When she awoke the next morning Chaos was still very weak but alive. Dawn fed him some choice morsels and used Nurture on him again, more in hope than actual expectation that it would help him.

But her mood had lightened. The cub had survived the night. He might still be weak but he would recover.

For a while she pondered last night’s dream and her chat with the Trickster. If you could call it a chat. It had rather resembled a lengthy scold. Dawn shook her head. Had he really expected her to be grateful for a quest to kill a bunch of demons far stronger and higher leveled than she herself had been at the time?

She’d have really liked to give him her opinion on that. Loudly and in great detail. Though when she had had the chance, in her dream, she’d just taken his tirade and kept pretty quiet. Of course, she had been so surprised by his appearance and words that her head had been whirling. It was too late for any replies now in any case, no matter how well thought out and convincing they might be.

Today she would work with Lutha as planned. Dawn left the hut after she had scrubbed herself from head to foot, removing yesterday’s dirt, sweat and blood. She grabbed a bread roll and a mug of tea and headed to Lutha’s hut without stopping to talk to anyone, leaving the cubs in Ankou’s care.

Lutha welcomed her gruffly as usual and put her to work immediately on the preparations for a potion that accelerated the regeneration of stamina over time. Dawn hadn’t had a problem with insufficient stamina yet and asked Lutha if they needed a lot of these potions. Stamina was already regenerated rapidly after all.

The older woman replied: “A lot of the more menial tasks are a stamina sink. Preparing great quantities of jerky. Keeping the freezing temperatures of the storage caves going or transporting huge quantities of water. Keeping up stealth skills for a long time. Carrying large weights back from a hunting excursion.” She smirked. “Not everyone has a storage item after all.”

She continued while stirring the preparation in the kettle.

“In the normal course of things people can rest in between their tasks to let their stamina regenerate. But sometimes you have to finish your work in a hurry. That’s what these are for. More in case of an emergency than for regular use. Apart from that, it teaches you a new recipe that you have a chance to complete on your level. Your alchemy skill will rise faster if you prepare new concoctions than if you repeat the same old recipes over and over.”

Dawn was touched that Lutha took her education so seriously and went to such efforts on her behalf. She even selected the potions they made to give Dawn the greatest benefit.

Lutha meanwhile remarked.

“It is good that you already are able to identify most herbs and plants. Your former mentor left you with a very solid base. Something to be grateful for. Most of my former apprentices spent their first months in my care learning to identify different herbs and their uses.”

“I am grateful to Marjah.” Dawn assured her new master while she carefully shredded and pulped a bunch of stinging nettle. “Originally I intended to be her apprentice, but my parents didn’t agree and Marjah would never have gone against them.”

Lutha nodded, absently, still keeping most of her concentration on the kettle she was stirring.

“As is only right and proper. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t accept an apprentice without their parents’ permission either. You’re lucky in that Nuala adopted you.”

The she stepped away from the kettle and said:

“Now add your stinging nettle and keep stirring the potion while you feed your mana in. Do it slowly and carefully over time or you’ll ruin the batch.”

Dawn took up the big wooden spoon and did as she was told. While feeding her mana to the concoction wasn’t hard per se, doing so at a slow rate over a long time took a lot of concentration. Once, she faltered and the dark green concoction immediately took an a brownish hue.

“Look out!” barked Luatha. “If you loose your concentration we’ll have to start over and that will make me very unhappy.”

Dawn recovered with a start, resuming the mana feed and trying to get a feel for the right amount. The potion foamed up, then returned to its original green colour again.

Immediately after, several notices passed before her eyes.

You have leveled up Alchemy +1 You have leveled up Control +1

After they finished and bottled their stamina potion, they halted their work for the midday meal where it became readily apparent that yesterday’s excursion and Dermo’s disapproval of Dawn’s conduct had had an effect. She was greeted in the communal area with a lot of disapproving glances and murmurs. Though Nuala and her friends welcomed her at their table the same as ever and were relieved to hear that Chaos was on the mend, Dawn felt a decided chill from the majority of the village’s population.

