He toggled his notifications.
+2 STR
+1 VIT
+1 END
+1 AGL
+1 INT
Running is level 5!
Running is level 6!
Meditation is level 3!
Meditation is level 4!
Herbalism is level 4!
Physical Conditioning is level 2!
The burning kept up again, but by this point Felix was associating it with growth. It wasn't great, but he kept getting better, so he couldn't fault the sensation. He opened his eyes and reviewed the notifications again.
Dang. Nice. He was making considerable gains, he felt. Again he had no baseline for comparison, and maybe natives gained twenty skill levels in an hour normally, but it felt good regardless. He felt in control.
But now I have to find food and water. And to do that...
Felix glanced back toward the northwest, back the way he had fled from the Sharpwing Skink. He frowned. That lizard had almost killed him, and it hadn't broken a sweat. Felix didn't have any illusions; he couldn't fight back against a level 20+ monster at Level 2. He didn't even have any fighting Skills, aside from Staff Mastery and that was...well it wasn't nothing, but he had a long way to go before he could fight anything.
There was another copse of trees to the north, however, and he stood up and headed in that direction. He'd come to notice a series of scratches in the barks of trees a few dozen feet from his glen, scratches that looked to be made by very sharp, very thing blades. Territory markings, if he had to guess. Maybe he could circle around the Skink's territory and avoid it altogether.
He still had the plan of finding civilization and getting help, though that became shakier by the hour. This place was truly wild, and Felix wouldn't be surprised to find he was thousands of miles from anyone.
That's a fun thought. Thanks brain.
Felix walked for twenty minutes, moving as carefully and quietly as he could. His heart was pounding in his chest at every rustle of leaves, every snapped twig, or shifting branch. Then he heard it.
Buzzzzzzzzz.
He dropped low, taking cover in a patch of huge fern leaves as one, two, three Sharpwing Skinks flew by. Each one was a different color, but all variations on blue, green, and yellow. They had almost flown past when the trailing Skink, a yellow spotted green one, slowed down and turned in Felix's direction as it snuffled the air. Felix's breath caught, before he forced it out as slowly and quietly as he could. He gripped his walking stick in one hand, sweat pooling in his palms.
Slowly, so slowly, the Skink hovered toward his hiding place, snorting lightly. It got so close, Felix could hear the sizzle of its acidic spit and watched as a considerable glob dripped thickly onto the ground.
Grahh!
Without warning, the Skink whipped forward, its body blurring almost as much as its wings, and Felix clenched his eyes as he heard a loud CRUNCH.
But no pain.
Felix carefully opened one eye and looked up. Through the ferns, he could see the Skink flying away, happily munching on the biggest and nastiest insect he had ever seen. It was the size of his head, had wings and a hairy carapace, and far too many legs. In moments, the Skinks were gone.
Felix let out a breath that was half shudder, half relief. He carefully stood into a crouch and moved back toward his glen.
A half hour later he was back in his relatively safe glen. He took longer coming back due to stopping and hiding every dozen feet or so. The Skinks had him jittery and nervous beyond belief. Felix hadn't ever experienced so much pain as he had with the flying lizards, and avoiding a repeat performance was a top priority.
On the other hand, scouting out the area had provided some gains.
You Have Learned New Skills!
Stealth (Common), Level 1!
Move quietly, stay hidden, remain unnoticed. The key to a long life is not being found by ravenous beasts.
Breath Control (Uncommon), Level 1!
Control your breathing, mind over matter! A step toward better bodily control.
Stealth is Level 2!
Stealth is Level 3!
Felix was inordinately pleased. The Stealth Skill would be extremely useful in scouting more area, and the Breath Control Skill seemed tailor-made to accompany it. It made him wonder once again whether he was making these Skills himself, or being granted Skills that already existed.
Regardless, his situation was much the same as before. He had to get out of this glen to survive, but couldn't survive long against the various monsters. They were too high level.
And the Skinks are too territorial to let me through, he sighed and leaned against the wide trunk of the Kingsap. If only I could find weaker beasts, then I could...
Felix sat up, a revelation like a jolt of electricity across his spine.
The bug! What level was it! He searched his uncanny memory, hoping he had...yes! Felix had been using Analyze so much recently that he was almost subconsciously activating it all of the time. Most of what he got back was the same, as he'd tagged most of the surrounding flora; it was like white noise. But for the price of a sharp headache, his Keen Mind let him pull up each and every one, including the bug.
Name: Emberfly
Type: Insect
Level: 18
HP: ???/???
MP: ???/???
Lore: Born grubs in various local trees, they transform into emberflies after twenty days and have a poisonous sting.
"Yes!" Felix punched the air before wincing and holding his temple. Level 18 wasn't much better than Level 23, but he'd take it!
Wait! The Lore mentions grubs transforming into the Emberflies. That means--