The meal puts a temporary stop to the training of my newest skill. Afterwards Agnes sends the majority of us back out on patrol in groups of two again. This time we move outwards in an ever expanding spiral pattern though. Our goal is to find any remaining mycelial creatures and mushroom zombies. We don't want this mess to start back up right away again after all.

Considering that we cover the ground all around us in several spirals we overall can expect to not miss anything of consequence even if one group might miss an important clue. It is a rather thorough search and we extend it well beyond the affected area of which most has been leveled by Ediva's devastating spell.

I'm out with Núira again since we complement each other nicely. Unlike earlier we are not a hurry this time around. We move slower and search the terrain all around methodically.

We don't come across any more enemies and there are hardly any wild animals around either. I suspect that after the spectacle earlier in the day any animal that can has vacated the premise. Well, any that have not fled long ago or been turned into mushroom zombies anyway.

The largest creatures I spot are birds of different kinds. Some magpies and ravens are the largest, probably searching the area for carrion. And even they keep their distance from us. At least my [Perception] skill gets a good workout in the process.

I'm quite glad for a change to not find anything of note. The only myceloids we come across are some dead foragers and warriors which we find along the creek, where I lured them to be caught within the blast of Ediva's spell. Scattered in between them are a number of dead mushroom zombies too. Mostly wild animals. I'm quite relieved to not find a lynx among them. I can't help it. I just have a soft spot for those.

Beyond those remains we only find fungal growths on the knocked over trees. Most have fallen victim to the numerous small and a few not quite as small fires by now. It seems they burn exceptionally well. Ediva will probably carpet the area in explosive embers again tomorrow just to be safe anyway.

Thus we return to the camp without having to fight again that day and the same is true for the other patrols as well. It's certainly not the worst possible ending imaginable. We make our report, brief as it may be, to Agnes. Then we are free to spend the evening as we see fit.

The latter of course means that I don't get to do any more woodcarving. When traveling with a large group like this one and after a won battle of great importance, the only proper way to spend an evening apparently is with song, dance and some beer. And the only reason we stick to beer is, in all likelihood, that the elven wizard insisted that we don't bring anything stronger.

It probably is for the best. Adventurers are a very free spirited bunch after all and the victory party might have gotten seriously out of hand if stronger spirits were available.

I can't fault anyone for it either. In fact I sing and drink and dance a little too. Singing cheerful songs about Maryla the Magpie, a harpy adventurer, even earns me another divine whisper notifying me of another skill level up.

[*Ding!* Your skill Syld (Language & Script) has leveled up to level 5!]

I drink, sing and dance as much to celebrate our success, as I do to distract myself from the developments most of the group isn't even aware of. That troublesome achievement and the soulbound crown , they are giving me a serious headache. I just can't shake the feeling that both will still play an important role. If not now then sometime in the future. I better prepare for that day.

I empty my last mug of beer. It's the same beer I have had in Riverrun so far. Tasty and not too strong. I quickly turn my mug over before someone can refill it. I want to stop before I can get actually drunk. I still have plans for this night after all. As the others keep celebrating I retreat to my sleeping spot.

I don't actually turn in for the night though. Instead I gather up some of my things, most notably my sword and my utility knife, but a torch I get from the group's supplies as well, and get ready to sneak out of the camp. My efforts to leave the camp unseen earn me a little more progress for my [Stealth] skill.

In the end I don't get to leave unnoticed though. One of the few poor souls assigned to guard duty, Maik a young halfling hunter, spots me. His own [Stealth] skill has to be pretty good too, as I only become aware of his presence when he flashes me a smile as I almost trip over him.

"Where are you off to?"

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I try not to let onto my surprise, which in turn improves my [Bluff] skill a little. I don't lie as I answer his question though.

"I want some peace and quiet to try and unlock a cleric class. I should be back before morning hopefully."

He nods and chuckles.

"Good luck with that. And try not to get eaten by a grue. It's dark out there. And whatever you do, try to be back before morning or I might have to tell the others. Wouldn't want you to get caught up in Ediva's next swarm of dancing embers."

I don't feel like arguing with that, it's sound logic after all, and at least he isn't ratting me out right away. I nod once more to signal that I understand. Then I'm off into the night for good.

I don't just go anywhere though. I head in the direction where I hope to find the old abandoned wizard's tower again, Where I spent my first rather uncomfortable night out here.

To me it seems to be the perfect place to build a first secret shrine for Fox. Hopefully my divine sponsor will see it my way too.

