, he set six in an easy loop that he could make in two hours, even in the heavy snow. While he was out, he returned to the boulders where he had shot the first deer and spent three hours waiting there. Though he did not see any deer, he did notice a number of birds overhead, and another idea came to him.

When he was done with his hunt for the day and was about to return to his camp, he lifted his rifle, aiming it at one of the birds high in the sky. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to actually hit it, but figured it was worth a try. Taking a moment to line up his shot, he carefully squeezed the trigger, but at that moment the bird’s wings fluttered and it banked to the side, turning as it caught an eddy of wind and rose into the sky. The crack of the rifle sounded down the valley as the beam tore through the air where the bird had just been, and Merrick clicked his tongue, annoyed that his shot had missed. The bird quickly plumped its wings, rising high into the sky out of his range, and Merrick shook his head. It had been a good idea, but he was not yet accurate enough to predict random movement. Packing up, he returned to the cavern to meditate and sleep.

The next morning, when he awoke, he realized that he had gained another experience point, and knew that at least some of his traps had triggered. After grabbing a quick bite, he hurried out to check them, and sure enough, found two snow rabbits and a fox that had all been caught. The fox was still alive, and he dispatched it with a quick stab of his spear, before resetting the traps and returning to the boulder to wait. This time, he tried something different, cutting a chunk of one of the snow rabbits and tossing it down to the bottom of the hill. Frozen blood like rubies against the white snow caught the eye of a passing vulture, who swooped down with big wings, beating the air as it looked at the free meal. The bird landed near the frozen chunks of rabbit and Merrick took his time with his shot, taking the bird's head clean off and granting him another two experience points.

[Ding! Two experience points.]

[You have enough experience for a level up.]

[Would you like to level up?]

Excited, he hurried down the hill to gather the bird's body, and carried all of his spoils back to the cave. As much as he wanted to immediately level up, he first took care of the animals he had caught, skinning the rabbits and plucking the feathers from the vulture. He had never eaten vulture before, and didn't particularly care to try it, but the feathers would be useful if he ever needed to craft a bow and arrows. When he was done, he sat down and opened his status, accepting the level up.

A powerful surge of energy filled the air around him, and suddenly Merrick felt as if a great presence had descended upon him. In shock, he watched as the figure of the warrior materialized in front of him, staring down at him with a cold gaze. Well over eight feet tall, the warrior dwarfed anyone he had ever seen before, and the massive, knotted muscles straining at the warrior's clothes spoke of incredible power. His gaze was drawn to the gleaming manastone that stood in place one of the warrior's eyes and the heavy metal forearm that peeked from under the Warrior’s tunic. Though he did not speak, the grim-faced spirit seemed to communicate directly into Merrick's mind,

“You are doing well, young one, but the great tests are still to come. It is not enough for you to follow my path. Unlock the power of the spirits if you wish to reveal the path of victory.”

With those words, the Warrior lifted his hands as if he was praying, and all around Merric, five powerful spirits appeared. There was Bear, strong and savage; Falcon, explosive and far-seeing; Jaguar, wise and courageous; Serpent, silent and swift; and Wolf, noble and cunning. The spirits seemed to swirl around Merrick creating a cascade of colors that played across the cavern walls, each of them pressuring him to choose one of them. Originally, Merrick had intended to spend his major blessing as three minor blessings to unlock more skills. But now he hesitated. The great Warrior’s words had been clear, only by unlocking the blessings of the other spirits would he be able to follow the true path. Merrick still did not quite understand what was going on, but after all of his experiences, he trusted his guardian spirit and quieted his mind, considering which of the great spirits would be most helpful.

He had always felt the strongest connection with Snake, and now his attention turned to the sinuous spirit. Coiled in the air, her scales gleaming with a thousand colors, Snake seemed to stare at him, unblinking eyes piercing deep into his soul. Somehow, he knew that Snake should have been his guardian. Yet something had happened, something that had changed the course of his life. Though he didn’t know what it was, he still felt the strongest connection to Snake, and so, bowing his head respectfully first to the Warrior, and then to Snake, Merrick spoke with his heart.

In a flash, the other great spirits faded away, and Snake lunged forward, her wide head passing straight into his chest. A cool feeling washed over him as her ephemeral body vanished into his and the blessing that Merrick felt, granting him his ability to run, suddenly bloomed, growing stronger until it erupted in an electrifying feeling that coursed through his limbs. The joints throughout his body suddenly felt smoother, as if optimized to move quickly. Staring at his hands, Merrick marveled at the changes. With a ding his guardian spirit faded away, leaving Merrick alone once again as his status appeared before him. He had two minor blessings to spend, one from his level up, and another left over from accepting Snake's blessing, along with a skill point as well.

Opening up the skill trees, Merrick selected the Snake blessing, seeing that the skills were no longer grayed out. There were three branches to the tree, one dealing with movement, one dealing with stealth, and the last dealing with traps, each with a single skill underneath it. Curious, he read over them one at a time.

