Ren returned to the general-goods merchant while his health recovered.
The man looked up from arranging a row of potions.
"You again."
"I’ve become financially successful."
The merchant looked at him as Ren checked his currency.
11 Copper.
"Relatively."
He took the Cracked Horn from his Inventory and placed it on the counter.
The merchant recognized it immediately.
"Two copper."
"You didn’t even inspect it."
"It’s still cracked."
Ren considered defending the horn’s character. He needed potions more.
"All right."
Cracked Horn sold.
+2 Copper
Currency: 13 Copper
Ren pointed at the red bottles.
"How much?"
"Six each."
The merchant handed him one.
Of course they were.
Basic Healing Potion
Common Consumable
Restores 30 HP over 10 seconds.
Price: 6 Copper
Ren bought two.
12 Copper spent.
Currency Remaining: 1 Copper
He looked at the final coin.
"Financial success was brief."
"That’s success? My granddaughter has more money than you. She’s four."
"A wealthy young lady, then. I wish her commercial success."
Ren stored the potions and left.
His health and mana continued recovering naturally while he stayed out of combat. Slowly enough that potions still had a reason to exist, but steadily. By the time he reached the north pasture, both bars were full again.
HP: 110/110
MP: 50/50
Herdsman Vale stood beside the pasture gate with a hooked staff resting against one shoulder.
He looked at Ren. Then behind him.
"Where’s the rest of your party?"
Ren checked too, then let his arms fall with a heavy sigh.
"Very unreliable people."
"You came alone."
"That was the shorter version."
Vale pointed beyond the fence. Four heavy shapes grazed among the silver-green grass.
North Pasture Clearing
Objective: Cull 4 Young Mossplate Rams
Recommended Level: 3
Party Recommended
Progress: 0/4
"You ignored the recommendation, so I’m not wasting my breath arguing. Try your luck if you want. Young ones only," Vale said. "Stay this side of the white markers."
Ren followed his gesture toward several stones farther up the slope. A much larger shape moved beyond them. He could see the horns from here.
"What’s past the markers?"
"The reason I told you not to cross them."
Clear enough.
Ren opened the gate.
The closest ram raised its head almost immediately.
Up close, the young ram was smaller than the Elite Ren had seen beneath the net, but still thick through the shoulders and heavily built. Rock-like plates covered its forehead, shoulders and upper back. Moss grew between them in thin green patches.
Its legs and underside were much less protected.
Ren checked his Skills menu.
Equipped: Lunge F
Useful, but probably not ideal when facing something whose forehead looked like a wall, so he switched to Keen Bite and waited through the ten-second channel before approaching.
Equipped: Keen Bite F
The ram watched him come.
Young Mossplate Ram
Level 3
Common
HP: 120/120
Ren drew the harvesting knife.
"Let’s keep this professional."
The ram scraped one hoof through the dirt. Then it charged.
Ren had experience dodging horned rabbit charges. Same strategy, then. He stepped aside.
The ram adjusted much faster than he expected and clipped him with one armored shoulder.
-22 HP
Vagrant — HP: 88/110
Ren groaned and stumbled but stayed upright. Twenty-two HP from one hit. That was already worse than the rabbits.
The ram turned and charged again. This time Ren waited for the head to lower, sidestepped the charge and slashed across the back of one front leg.
Keen Bite F activated.
-15 HP
Young Mossplate Ram — HP: 105/120
The knife cut through flesh instead of stone. Before Ren could drive it deeper, the ram kicked backward.
Ren jumped away from the hoof.
Only fifteen. The knife’s base damage range was still only three to five, even when he hit the right spot.
The ram faced him again. Amber light brightened inside its translucent horn tips.
"So that’s probably bad."
The creature launched forward.
Stone Rush F
It accelerated harder than before.
Ren moved.
Not fast enough.
One horn caught his side. The impact knocked the breath out of him and his vision flashed white as he was hurled into the grass.
