Wabbit Season

2nd of Ymiden 724

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Any area not within one of the major cities. Most of The Eternal Empire.

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Illuvia
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Wabbit Season

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Lucky for Luvi, she did end up getting a good night’s sleep after all the meditation from last night. The group of soldiers had until late morning until it was time to leave to go help defend the supply route. Even better was that they walked at a slow pace – slow enough for some of the soldiers to break off from the group to try hunting for some food.

There was a private who grew up as a hunter and knew how to follow tracks. He would point them out as they walked along which allowed Luvi to learn what the look for. She didn’t like staring down at the ground and looking for clues - she much preferred to scan the horizon for threats. Still, she partook for the sake of learning and was becoming half decent at spotting jackrabbit tracks. They were unique because of they way the animal moved, setting them apart from the other tracks they came across.

When they finally came across some jack rabbits, Luvi was asked to put her ability to make umbral traps to good use. She didn’t want to waste her ether, but she placed one down nonetheless. It was a small circle, just a couple feet in diameter with a rune of weakness on it.

“You know, I’ve done very minimal testing on this,” she said, “how are you even going to chase the rabbit into this?”

“This is the only way out,” they explained. “It will run out of the hole and it will hit your trap, or it should if it works like you said it does.”
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Re: Wabbit Season

As Goku stood outside the rabbit burrow with the rest of the hunting group, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of skepticism. The trap set by Luvi seemed almost comically small, given the agility of the jackrabbit they were attempting to catch. He observed the small circle on the ground, its diameter barely extending a few feet, and wondered if it would indeed be effective in ensnaring their prey.

"Isn't this trap a bit... small? Way too small to rely on?" Goku voiced his concern, his brow furrowing as he exchanged a glance with the private who had proposed the plan.

The private shrugged, his expression mirroring Goku's uncertainty. "It might pose a challenge if the rabbit decides to leap over it. Luvi, can you make it bigger somehow? Or place another one?"

Goku nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging the potential flaw in their strategy. If the trap failed to capture the rabbit, their efforts would be futile, and they would return to camp empty-handed. Turning his attention to Luvi, Goku watched her curiously, hoping she could offer a solution.

The prospect of capturing the rabbits held immense significance for Goku and the rest of the hunting group, especially considering their dwindling food supplies. With rations running low and the desert offering little in terms of sustenance, the addition of fresh meat to their provisions would be a welcome relief. They had only just begun their hunting efforts so they needed to hurry up and get going to the next animals they could find.
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Illuvia
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Re: Wabbit Season


“Make it bigger?” she asked, “I drew it on the floor, do you want me to start all over? That’ll take forever. Although… I’ve never tried adding ether to the trip after the fact.”

She put her hand near the surface of the trap and started to will it to get larger. She didn’t think it would be possible, but the trap did widen by a few inches. She funneled more ether into the trap and it expanded another several inches.

“That was easier than I thought it would be,” she said, “thanks for the idea. But if you want me to make it larger then we’re going to need to back up or it’s going to trigger on one of us.” She would make it another couple feet in diameter until she was finally told to stop.

“That should be good. Now, to get the rabbit to come out, you simply shove something lightweight into the hole,” he said while pulling out a stick with a cloth wrapped in a ball at the tip. He jammed it in the hole and out came the rabbit. It hopped right onto the trap and the first leg that touched it became incredibly weak. The rabbit kept running as quickly as possible, but it was only operating with one leg.

“Did I not mention that it would only affect one limb?” Luvi asked with an embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry about that.” She thought it was both comical and sad how the rabbit struggled to get away.

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Re: Wabbit Season

As Luvi experimented with adding ether to the trap, Goku observed with curiosity, marveling at the subtle manipulation of energy. He had never witnessed an umbral trap before, finding them both intriguing and practical in their line of work. When the trap expanded with relative ease, Goku nodded in approval, acknowledging Luvi's success with a small smile.

With the trap now enlarged, Goku turned his attention to following the instructions given by the soldier with hunting experience. As he watched the soldier demonstrate the method with a makeshift tool, Goku absorbed the details, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.

When the rabbit emerged and stumbled onto the trap, Goku knew it was time to act and so he chased down the rabbit. As he finally caught the rabbit in his hands, Goku hesitated, his compassionate nature conflicting with the harsh reality of survival. Unable to bring himself to end its life, Goku handed the rabbit off to one of the soldiers with a silent nod, trusting in their experience to complete the task.

