The days following the rune-fueled power surge were a period of quiet consolidation and profound introspection for Kael. He recovered his strength, his body slowly mending from the extreme exertion. The forest, his constant companion and adversary for three long years, felt both intimately familiar and, after the brief glimpse of accelerated potential the rune had offered, somewhat limiting.
He finished tanning the Heavy Deer Hide, his 'Advanced Crafting (Rank A)' skill allowing him to produce a remarkably supple and durable piece of leather. From it, he fashioned a new, sturdier breastplate and reinforced sections of his leggings, significantly upgrading his armor. He also crafted a new batch of 'Improved Arrows', their Sylphwing fletching almost glowing with latent energy. Each successful crafting project added small increments to his XP bar, but the pace felt glacial after the rune's intoxicating rush.
His new stats (STR 25, AGI 25, CON 25, INT 27, WIS 23) made his daily tasks – hunting, gathering, maintaining his homestead – almost effortless. He could fell trees with a few swings of his Direhorn Axe, draw his Ironwood bow without strain, and move through the densest undergrowth like a phantom. He was, by any measure, a formidable survivor, a young master of his wild domain.
Yet, the profound loneliness that had settled over him after the rune's effects faded lingered, a persistent ache in the solitude. The brief, violent encounter with the tribal warriors, though years ago, had been a stark reminder that other humans existed. Hostile, yes, but human nonetheless. The memory of the desiccated spearman in the ancient hollow, and the chilling power of the Effigy, spoke of a world far more complex and dangerous than just beasts and survival.
The Whisperwood quest, with its promise of knowledge and its implied dangers, still called to him. But a new, more immediate question had taken root: Was he truly alone in this vast wilderness? Or were there others, perhaps even settlements or communities, beyond the familiar boundaries of the forest he knew?
"Corvus," Kael said one morning, as he watched the Alpha Crow meticulously preen its feathers on the palisade, "I think it's time to see what lies at the edges of this forest."
The crow cocked its head, its intelligent black eyes fixing on Kael. It let out a soft, questioning caw.
"I need to know if there's anything else out there," Kael continued, more to himself than the bird. "More forests? Mountains? Or… people?"
He spent a few days making preparations. He packed a good supply of smoked meat, his waterskin, his fire-starting kit, and a small roll of tanned leather for repairs. He took his best bow, his quiver full of Sylphwing-fletched arrows, and strapped his Direhorn Axe to his back, also keeping one of his flint knives handy. The Attunement Shard and the leaf-wrapped Effigy remained hidden in his hut; they were too tied to the Whisperwood, and this journey was about looking outwards, not inwards into ancient mysteries. He did, however, keep the Sylphwing Quill tucked securely behind his ear. Its subtle sensory enhancements and his growing 'Air Attunement (Rank E)' skill were invaluable.
He chose a direction he hadn't explored extensively before – west, towards a series of low, rolling hills he could sometimes glimpse through the canopy on clear days. He didn't know what lay beyond them, or even if he could reach them.
With a final check of his homestead, ensuring everything was secure, Kael set out, Corvus soaring overhead, a familiar black speck against the vast blue sky. The first few days of travel were through familiar territory, the forest his well-known domain. He hunted as he went, his skills ensuring he never lacked for food.
But as he pressed further west than he ever had before, the character of the forest began to change. The trees grew slightly sparser, the undergrowth less dense. He encountered new types of plants and insects, dutifully using the System to analyze anything unfamiliar. His 'Ancient Lore (Whisperwood Vestiges)' skill was of little use here; this was new territory, untouched by the specific ancient energies he'd encountered before.
His 'Tracking (Rank C)' and 'Advanced Survival (Rank B)' skills were put to good use. He found signs of creatures he hadn't seen closer to his camp – larger, six-legged grazing animals with tough, scaled hides (System: Scaled Grazers, Level 10-12, non-aggressive unless cornered), and elusive, nocturnal predators that left behind strange, three-toed tracks.
After nearly a week of travel, the terrain began to rise steadily. The rolling hills he had seen from afar were now beneath his feet. From the crest of one such hill, he finally saw it – the edge of the forest.
Below him, the dense canopy gave way to a wide, open expanse of grasslands, stretching further than his eye could see. A vast, windswept plain, dotted with occasional copses of trees and crisscrossed by what looked like a meandering river in the distance.
It was a breathtaking sight, so different from the enclosed, familiar world of his forest. But as he scanned the vast emptiness, a familiar pang of loneliness returned, sharper this time. There were no signs of settlements, no plumes of smoke, no indication of human presence.
Just endless, windswept grass, and a sky that seemed impossibly large.