After the meal Halvar approached her and took her aside, looking ill at ease as he addressed her.

“Dermo told me what happened on yesterday’s excursion. He said you acted in defiance of his orders more than once and thinks that you are unable to keep the discipline necessary for an hunter.” The village speaker hesitated, then continued. “He flatly refused to take you with him on any further hunts. As he is our most experienced hunter I won’t contradict him on that, Dawn. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is.” With these words he strode away, no doubt relieved that he had gotten the talk over with and otherwise quite busy with the concerns of his village.

It was a severe blow for Dawn. The hunting excursions with the other Kharlins featured heavily in her plans for further improving her bow and survival skills. But there was nothing to be done. If she was honest she had to admit that she would act exactly the same way again if a similar situation should arise. While for her it was the only way, Dermo saw her simple as a liability, an undisciplined child who endangered the whole group and maybe even the village.

She squared her shoulders. She would change her plans and adapt. It reminded Dawn of the Trickster’s advice. Her first plan was shot, no matter, she would develop a new one. It wasn’t the first difficulty she encountered on her path and it surely wouldn’t be the last either. Whatever happened, she would prevail.

And thinking back on the Trickster’s rant she remembered his talk about spirit marks. She would have to find out what those were. Maybe Nuala would know? She reminded herself to ask her about that later.

The afternoon passed without any notable developments. In Lutha’s laboratory, they had started a big batch of fertilizer, dirty and sweaty work, not to mention that the concoction reeked to the high heavens.

Dawn was very happy when they stopped working on that finally and tidied up their working place. Though the fertilizer wasn’t finished yet. It would have to stew over night and be completed during the next day.

Luthat just laughed at her disgusted face and told her.

“It won’t be the last time that you are working on smelly and unpleasant potions. Be glad that it’s not something corrosive or dangerous. Though we’ll surely get to those preparations in time. Run along now, we’re finished for the day here.”

Dawn returned to her hut, eager to bathe and remove the disgusting smell of their last preparation. Ankou and the cubs were waiting for her and she decided to spend a quiet evening with them. She hadn’t the inclination to brave the disapproval of the tribe once again and would be glad of some peace and quiet.

Chaos was back on his feet by now, though he was much subdued and hardly reminded her of the mischievous cub she had gotten to know and love. He was eager to cuddle and he and Echo hardly left her side for the whole evening.

Dawn was just contemplating a short excursion to the village outside to hunt for some food when she was overwhelmed by several notifications in a row.

Quest completed: Death to the demons

All grey demons have been eliminated.

Rewards for completion: 10.000 exp

1 Skill point

Remarkably efficient to send a group of soldiers in your stead! I knew you could do it.

P.S. Keep up the good work, the queen’s still alive.

New quest received: Death to the Queen

Find a way to locate and eliminate the demon queen before she builds up a new army of followers.

Rewards for completion: 25.000 Exp

1 Skill point

Penalty for failure: n/a (in that case you’ll probably be dead anyway)

Level up x 3!

Nature’s Shadow level 16

You have 6 free stat points to distribute.

You have 2 free skill points

“What in all the god’s names?” she muttered, confused. She had completed the quest? Almost before she had finished reading the notifications a new one popped up.

You have reached level 15 as Nature's Shadow

You have followed your Path faithfully and risen in experience. Your journey has been swift but now the Path branches before you.

Choose which of the branches you want to follow:

Nature’s might

Learn about and express the forces of Nature. Few will stand before your wrath if you rise to the heights in this branch.

Nature’s balance

Keep the balance between the forces of nature and its restoration.The broader path just may be the hardest of them all.

Nature’s restoration

Learn about the healing and regenerating properties of nature. Learn to be like the water that seemingly evades obstacles only to grind them down in the long run.