“There are some more tracks here.” The soldier said after putting the dead rabbit into a sack.

“Look there, I see one!” he said excitedly. Goku squinted but he couldn’t see it until the soldier pointed. There was another rabbit standing still next to a cactus.

“Shoot it.” Goku suggested.

“That might be best. It’s already seen us. If we miss we will follow it to its home.” The hunter turned soldier was having way too much fun with this.
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Illuvia
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Re: Wabbit Season


“Would you like to try shooting it?” asked the soldier, offering his bow to Luvi.

“I think you’re putting a lot of faith in my ability to shoot,” Luvi said with a sideways glance at the others. “Don’t one of you want to give it a try?”

“I would, but my arm is still injured from our last fight with the bandits. You probably have a better chance than I at hitting it,” the private said as Luvi accepted the bow and an arrow.

Luvi felt the pressure on her but she cleared that from her mind as she closed her eyes and scribbled something on her forehead with ether. When she opened her eyes she had a rune of sight that helped her see the rabbit in high detail. It did little to help her shoot, she realized, as she pulled back on the bowstring.

“I’m aiming right for its chest,” she said as she took slow deep breaths.

“You got this,” said a private.

TWAP

The arrow flew and missed by several feet, embedding itself in the cactus and causing the rabbit to dart away. Luvi took another arrow and fired again, sending the arrow far into the distance. She tried a third time, narrowly missing this time by sheer luck. She didn’t get a fourth chance as it finally ran into its hole.

“Not bad,” the soldier said, taking the bow back.

“It was pretty bad,” Luvi said with a chuckle. “I’ll go fetch the arrows, then.”

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Re: Wabbit Season

While Luvi seemed hesitant about her archery skills, Goku admired her willingness to try, despite the pressure of the moment. However, despite her efforts, the rabbit eluded their grasp, darting away before Luvi could land a successful shot.

"It's alright, Luvi," Goku reassured her, offering a supportive smile. "You gave it your best shot."

hey use a similar method to drive the rabbit out but this time they catch the rabbit in a sack instead of using an umbral trap because Luvi was busy getting arrows. The soldier didn’t see any more useful tracks so they go to meet back up with the main party.

As some soldiers made to start cooking the rabbit, Goku turned his attention to a soldier sharpening his blade nearby, Goku felt a spark of curiosity about the whetstone in his hand. As someone who valued the practical skills of survival, Goku recognized the importance of maintaining weapons and tools in top condition, even in the midst of their current situation.

"Excuse me," Goku said, approaching the soldier with a friendly demeanor. "I couldn't help but notice you sharpening your blade. Mind if I ask how you use that whetstone?"

The soldier looked up, surprised by Goku's inquiry, but quickly smiled in response. "Of course. Sharpening a blade is essential for keeping it in prime condition. You simply hold the whetstone at a slight angle to the blade and apply pressure as you move it along the edge, repeating the motion until the blade is sharp enough to slice through paper with ease."
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Illuvia
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Re: Wabbit Season

As they made it back to the others, Luvi continued to work with the other soldier to look for tracks. There were more than just animal tracks now. She could see the footprints of people as she scanned the ground in front of them. She started to pick up on other oddities, such as feathers and sometimes garbage that had been discarded. Making use of the information she gathered was more or less impossible, but it was good practice.

“Mind if I try shooting some more?” she asked the soldier who shrugged.

“We’ve nothing to do for another hour or so, so I don’t see why not,” he said, “want to learn how to skin and cook the rabbits?”

“No, thank you though,” Luvi said with a small smile. “Not really my thing.” She knew that she would, eventually, need to learn how to survive out on her own, but she would rather be doing quite literally anything else – like practicing with the bow.

“Suit yourself,” he said, handing her his bow and arrows when he noticed what she was looking at.

“Thanks,” she said with a giggle.

She wandered over to where Goku was and asked, “you learning how to sharpen a blade? That’s another thing I’ve been meaning to learn.” But again, her itch to shoot superseded common sense. She instead set up next to the two and started firing arrows at a cactus several meters away. That was a distance that she could reasonably hit things at.

