Bird Hunting [Solo]

[Nox]

Nox Means Night

It was the sound of birds that called out all day that gave the young looking boy dressed all in black the idea to gather feathers and see if he could finally get rid of his boredom by making a good Quill Pen to use in his affairs as a member of the Scribe crafting class. Keeping that idea as motivation Nox had found himself a Lander willing to take him up to the Isle of Grain where it was reported that weak bird monsters could be hunted and their bodies plucked. Then after an hour on a boat, Nox paid the old Werecat as they arrived near the requested location before making his way off the boat and onto the coast where it was obvious that the reports were true as birds covered the area. Seeing that there were plenty of targets Nox decided it was best that he prepare first by gathering details on the creatures and finding a safe place where he could preferably snipe them from afar. While not easy Nox did find a good spot in the tree line that was right by the beach where he found himself comfortable and ready to get started.

Focusing his eyesight on a group of birds near the tree line Nox imagined that he was using a mouse and clicking on top of one of the weaker birds causing it to have a slim red outline around it to show that that bird was his designated target. Following after that Nox beckoned forth his Status Screen and after a few quick presses there Nox was at his skill screen and pressing the skill [Evaluate] which then proceeded to make Nox take a finger and trace out an image of an eye before allowing Nox to see all of the details of the target. Before Nox’s eyes was a fully detailed screen on the monster before him covering its Level, HP, MP, Weaknesses, and Skills which looked like this:

Coastal Seagull Lv.1
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HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Resists: Water, Wind
Weaknesses: Lightning
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Skills
-Flight: The monster flies up high in the air, rendering most melee attacks ineffective.
-Sky Dive: The monster swoops down to quickly attack the target before attempting to take flight.


WC: 374/374

aeron at thq

[Nox]

Nox Means Night

Going over this data a few more times in his head Nox felt like he knew what to expect, or at least he had some basic understanding. Transitioning his status screen over to his inventory quickly he hit the icon for his staff and then hit the [Extract] button on the sub-menu causing the screen to disappear and for Nox to feel a slight movement on his waist. Looking down Nox saw that there was a slight bulge in his bag that was on his waist. Unlatching the top Nox was slightly surprised to see his staff right there in his bag. Casting aside the small event as a lingering effect of the game Nox grabbed the staff, tucked it under his shoulder, and then got down on the ground to where he could shoot right under the mass of leaves that made up the bushes in front of him.

Flicking back over to the skill menu Nox took in a deep breath, calming any anxiety he was feeling, and then quickly jolted his left hand over to his skill menu and selected the skill [Miasma Bullet] and suddenly felt a rush in his body surge forward. This newfound energy pushed downwards from the brain down into his right arm, then the hand, and then Nox felt the energy leap from his hand to his staff. Moving from the spot where his hand was Nox started seeing the black energy jump to the tip of his staff and gather into a small orb. Suddenly feeling the energy stop draining Nox felt a sudden jolt from his staff as the small black orb bolted forward at what seemed like almost match speed until it rammed into the seagull sending it staggering backward about a few feet. Watching and feeling the whole scene made Nox all in all feel a little light headed due to being entirely unprepared for such an odd and complex feeling.


WC: 324/698

aeron at thq

[Nox]

Nox Means Night

Still caught in the odd sensation Nox didn’t realize fast enough that his target had figured out where he was and was retaliating back at him. Feeling a sharp pain suddenly come from his back Nox broke away from the odd feeling and focused on the hurting one. Looking over his shoulder Nox saw a grayish mass on top of him and instantaneously realized that he was being attacked. Gritting his teeth in pain Nox made his body surge upwards and to the left as to pin the seagull in between his body and the tree right next to him. Sadly though Nox’s attempt to do so failed as the moment the bird felt movement it took flight, but Nox had expected this type of event to happen and as he had made the failed attempt he just so happened to pull his staff along and clocked the bird on the head causing it to lose balance and crash into the ground. Before even catching a breath Nox jumped forward and slammed his staff several times like a club, making sure the bird exploded into bubbles and items before even thinking to stop.

After realizing that the target was dead Nox stopped his violent flailing and tossed aside his staff as he let himself collapse to the ground. Finally catching his breath Nox pulled up his initial status screen and saw that his health was past the twenty-five percent mark and that he was still around ninety percent in mana. Taking a moment to scoff at himself for letting his health get that low before looking over at what he had been rewarded for his hard work, or at least what felt like hard work. Crawling over to where his rewards laid Nox had to stop for a moment as he saw that some of the gold that he had earned was covered in blood. Slightly disturbed by the sight the young boy closed his eyes and reached out, grabbing everything as fast as he could and shoved it into his bag. Then right before his eyes, Nox rubbed his hands across the ground, wearing away the blood, and then finally opened them.

Moving back towards the tree Nox moved his menu over to the inventory section and skimmed over to what he had obtained. The first thing Nox noticed was that he had obtained a feather and it had been placed in his inventory. Curious about the description Nox instantly tapped the item and then on the sub-menu hit the [Examine] button bringing up the item’s status window:

Blood Stained Gull Feather
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Item Level: 1
Description: A feather from a Coastal Seagull that was left after death and is stained in its blood as reminder to the one who killed it. Just like any other feather it can be turned into a Quill Pen, but still the blood will remain.


WC: 486/1184

aeron at thq

[Nox]

Nox Means Night

Nox couldn’t even read the description as he instantly started vomiting in sheer disgust with himself. Normally Nox wouldn’t act in such a manner, but when it came to such subjects as death he couldn’t help but ignore the gray world he normally viewed and instead look at the world like a normal person would. Thus there Nox was, vomiting everything inside of him out while also crying a lot. Soon enough the vomit stopped, but of course, the tears didn’t stop for a long time, so long that it was already evening by the time he stopped. After the tears finally stopped all there was was a young man lying in the fetal position who just muttered the words, “I’m sorry.”

It was night by the time that Nox gathered himself together and made his way towards the Grain Village where he would rest for the night. Following the coast for a bit Nox dragged his staff behind him causing it to leave a small separation in the sand that was washed away by the waves. Stopping for a moment Nox turned and looked out towards the sea which was covered in pitch black due to the new moon which hung in the sky. Something about that pure black sea and sky made Nox realize how ironic his name was. Here he was in the middle of the night with a black sea, a black sky, and in a world that was equal in technology to those who used his name as the word for night. Somehow Nox just found it funny and couldn’t stop laughing, so much so that he actually fell down and was wheezing in pain when he finally stopped. Looking at it all Nox decided that perhaps it would be better if he stayed outside tonight, what could harm him when his name itself meant night, or at least what would come try to.


WC: 325/1509

aeron at thq