-27 HP
Vagrant — HP: 61/110
Ren rolled onto one knee. Party Recommended was becoming increasingly reasonable.
The ram turned for another charge.
Ren pulled one of the red bottles from his inventory and drank it. The taste was somewhere between medicine and punishment.
Basic Healing Potion consumed.
Recovering 30 HP over 10 seconds.
The ram charged before Ren could complain.
He moved toward one of the thick stone fence posts. He waited until the ram was almost on him, then threw himself aside.
The ram tried to correct, but momentum had other ideas. Its plated forehead slammed into the stone post. The impact cracked loudly across the pasture.
-24 HP
Young Mossplate Ram — HP: 81/120
The ram staggered.
Ren was already moving. He drove the harvesting knife into the softer gap beneath its shoulder plate.
Keen Bite F activated.
-19 HP
Young Mossplate Ram — HP: 62/120
He pulled the blade free and cut behind the wounded front leg.
Keen Bite F activated.
-16 HP
Young Mossplate Ram — HP: 46/120
The ram recovered and swung its head.
Ren backed away before the horn reached him.
His health continued climbing.
Vagrant — HP: 91/110
Basic Healing Potion recovery complete.
One potion gone. One ram not quite gone, but the wounded front leg shook when the creature put weight on it.
The ram charged anyway, but it was slow enough for Ren to sidestep the charge and slash the same leg again.
Keen Bite F activated.
-14 HP
Young Mossplate Ram — HP: 32/120
The leg folded.
The ram dropped hard onto one knee. Its head jerked upward. The underside of its throat was exposed.
Ren stepped in and drove the harvesting knife beneath its jaw.
Critical Hit
Keen Bite F activated.
-36 HP
Young Mossplate Ram slain.
+16 XP
Level 2 — 176/250 XP
North Pasture Clearing: 1/4
The ram collapsed and twitched in its own blood before going still.
Ren pulled his knife free and checked himself.
91/110 HP.
One potion used. And that had been one Common monster.
He looked toward the remaining three rams.
"Party recommended," Vale shouted from the fence. "That’s what the notice said!"
Ren looked back.
"I can read!"
"Could’ve fooled me!"
Fair.
A darker notification appeared.
[PLUNDER]
Victory condition satisfied.
Eligible target detected.
Young Mossplate Ram · Level 3 · Common
Available ability candidates: 3
The first ability opened.
Stone Rush — F
Type: Active Combat Skill
Launch into a powerful forward charge.
Acceleration and impact scale with Strength and movement speed.
Ren had Lunge already.
Stone Rush hit harder, but the overlap was obvious.
He opened the second.
Thick Hide — F
Type: Combat Passive
Strengthens the body’s outer tissue against physical damage.
Reduces damage from shallow cuts, scrapes and minor impacts.
Effect scales with Vitality.
Less exciting. Much harder to argue with after getting thrown across a pasture.
The third appeared.
Surefooted — F
Type: Combat Passive
Improves balance and stability on uneven terrain.
Reduces the chance of being knocked off balance by physical force.
Effect scales with Agility and Vitality.
Ren compared them.
Stone Rush competed directly with Lunge. Surefooted was useful.
Thick Hide was useful almost everywhere. It was also nowhere near useful enough to replace Keen Bite right now unless he had someone else to dish out damage while he tanked. That did not mean he had to leave it behind.
He selected Thick Hide.
Plunder selected: Thick Hide F
Plunder successful.
Thick Hide F acquired.
Plunder Skill Slots: 1/1
Thick Hide F stored in Vault.
Ren opened the Vault.
Keen Bite F
Burrow F
Lunge F
Thick Hide F
Four stolen skills. One equipped. Thick Hide could stay there until he had a better reason to use it.
Ren closed the menu and looked toward the other three rams. The nearest one had already stopped grazing and was staring directly at him.
Ren raised the harvesting knife.
"Three more and I’ve got stew."