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Re: Wabbit Season

“I am, so that when you break your sword I can help fix it.” He said to Illuvia when she asked.

When Illuvia hit a cactus he looked up and said “nice shot! You’ve been getting better!”

Goku looked back as the soldier explained the finer points of blade sharpening, his attention fully absorbed by the demonstration. He watched intently as the soldier deftly maneuvered the whetstone along the edge of the blade, his movements precise and practiced. When the soldier offered Goku the chance to try, he eagerly accepted, recognizing the opportunity to learn a valuable skill.

"Sure, I'd like to give it a shot," Goku replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. He took hold of the old kitchen knife offered by the soldier, feeling the weight of it in his hand as he positioned it against the whetstone. With a focused expression, Goku began to mimic the soldier's motions, his strokes hesitant at first but growing more confident with each pass.

However, despite his best efforts, Goku couldn't quite achieve the desired sharpness, the blade remaining dull and ineffective. Frustration flickered across his features as he struggled to master the technique, but he refused to give up, determined to learn from his mistakes.

The soldier observed Goku's efforts with a patient smile, recognizing the earnestness in his determination to improve. He stepped in to offer guidance, demonstrating the proper angle and pressure needed to sharpen the blade effectively. As Goku followed the soldier's instructions, he felt a subtle shift in his technique, the blade responding more favorably to his efforts.

“Luvi, can I borrow your sword? I want to try this out!”
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Illuvia
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Re: Wabbit Season


“My sword? Um, sure I guess you can use it,” Luvi said, hesitantly drawing her arming sword. She cared the least about it and wouldn’t be heartbroken if it got messed up.

“Is it really that easy to learn? I thought this sort of thing would take forever,” Luvi said.

The soldier replied, “it’s really quite simple. It’s hard to irreparably damage a blade so if you mess up it only takes a few minutes to correct. That is, once you know what you’re doing. The hardest part is keeping the right angle and making sure you’re sharpening the whole blade.”

She knelt down and tried to copy the soldier’s motions, finding that it was very awkward and jarring. He splashed some water onto the surface of the whetstone which made it smoother, but she kept feeling like she was doing it wrong. It wasn’t until he adjusted her blade to the right angle that it started to feel right.

“That’s it, girl, do this for each side of the edges a handful of times and it’ll be razor sharp,” he said before taking the sword and scraping the sharp edge against a rock to dull it. He then handed it to Goku saying, “your turn.”

Luvi stood up and went to go retrieve the arrows. The supply crew was now visible in the distance and there were no signs of bandits this time. Luvi noticed their motion in the distance when she squinted her eyes and scanned the horizon. She spotted a large number of soldiers – it was clear that the Empire wasn’t kidding around with keeping this delivery safe.

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Re: Wabbit Season

Goku laughed when the soldier dulled the blade Luvi just sharpened. "See that slight burr forming along the edge?" the soldier pointed out as Goku tried it, his voice calm and encouraging. "That's a sign you're doing it right. Keep at it."

With renewed focus, Goku continued to hone his skills, his movements becoming smoother and more controlled with each repetition. Under the soldier's watchful eye, he gradually began to feel the satisfying sensation of the blade becoming sharper, the once dull surface transformed into a keen edge capable of slicing through paper with ease.

Just as Goku felt he was getting the hang of it, a distant call rang out. "The supply crew is in sight!" The shout echoed across the camp, stirring everyone into action.

"Looks like it's time," the soldier remarked, giving Goku an encouraging nod. "Let's see how sharp that blade is now."

Goku carefully tested the blade against a piece of cloth, applying gentle pressure. To his dismay, the sword still struggled to cut cleanly through. The edge, while improved, wasn't quite sharp enough. It would need more work before it was truly battle-ready.

"It's getting there," the soldier said, noting Goku's slight frustration. "Sharpening takes patience and practice. You'll get it."

Goku sighed, nodding in understanding. "Thanks for the help," he said sincerely, appreciating the guidance. Turning to find Luvi, he spotted her retrieving the arrows she had previously shot. He approached her, carrying the blade carefully.

"Hey, Luvi," he called out, catching her attention. She turned, a curious expression on her face. "I tried sharpening the sword, but it's not quite there yet. I think it needs more work. Sorry I couldn't get it perfect. What should we do now?"
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