It turns out that finding your way through a rather dense forest is no easy task. It is one thing to figure out the general direction from atop a tree and another entirely to keep to it on the ground. Never mind that walking in a straight line through forested hills is a silly idea to begin with.


    This place simply doesn''t do straight lines. Everything is curved or sloped. There are plenty of cliffs too. Most of them are not terribly high, but they slow me down anyway. Even walking along the creek, as I decide to for the first leg of my journey, is no easy task.


    It''s a good thing that my starter gear at least includes some sensible, sturdy boots. The ground at the edge of the creek can be pretty slippery at times after all. That''s not necessarily a bad thing though.


    As I balance over some moss covered stones along the creek''s bank a divine whisper startles me almost enough to make me fall in.


    [*Ding!* You have unlocked the Balance general skill at Level 1!]


    Another whisper follows suit, accompanied by the very welcome clatter of dice.


    [*Ding!* Your class Scoundrel leveled up to level 5!]


    [*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 3!]


    I take a moment, so my heart can calm down again. This gives me a little time to ponder this development too.


    So I can unlock additional skills? Neat! Is there a hard limit on how many skills, general or otherwise, I can have? I simply don''t know. There is a soft limit for sure though. The more skills I unlock the less time I will have to focus on each one of them. If I unlock too many, I''ll risk becoming a Jack of all trades and a master of none. As of now that isn''t an issue yet though.


    Eventually I have to cross the little stream and move up the slope beyond the other shoreline to reach the ruin I''m trying to get to. The terrain there will be a lot more tricky than down here along the creek.


    First I have to get over there though. Time to put another skill to the test!


    After looking around a little I find a place where the creek is narrow enough that I should be able to cross it by jumping from one big boulder to another. And after limbering up a little I do just that.


    The jump is neither too hard nor too far, but it isn''t exactly not a challenge either and a fall would certainly be unpleasant at best. As a result I''m rewarded with another divine whisper as soon as I land on the boulder on the other side of the creek.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Jumping has leveled up to level 2!]


    Very good! Another little improvement. More important though, I should now be on the right side of the creek and on the right hill to eventually find my intended target.


    I have another drink before I leave the creek behind. Who knows when I''ll find another convenient source of clean water after all. Then I start my climb up the hill''s slope.


    It turns out that making my way through this dense underbrush is a lot more tricky than I initially expected. Small trees, bushes and ferns together with long dead, fallen trees, some of them veritable giants, pretty much block my path every few steps.


    In the end I''m forced to find my way around or over plenty of obstacles. I won''t complain though. I''m sure this troublesome trek will earn me more rewards eventually after all. Especially my [Climbing] skill is sure to benefit. I can almost feel it! I just have to keep going!


    I just hope that I''m still going in the right direction. Well, it should be the right direction. I''m going uphill after all. Maybe I''ll have to turn left or right a little at some point though. Maybe I should climb another tree to get a better look?


    As I push through some brambles I spot my next challenge. The log of a fallen tree that lies across a ditch. I''m already about to climb up onto it so I can balance across, when I spot movement out of the corner of my eyes.


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    [*Ding!* Your skill Spot has leveled up to level 3!]


    I stop dead in my tracks. There, climbing up onto the fallen tree from the other side, are the two of the most adorable kittens I have ever seen. Well, they are unlike any kittens or cats I have ever seen, but they have to be some kind of cat. The resemblance certainly is there, despite the fact that they have six limbs instead of just four. They are a little too big to be mistaken for regular kittens too.


    Belatedly I realize that I have a skill to make sure. I focus my attention on the foremost cub and activate my [Identify] skill. This has several immediate effects. First I feel the slight drain on my Mana reserves, as well as the mental fatigue that always comes with this particular sensation. Then, of course I receive some information on the target of the skill.


    [Forest Lynx Cub (Wood, Common, Level 3)]


    Curious, the information provided is rather brief, entirely unlike when I use the skill on myself. Of course, my divine patron mentioned that using it on my mirror image will trigger a very special use of the skill.


