The smell of burnt silk and black spider blood slowly dissipated into the damp air.
Ren stood on shaky legs, desperately trying to wipe the thick, cold mud off his backside. His hands were still trembling so hard he could barely grip his dull iron dagger.
"My nerves are completely shot," Ren muttered, looking at the massive, split carapace of the Spindle-Leg Weaver. "If we fight one more thing today, my heart is going to stop. I mean it. I think I have a weak heart."
"Your heart is functioning perfectly," Jin stated, checking his pocket watch. "Your pulse is elevated, which means your adrenaline is high. That increases your reaction speed. It is a highly useful physical state for bait."
"I don't want to be useful," Ren whimpered. "I want to be safe."
"Safety is a myth on this planet," Jin replied.
He looked at Luna. She had finished inspecting her chain-sickle. The silver throwing knife was clean, and the interlocking steel rings of her chain showed no signs of stress from the pull. Her Level 9 breakthrough was holding up well. Her stamina depletion was within acceptable margins.
"We need water," Luna said, her voice quiet. She tapped her leather water skin. It made a dry, hollow sound. "The humidity makes us sweat too much. We will dehydrate in twelve hours if we do not find a clean source."
Jin checked his own water skin. It was less than a quarter full.
Luna was correct. The suffocating heat and the constant physical exertion of hacking through the thick underbrush were draining their internal fluids rapidly. Without water, their Aether circulation would slow down, reducing their physical performance by thirty percent within a day.
"We look for a stream," Jin decided. "Water flows downhill. We follow the incline."
He turned his dark eyes back to Ren.
"Ten paces," Jin ordered. "Keep your ears open. A water source is a highly contested asset in any ecosystem. Every beast within five miles will use it. It is a prime ambush zone."
Ren let out a miserable, shuddering breath. He adjusted his grip on his dagger and stepped forward. He walked exactly ten paces, his boots making a soft, squelching sound in the wet leaves.
They began their descent.
The rocky slope grew steeper. The mud turned slicker, forcing them to hold onto thick, thorny vines to avoid sliding down the hill. Jin kept his eyes on the ground, analyzing the terrain.
After thirty minutes of climbing down, the sound of the constant, hammering rain on the canopy was joined by a different noise.
A low, constant rushing sound.
"Water," Luna whispered from behind.
"Yes," Jin agreed. He slowed his pace. "Ren, stop."
Ren froze instantly. He did not need to be told twice. He stood behind a massive fern, his head darting left and right.
Jin crept forward, moving past the boy. He stepped lightly, his leather boots making zero sound on the wet stone. He parted a thick curtain of broad, dripping green leaves and looked down.
A fast-moving stream, roughly ten feet wide, cut through a narrow rocky ravine below them. The water was surprisingly clear, rushing over dark, smooth river stones.
But Jin did not look at the water. He looked at the banks.
The muddy banks of the stream were covered in tracks. Dozens of different claw marks, hoof prints, and deep depressions in the dirt showed that this was indeed the primary drinking spot for the local fauna.
Specifically, thirty yards down the stream, a beast was currently drinking.
Jin analyzed the target.
It was a Razor-Horned Boar. It was massive, easily the size of a small carriage. Its body was covered in thick, bristly black hair that looked as stiff as iron wire. Two massive, curved tusks protruded from its lower jaw. The tusks were not blunt bone; they were flat, wide, and had a visible, razor-sharp edge that glinted in the grey light.
It was a Foundation Level 5 beast.
"Five points," Jin murmured.
He looked at the surrounding terrain. The banks of the stream were wide open. There were no thick trees or ferns near the water's edge to provide cover. If they approached, the boar would see them instantly.
A direct charge against a Level 5 boar on open ground was a poor tactical decision. A boar's entire combat model relied on raw, linear kinetic momentum. If it charged at full speed, its massive weight and razor-sharp tusks would easily pierce through Jin's scale-leather armor.
They needed to disrupt its momentum before it could start the charge.
Jin stepped back behind the leaves. He looked at Ren, then looked at Luna.
"The target is thirty yards down," Jin explained quietly. "A Level 5 boar. It has massive forward momentum. We cannot block it directly."
"Do we use the bait?" Luna asked, her grey eyes shifting to Ren.
Ren's face went entirely white. He looked like he was about to faint. "Please. No. A boar? Those things don't just bite. They trample you into paste. I've seen it in the farming villages. They are pure muscle!"
"Your analysis is correct," Jin said to Ren. "Which is why you will not be standing in front of it. You will be the distraction from the flank."
Jin looked at Luna.
"We will use the environment," Jin said. "The stream bank is wet, clay-heavy mud. It is highly slippery. If the boar tries to turn at high speed, it will lose traction."
He reached into his spatial pouch. He pulled out his last remaining slate rune—the second Kinetic Protection rune.
"We set a trap," Jin explained. "Luna, you will take the high ground on the opposite bank. Ren, you will stand on the rocky ledge above the stream. You will throw stones at the boar's head. You must provoke it to look up at you."
"Just throwing stones?" Ren asked, his voice shaking. "I can do that. I am actually very good at throwing stones. I used to chase birds off the crops."
"Good," Jin said. "When it looks up, it will see you as the primary threat. It will try to climb the bank to reach you. The bank is steep and muddy. It will slow down. That is when I strike."
Jin looked at the slate stone in his hand.
"I will place this protection rune in the mud at the base of the slope," Jin continued. "If the boar ignores the mud and charges anyway, the kinetic barrier will halt its momentum for exactly one second. That is my window."
The plan was simple, logical, and utilized their limited resources perfectly.
Luna nodded once. She did not say a word. She moved silently to the left, preparing to leap across the narrow stream where the canopy branches overlapped.
Ren swallowed hard. He began to gather three heavy, fist-sized river stones from the dirt, stuffing them into his torn pockets.
"Twenty seconds," Jin told him. "Get to your position."
Jin crept down the slippery rock face. He reached the bottom of the ravine, stepping into the cold, rushing water of the stream. He kept his body low, hiding behind a massive, moss-covered boulder near the bank.
He reached out and pressed the slate rune deep into the thick, wet clay at the base of the steep slope. He pushed a tiny drop of his Level 10 Aether into the stone. The blue symbol glowed faintly, then faded, ready to trigger upon impact.
Jin drew his silver falchion. He gripped the leather hilt with both hands. He felt the cold water of the stream rushing over his boots. His breathing slowed down to a steady, silent rhythm.
Up on the rocky ledge, fifteen feet above the stream, Ren's head popped out from behind a bush.
He looked down at the massive, black-furred boar drinking thirty yards away. His hands shook, but he took a deep breath.
He pulled a heavy stone from his pocket. He brought his arm back and threw it with all his strength.
The stone flew through the air in a high arc.
Crack.
The heavy river stone struck the Razor-Horned Boar directly on its sensitive, wet snout.
The boar let out a loud, angry squeal. It snapped its head up, its small, red eyes flashing with sudden fury. It looked around wildy, trying to find the source of the pain.
Ren did not wait. He pulled the second stone and threw it immediately.
Thud.
The second stone hit the boar squarely between its ears.
The beast roared. It looked up. It saw Ren standing on the rocky ledge, waving his arms and shouting.
"Hey! You oversized pig!" Ren screamed, his voice cracking slightly with terror. "Look over here! Your mother was a common sow!"
The insult meant nothing to the beast, but the waving arms and the stones were a direct challenge to its territory.
The Razor-Horned Boar lowered its massive head. It dug its heavy hooves into the wet mud. It let out a deep, snorting rumble, steam rising from its nostrils.
It charged.