I'm still thinking on the question wether I should take the crab hunting quest or not when I return the key for the guildhall's little library to the clerk at the counter downstairs.

The clerk seems to be well aware that I'm lost in thought. He doesn't accept the key back right away. Instead he speaks up.

"Was the book not helpful?"

I blink in surprise at first, then I'm quick to shake my head.

"Oh, the book was helpful. Very much so in fact. Text, illustrations and all. I'm still not sure if I should take the request to catch some of these Rock Crabs though. I'm just not sure if I can disable them without killing them."

He nods in understanding as he finally accepts the key.

"I see. Yes. Getting back to town is what makes that request tricky. You are not the only one in doubt about that issue either, I'm sure, otherwise someone would have certainly picked the quest up already."

I can't disagree with that assessment. Thankfully I don't even intend to. In fact I agree wholeheartedly.

"I guess I'll head out to find one or two of them first to test my abilities against them first. Maybe I'll even figure out a way to disable them without killing them. Then I can take that quest another day. There was no deadline on it after all."

He nods as he puts the key away again under the counter.

"A very sensible approach. And there is indeed no deadline on that quest. These crabs are pretty much always in demand in town. I'm sure there are plenty of cooks who would wish to get their hands on some, if they only could. Anyway, good hunting!"

I leave him and the guild house with a last cheerful wave. In the end I decide against spending the night here. I'll probably have to spend a night out in the woods anyway. Might as well make camp a little closer to town still today rather than further away tomorrow.

There is only one last stop I make, before I leave town. It's at one of the smaller bakeries outside the wall. I get myself a small loaf of fresh bread there and another small loaf of hard cheese at the shop next door. These cost me a penny each.

I pick those particular items because both will last a while and neither has a strong smell that might attract any monsters. Of course that probably means that neither the bread nor the cheese are likely to be exceptionally tasty either, but I hope that some of that cheese melted atop a slice of toasted bread will still make for a pleasant enough meal.

Well, at least I intended for this to be my last stop before I head out of town for a while. I stop short of actually leaving though. I probably should let Jerzy or Wiktor know that I'll be gone for a little while, even if it's only for a day or two, too.

I sigh and change my course to swing by the tavern at the downstream waterfront. That's not exactly on my way, as I intend to head upstream, but it's not that much of a detour either, given the layout of the city.

I actually run into someone I know before I reach the place. Sylwia isn't Jerzy or even Wiktor, but she is well known within the guild anyway. And even better, she is headed in the direction of the tavern too. I greet her with a nod, as I move to walk alongside her for a few steps.

"Sylwia! Nice to see you. Say, could you pass something along to Jerzy?"

She raises an eyebrow.

"Viviona. Fancy meeting you here, but sure, what is it?"

I don't beat around the bush.

"I'll be out of town for a day or two. Trying my hand at a little monster hunting. Stone Crabs."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oh?"

I nod.

"Yep. Need to figure out of I can reliably disable them without killing them, so I can bring them back nice and fresh."

This time around she nods, while winking at the same time.

"I see. Well, best of luck in that case. And if you in fact bring one, I happen to know a place that could turn it into a delicious treat."

I can't help but chuckle as I answer.

"I'll keep it in mind. See you!"

With those words and one last cheerful wave I'm finally off on my hunting trip. It doesn't take me long to leave the busiest city streets behind either and before long I'm walking along the river, following it upstream, past the mill and the closest farms.

Thus, before long I'm surrounded by wilderness once more, with only the river at my right to provide direction. Following the river like that of course means that I'm not following the shortest possible path either. I'm probably making some serious detours as I follow the meandering path of the river instead. Well, at least I'm getting to know the upstream area better. Walking, and taking your time doing it, is after all one of the best ways to get to know a location.

There is one additional little problem though. I have already passed two small tributaries of the river simply because they flow into the river on the other bank. I simply don't feel like crossing over and getting all wet just yet. I can still do that on the way back if, and only if I still need to find some crabs and I haven't found a spot where I can ford the river mostly dry.