    More importantly though, my skill use does not go unnoticed. The one cub I used [Identify] on stops immediately. Its hackles raise and it lets out an adorable little hiss in my direction. A moment later the other one matches its sibling.


    I back away a step and they calm down again, without dropping their guard though.


    Oh my. Sorry you two. I didn''t want to disturb your play time.”


    I take another step back, only to stop again before I can take a third, as I get an ominous feeling. The hair at the back of my neck stand on end. This feeling is backed up by a divine whisper.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Danger Sense has leveled up to level 2!]


    A low growl from somewhere behind me has me break into a cold sweat. I don''t turn around though. The sound alone is enough to leave no doubt. There is an angry mom right behind me.


    I cant go back. I really can''t go for the log. I probably wouldn''t reach it. That means I can go either back downhill through the brambles or I can try to to jump across the ditch. I decide on the latter.


    In hindsight any kind of abrupt movement sounds like a stupid idea. It somehow still works out though. I dash to the left and jump across the ditch. It is pretty wide, but I manage to clear it, even if I stumble a little upon my landing.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Jumping has leveled up to level 3!]


    Only then, after catching myself, do I dare to turn around. The lynx mother isn''t hard to spot now. She too has six legs. Very curious.


    For a moment I wonder if I should try to use [Identify] on her. In the end I decide against it. Her cub noticed it right away for some reason and it didn''t like it. I doubt I would fare any better with the mother. No, I probably should be thankful, that she is busy with her little ones and the deer carcass she brought.


    Well, at least I assume it is some kind of deer. It seems a little on the small side though. Or is that because the lynx is pretty big? I''m really not sure.


    Overall, I probably should count my blessings and be on my way. And maybe I shouldn''t trample through the forest without a care? In all likelihood the lynx isn''t exactly the biggest and meanest predator out here.


    Even as she greets her little ones the lynx mother doesn''t take her eyes off me. No, quite the opposite is true. Her gaze intensifies and I can feel a weird tingling sensation.


    My eyes widen as realization hits me. She used an identification skill on me! That is how the cub knew! And I can relate with its reaction too now. This isn''t exactly a pleasant feeling. Somehow it makes me feel, as if I''m a tasty morsel on display.


    I swallow hard and back away a little further. Yeah, I probably really should give my [Stealth] skill a good workout.


    Thus I keep moving away from the little feline family, which soon shifts its attention to the deer the mother brought. I don''t resume my trek as before though. Instead I now actually pay attention to my every step.


    I take great care to not step on any dry twigs. I even make a honest attempt not to rustle too many leaves, both those on the ground and those still on the bushes I pass, either. In general I''m much more picky about the path I pick now.


    Of course I''m far from perfect, but my efforts are soon rewarded anyway.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Stealth has leveled up to level 2!]


    This is good, but it gets even better, as another whispered notification follows, this time once more accompanied by the clatter of dice.


    [*Ding!* Your class Scoundrel leveled up to level 6!]


    [*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 2!]


    Oh! Ouch! That is another less than optimal roll for my hit dice. If this keeps up, it will be a while before I reach a level where I won''t look like a tasty snack in the eyes of the predators of these woods. Gods and goddesses, even a lynx cub is almost a match for me as far as I can tell.


    Are there any other predators around that have their sight set on me? Well, not as far as I can tell. By the time I''d be able to notice one identifying or appraising me with a skill it might already be too late though. I really need to improve both my skills and my level! And I better do it fast!


    I take a slow, deep breath and keep going, at a rather sedate pace. I have to, to properly keep my ears perked and my eyes sharp while keeping a low profile at the same time.


    The lynx would probably laugh at me, if it could, but we can''t all be perfect, natural born killers. Not that I want to be a killer. I''d settle for not getting killed instead, to be perfectly honest. In the long run I might just not have much of a choice though.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Stealth has leveled up to level 3!]


    Nice! There we go! Curiously enough, I feel like my senses have grown sharper too, despite not receiving a notification regarding my [Spot] skill. I should check my status sometime soon to figure out how that works!