Not quite as expected

With a plan in mind you leave the clearing. You prioritize finding nearby areas to set some kill snares to grab some smaller game. It’s easy enough to get the materials for these by harvesting fibrous plants to craft simple cordage from and then baiting the snares with some herbs that you know to attract animals of all sorts. Some of it may get eaten by larger creatures, and that’s fine. You set enough snares that at least some of them should bear the results you seek.

Next you set out seeking the paths that adventurers most use. It’s not the safest thing you’ve ever done but it’s knowledge that will be key to advancing and it’s the only way to really make use of you Master of the Hunt ability to mark prey. You’ll have to see the adventurers before you can really shine so it’s best to be intimately familiar with wherever you will have a chance to encounter them.

You of course keep an eye out for other mobs while you do your scouting. Anywhere that adventurers may lurk there are sure to be monsters. You know that the area is home to a variety of mostly lower leveled mobs. Goblins, wolves, pixies, among other things. Running into a tribe of goblins could be as deadly to you at this point as an adventurer.

Throughout the day as you have the chance you take some time to gather any resource nodes that you come across. You assume that you’ll need a good bit more wood and other materials to further expand your domain. It also gave you plenty of supplies for all the traps you had plans for. When you were done no one would get close to your den without a good bit of trouble.

As you go on about your business suddenly you’re met with a system notification.

Trap Triggered

Location:

“Well, that’s handy.” You exclaim, not having been expecting to be told when something was caught. A map appeared with a small blinking red dot. It takes you a moment to get your bearings based on where your home is, not noticing right away that the map also shows your own location. It seems to be one of the snares you’d laid back near home. You grin, content with the knowledge that there will be dinner tonight.

That content fades as another popup appears. And another. And…. another. One after another your snares are being triggered. “What the in the fuck…” You wonder to yourself. While there’s always the possibility that you’ve actually had the good luck to get a catch in every snare you’re not one to assume the best.

The oddity of the situation draws you back towards the snares to see what exactly happened. Your curiosity and worry that someone or something may be about to invade your new home wins out over complete caution and your stealth surely suffers because of it. Still you manage to make it back unmolested and find the snares. All are empty. The herbs you used as bait are gone. Tracks of smaller fauna surround each snare and it seems like there was plenty of things that should have gotten caught… It was almost as if… You see movement from the corner of your eye and turn.

“You can’t trap the poor animals that live here.” It’s Sylvana. “It’s not good for the grove. They’re all part of the ecosystem.” You stare at her blankly, her words taking several moments to process.

“Did you… Did you disarm my snares?” You ask her softly, taking a step towards her. She shrinks back but then straightens, standing tall. She nods determinedly. You growl, anger and frustration rising as you stride towards her. She stands her ground. So this is what she grows a spine over?

“I need to eat. They’re here to be eaten.” You growl in frustration, moving to reset the trap.

“I’ll break it again. There’s other things for food. Things you don’t need to kill.” She retorts, hands on her hips.

“Nire told me to hunt. You’re going to go against the word of a goddess?” You ask, thinking this would be enough to convince her.

“The players! You’re supposed to hunt the players. Not the animals! The players are unnatural. They wreak havoc wherever they go. They kill without thinking and without regard to balance. Nire hates them.” The nymph speaks with authority on this much at least. “That pact? It was made to teach them they’re not all powerful. Not so you could bully some rabbits.” You place your palm over your eyes and sigh. She’s not going to move on this.

You can’t survive on berries and mushrooms though can you? You’ve always eaten meat, when you’ve lived long enough to need food and when you could get it. Still, as much as you didn’t want to think about it there was something to her words. Not long ago you’d been bullied by those stronger than you. Toyed with. Slain for no reason. Was that what you really wanted to do, now that you had the ability?

“If I start to get malnourished I’m eating you first.” You glare at her and wonder where her timidness had gone. Did it have something to do with having the rune stones back? She grins as you give in and turns to head back into the grove. If it comes down to it you may have to set more traps further away. If she went too far she’d die after all.

At least the day wasn’t a total waste. You still had a good haul of resources from your travels, and you had a good idea of where to trap to catch heroes rather than animals. Tomorrow you’d get started in earnest. Tonight you had to eat. That nymph better have something ready after she went and ruined your dinner plans.