Land Strider

If a path exists, Snake can take it, and where no path exists, Snake can make one. You have learned to move unhindered across any landscape.

Your muscles have been optimized to maintain a consistent speed no matter where you travel.

[Unlock Level 1]

This skill was immediately interesting to him, as he was often traveling long distances, and would soon need to set out on a long journey back to his village. Though he already was blessed in this area by Snake, and had years of practice running along the trails, he could sense an intimate connection with this skill that seemed to cry out to him. He had long loved to run, and this would only bolster that ability, increasing his connection with the land. With two minor blessings to spend, he was pretty sure that one of them would be spent unlocking this skill. Before he committed to it, however, he decided to check out his other potential skills.

Serpent’s Stealth

To remain unseen is to gain the greatest advantage. Snake moves silently from place to place, hidden by her environment.

You have learned to move unseen, avoiding the eyes and ears of others.

[Unlock Level 1]

Serpent’s Stealth was another skill whose utility immediately stood out. Merrick's attempts at hunting had clearly illustrated to him just how important the ability to move quietly was, and more than once he knew that he had lost out in the delicate game between hunter and hunted because he hadn’t been able to remain hidden. Being able to remain unseen was a tremendous advantage while hunting and this skill stood out to Merrick as very important for his current situation.

Trap Sense

Understanding the mind of her prey allows Snake to craft the perfect trap, ensuring that they can never escape her coils.

You have gained an instinctive understanding of how traps will impact your prey, allowing you to set more dangerous traps.

[Unlock Level 1]

Unlike the other two skills, Trap Sense didn’t seem as immediately useful to Merrick's situation. Though he knew that trapping was one of the best ways to hunt, he didn’t have the natural patience for it and found making traps a bit tedious. Deciding to put it to the side, he opened up the Warrior’s skill tree and saw that there was only one skill available.

Warrior’s Knowledge: Survival

It is not enough for the warrior to be able to read the land. Knowledge of how to anticipate and react to the changing environment is the cornerstone of the warrior’s ability to survive.

You have gained the ability of a seasoned warrior to survive in even the most hostile environments.

[Unlock Level 1]

There were more skills under the Tactics and Manatech skills, but they were grayed out, leaving only the single option for Merric, so he decided to stick with the Snake spirit skills for the time being. Selecting Land Stride, he grinned as his connection with the ground under his feet deepened, giving him a greater sense for its unmoving undulations. Deciding on Serpent’s Stealth, he was about to spend his other minor blessing when he remembered that he could also spend a minor blessing on his connection to the Song of the World. Unfortunately, the system didn’t give him any information on what that would do, so rather than risk it, Merrick decided on the stealth skill. With his two minor blessings unlocked, it was time to spend his single skill point, so he called up his skill list and began reading over his options.

Warrior's Observation

The greatest tool a warrior possesses is not his mind or his body, but his eyes. To observe the world as it truly is allows the warrior to make the best possible choice in the shortest amount of time.

You have gained the ability of a seasoned warrior to both observe and anticipate your environment.

You have increase your powers of observation, allowing you to better predict threats.

You have improved your memory, allowing you to better make connections with things you have observed before.

*SKILL MAXED* You have reached the limit of your current capacity with this skill. Continue to level up to increase your capacity.

Level: 3

Warrior’s Knowledge: Manatech

To understand his tools is to multiply his ability to affect the world. The warrior’s ability to use and create manatech is only as good as his knowledge of it.

You have gained the ability of a seasoned warrior to use and maintain manatech tools.

*NEW* Your understanding of manatech has grown, allowing you to make improvements to manatech weapons.

Level: 1 > 2

Warrior’s Knowledge: Tactics

Know self, know the enemy, Know the environment. Armed with these three types of knowledge, the warrior can accurately predict the course of the battle, ensuring victory.

You have gained the ability of a seasoned warrior to plan and execute advanced tactics.

*NEW* Your understanding of tactics has expanded beyond yourself, allowing you to plan and execute advanced tactics with a team.

Level: 1 > 2

Mana-Body Modification

You have permanently altered your body with mana, making the impossible a reality.

Modifications:

Right Palm - Mana Circuit

Left Palm - Mana Circuit

You have reached the maximum number of modifications your body can accept. Increase the level of your skill to unlock more modification slots.

*NEW* Unlock an additional two slots.

Level: 1 > 2

Serpent’s Stealth

To remain unseen is to gain the greatest advantage. Snake moves silently from place to place, hidden by her environment.

You have learned to move unseen, avoiding the eyes and ears of others.

*NEW* You have learned to naturally blend in with your environment when you remain still, becoming nearly invisible.

Level: 1 > 2

Land Strider

If a path exists, Snake can take it, and where no path exists, Snake can make one. You have learned to move unhindered across any landscape.

Your muscles have been optimized to maintain a consistent speed no matter where you travel.

*NEW* You have gained an instinctive sense for the right path, allowing you to choose the more optimal path when traveling long distances.

Level: 1 > 2