I'm tempted to hum a little tune as I make my way along the river, but I don't give in. This is still a wild frontier wilderness after all. I have to stay alert! I better try to be at least a little stealthy too, even if walking along the riverbank does not afford me with many options in that regard. I do my best to avoid the open gravel banks and stay under the cover afforded to me by the bushes and young trees growing a little further from the water.

My efforts pay off too. My [Stealth] and [Perception] skills are still a long way from the next level up, but they at least improve a little.

I don't get jumped by any monsters either, which is a good thing too as far as I'm concerned. I don't come across a whole lot of creatures overall though. Not early on anyway. This only begins to change as I leave Riverrun further behind me and the sky begins to darken.

I take the latter as my cue to start looking for a proper place to make camp for the night. I shouldn't wait until the last moment after all, or I might end up standing in the dark with no fire.

I leave the river behind and march uphill to find a decent spot. I don't expect any flooding anytime soon, but it's still better to be safe rather than swept away, wet and sorry.

It's not much of a hill anyway. The very top still affords me a decent look out over the river though, especially after I climb one of the trees up there to reach an even better vantage point. My [Climbing] skill gets another little boost that way too. After doing most of my climbing in the city for a while I'm actually pretty thankful for this small change of pace.

What comes after is even more rewarding. Even more so as I get to sweat a little digging a pit for my fire in between a trio of trees that provide me with decent cover. It's a good thing I stopped to make camp early as this part takes some time, since the only tool I have is my utility knife. Gathering some fire wood and tinder takes a while too. At least my long neglected [Survival] skill gets to benefit a little from these efforts, even if it isn't enough for a level up notification.

It's not a big fire, but it doesn't have to be either. What matter is that I have enough wood to keep it going for a little while. I build a little grill over it with some more branches. It's nothing fancy, but it'll allow me to toast a slice of bread or two while melting some cheese gratings on them.

It's no fancy meal, but it's warm and filling. I don't even mind using up half the provisions I brought this way. Even less so, as I'm rewarded with a level up notification on top of everything else.

[*Ding!* Your skill Cooking has leveled up to level 2!]

Nice! Very nice! I lick my fingers clean and recline on the pile of dry leaves I gathered for my bed. This one counts towards the progress of my masked mediator class. Even better though it improves my agility and as a result my attack power another little bit too. It's not much, but it might just come in handy soon.

I sit by my little fire for another little while, to let it burn low, before I finally turn in for the night. As I do I'm surprised by another divine whisper delivering a very welcome notification.

[*Ding!* Your skill Survival has leveled up to level 6!]

It seems I must have done something right when setting up my camp. This one counts towards the progress of my scoundrel class again and it improves my vitality and thus my health too. Nice. Very nice. There is a little more to this level up notification though, as a follow up notification is quick to let me know.

[*Ding!* Achievement unlocked! [Peak of Mortality] You have raised your Health to at least 100! That's pretty good, but surely you can still do better, right?]

Lying there on my bed of leaves and wrapped into my cloak, with my head resting on my backpack, I blink in surprise. That is unexpected. Will this achievement unlock new classes for me?

I wait with baited breath for a moment, but there are no other follow up notifications, but nothing happens. Finally I let out the breath I have been holding. Just as well. I'm not sure I want to go a route like this. One that is about soaking up damage. My experiences with that approach have been less than pleasant so far.

I'd much rather take a combat oriented class that is all about avoiding damage or even getting hit in the first place. I'll probably still have to work on my weapon skills for that. I'll get there though, of that I have no doubt.

I have a little problem now though. After this latest notification I'm wide awake again. I roll my eyes. I still won't complain though. For a moment I ponder if I should get up again. I could do some star gazing. In the end I decide against it. Instead I go over what I read on Rock Crabs in my mind. That does the trick. Before long my eyes fall closed and sleep claims me, even if it's a rather light sleep. It has to be. Since I'm on my own I can't drop my guard completely after all. Not even in my sleep. It'll impact my regeneration, but there is nothing I can do about it right now.

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