Chapter 4 - New Skill!

DING

A loud sound reverberates inside of Xaviers head scaring him almost half to death.

"Ahhh!!" he screams out loud scarring the rabbit away. Cursing under his breath and wishing the rabbit was somehow deaf, he enters his interface to see what the hell just happened.

[Congratualtions on learning the skill: Focus lvl 1]

Confused and intrigued Xavier looks at the new skill in the tab and reads the description.

[Focus lvl 1: By using this skill, it rids your mind of extra thoughts except for the action you are currently focused on.]

"It's been a while since I've gained a skill. I can't believe it scared me that bad to where I lost my food! Still this skill seems to be pretty decent. I'm sure it can help me focus on all sorts of activities. Let's see what it can do." He thought excitedly while internally activating the skill.

As he activated the skill, he tries to focus on the carrots that are in front of him. "Wow, this skill is pretty cool!" Looking at the carrots he can tell they need a little water from the slight discoloration of the carrot stem barely sticking out of the ground. He can barely keep other thoughts out of his head, but the increase in focus is astounding to him.

"I can't wait until this skill levels up so I can see what it's true potential is!"

Razz arrived behind him not soon after he started screaming, thinking it was a beast attack, only to find his son fine and weirdly calm staring at his carrots with some sort of excitement. Confused, yet midly amused, he asks Xavier, "Why are you obsessed with the carrots, son?"

Xavier, startled, turns around and stares at his father. Forgetting to deactivate his skill, he can see his father's sun baked skin from years of farming and hunting. He can see his age lines, his calluses, and even the slight grey hairs he's getting. He also never realized how strong he looks. Standing at about 5'9, which is about average for the world, and a toned but muscular build. Answering excitedly to show off he says, "I just learned a new skill! It's called focus! I can see and understand things I haven't been able too before. Like your age lines and grey hair!"

Razz, with a slightly annoyed look on his face and his eye brow twitching, tries to keep his calm and suddenly says, "Your mother has given me the okay to take you hunting with me! From the sounds of it, your new skill will be helpful to you in understanding how to hunt! Isn't this great? My eldest boy, my pride, will finally become a man!"

Completely forgetting he was aggravated, Razz ended the rant with a very excited expression. Punching the air and jumping around in excitement gave Xavier and little Annie a laugh. Annie had walked over after she heard the scream as well only to see her dad and brother both excited. so she decided to join in.

"Daddy, daddy can I join too?" She says with excitement and yearning.

"No, my little girl will be a strong woman for sure, but it's safer if you become someone's wife and give them children!" He says as he pats her head with a smile on his face.

Annie was upset at those words. She hated being treated as a little girl who had only the right to serve some man. She wanted to be a brave warrior one day and explore and travel. Not to be some housemaid who stays in all day.

"Daddy is mean! I will never marry and I will become a warrior stronger than you some day!"

Razz looks around quietly trying to see if whatever he has to say next won't be overheard by his wife. After he thinks the coast is clear he looks at his daughter with all the love and care a father could and says, "I wish to see you stronger than any beast out in the woods as well, sweetheart." He then gives her a kiss on her forehead and gently pushes her towards the house. "Go ahead and tell your mother that the crops are ready to be harvested. When we get back from our hunt we will tend to them."

After Annie runs excitedly back into the house, Razz looks and Xavier and says, "Now son, let's go to the shed and grab some supplies. We will be tracking and laying traps. Absolutely no fighting until you get your skills where I feel necessary to handle a beast. Got it?"

Feeling a little dejected that he can't fight a beast, he is still more than excited that he will be learning new skills and possibly level up his new one he got for himself.

Razz looking at the initial disappointment in his son after hearing he won't be able to fight, but then renewed vigour after thinking about new skills gets excited himself and says, "Come, Xavier! Let's get ready!"

The land that they live on isn't very big, but isn't small in the slightest either. Since they don't have much money, they live quite a few minutes away south of town. They own a small sized field capable of housing only a few crops, but just enough to feed them during the summer to keep starvation away. That's why winter hits hard, because they can only keep starvation away during the summer, let alone winter when crops can't grow. That's why they go hunting during winter to try and help out.

Their house is a poorly maintained, small, one story building with only 3 small bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dinning room. Also just enough to keep everybody somewhat comfortable.

Their neighbors don't fair much better than themselves. The only good thing is that they're all good to each other. Helping out when things become bad. Like food, maintenance, or defense against small beasts.

As Xavier and his dad walk towards the shed, they both can't help, but be excited. Quickening their pace because of their excitement they finally walk to their old shed. Only about 10x10 in size and so poorly crafted that it looks like it's about to break down, it's more than enough to keep most of the rain out of their possessions. Razz, quickly opening the door, grabs his bow and his quiver filled with arrows that looks like he made himself. Xavier waits patiently watching his father grab snares and other equipment for their hunting trip.

Eventually his dad closes the door and turns around with a huge smile on his face and says, "Let's go son! Bonding time with dad and his expertise!"

Ignoring his dad's current over inflated ego at the moment, Xavier responds with a smile and a nod himself saying "I'm ready!"