Careful and quietly I make my way there. I'm pretty sure that Maik was only joking about getting eaten by a grue, but I don't want to end up eaten by anything, grue or not, in general. Thus I move quietly and with all my senses at full alert. Both my [Stealth] skill and my [Perception] skill benefit from this. Not much, but they do and every little bit counts.

Finally I reach the bottom of the cliff and thus the tower as well. Well, it's the bottom of the tower as far, as anyone can tell from out here. In fact it, or rather its foundations reach a little deeper on the inside. I won't head all the way down tonight though.

First I need to do some climbing to get up the cliff face though. Thankfully I'm familiar with the cliff already and it's not too hard to climb in the first place. That the devastation unleashed by Ediva knocked plenty of branches and leaves off the trees even here beyond the initial area of effect helps too. The moonlight is enough for me to make my way up. Th climb is barely more than a warm up exercise now. It helps my [Climbing] skill to catch up a little to some of my other important mobility skills though.

I take a moment to explore the area in front of the tower and then the tower's interior, entering it through the rooftop after another little climb, just like last time. The door is still barricaded with detritus, like I left it after all. Nothing seems to have changed since my last visit.

So far, so good. I think about it for a moment and finally settle on one of the floors below the entrance level, preferably the one right below it, as the site where I'll build the shrine.

Without any further delay I get to work. I start by clearing the room of all remaining debris and detritus. Most of the rotten wood I gather in the room by the barricaded entrance where I use it to build a little fire once again. The rest goes on the barricade in the door frame to reinforce it some more.

I light both the fire, I have enough wood to keep it burning for a few hours after all, and my torch then. I head back downstairs to inspect the room once more. Cleared of all the clutter it looks halfway decent. I'll probably use the niche that once was a servant's or apprentice's sleeping spot as the place where I'll set up the shrine. I get some more flat stones from the rooftop to serve as its foundation.

Satisfied I nod. It won't be anything grand, but it shouldn't be too shabby either. Now the real work begins though. I exit the tower once more and cut down a young tree with a few chops of my utility knife. I would have had an easier time with my sword, but I don't want to abuse it like this.

When I return inside, I do so with several blocks of decently sized, fresh and most importantly soft wood. Wood is easier to carve when it's fresh after all. I put some more dry old wood on the fire and set my torch aside to provide a little additional light.

Satisfied with the setup I grab the first block of wood, one of the smaller ones, and start carving. The first order of business is an offering bowl. Since I can't craft a real offering box a bowl will have to do for now. It's not a complex project. I work on it with attention and determination anyway. I'm soon rewarded with another divine whisper.

[*Ding!* Your skill Woodworking has leveled up to level 4!]

Once more my agility improves a little along with the skill. This time my attack power doesn't increase though. Not that I mind. I simply keep working on the bowl. The bowl shape is already done. Now I spend some more time and effort on decorating its rim with a relief of little foxes chasing each other around said rim. My [Woodworking] skill improves some more in the process.

I can't help but smile as I turn the bowl in my hands, as I finish, to look at it from different angles. It turned out pretty nice. Yes, this is pretty good. I'm already about to put it down beside me to start work on the idol I'll need, when I stop in mid motion. Instead of setting the bowl down I focus my attention on it and use [Identify] on it. I have the Mana for it right now after all, so why not? A little of said Mana trickles away, my skill improves a little and a moment later the results come in.

[Decorated hand carved bowl (Softwood, Common) – This hand carved bowl is decorated with fox ornaments. The craftsmanship is decent and its surface is smooth, except for the relief of foxes playfully chasing each other around the bowl's rim. Category: Tool]

I nod to myself, satisfied. I'm sure a master craftsman could do better by far, but the important point here is that I made this myself. Without any further delay I get started on my next project.

This one is much more tricky. On one hand the fox figure I intend to carve is much more detailed. This is especially true as it will have more than one tail. On the other hand the block of wood I use for it is bigger too, which makes it harder to handle. I don't let either discourage me though. In fact I keep pressing on although I quickly come to realize that I probably won't use the statue I'm currently carving as I'm not entirely satisfied with how it turns out. I finish it anyway, which progresses my [Woodworking] skill some more.

My resolve pays off a little later. After putting down my first attempt I get started with the next right away. And with the other for reference and as a reminder of what I did wrong, the next one turns out much better. Before I can inspect it with [Identify] though, a soft and slightly drunk voice from the direction of the stairs leading up to the roof interrupts me.

"So, this is where you have run off to."

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