[MacGyver] was a strange skill. Other skills so far had been more akin to info dumps, a sudden outpouring of information directly into Jonah's brain. This resulted in a skillful (hehe) understanding of what he was supposed to do, but it didn't stop the information from feeling... foreign. [MacGyver] was different, though. Rather than a bundle of information, the skill acted more like an instinct. He didn't learn any new tricks or techniques, nor did it give him any kind of instructions or directions.

Instead, when he was building something, he could feel his mind working faster, sharper, as if every technique and concept he'd ever learned was at his fingertip. It wasn't a "true" crafting skill, just like the description said, but a skill meant to complement and adapt to the user's already existing skillset. If someone didn't have any abilities in a field, [MacGyver] would have little effect. But for those that did? It was a "force multiplier" for crafters. For a Master of their craft, something like that might mean the difference between creating something unique and something genuinely Legendary.

Even still, as he stared down at the fruit of the last three hours of work, Jonah was amazed at how effective it could truly be. The small cart was a crude thing of woven plant-fibers and greenwood, looking more like something grown into that form than shaped. And yet, there was an intricacy and craftmanship there that Jonah didn't know he possessed. Sure, his Uncles had made sure he learned an expansive set of survival skills during their camping trips, but that had just been a hobby at most. Well, for him, at least. Uncle Bo, in particular, had always been very... intense when it came to their trips. He was insistent, almost demanding, that Jonah master what they taught him. Ironic, given how much of a computer nerd the man was.

But then again, his Uncles had always had their quirks.

Jonah shook his head, dispelling the memories, and returned his focus back to the present.

Still, did [MacGyver] really make that much of a difference? Why did the System call it a "support skill" instead of something more fundamental? Jonah's only hint was that feeling of foreignness he got from other skills. If [MacGyver] was a force multiplier, then could the "quality" of that knowledge it was supplementing play a part? Were skills you learned yourself inherently 'more' than the "skills" of the System? It would fit, but Jonah had no way of testing his theory without a crafting skill himself.

If there was one thing Jonah had learned in the last year, it was to roll with the situation and file the questions away for later. Knowledge was good; good info had saved his life more than once, but there was a time for questions and a time for action.

And for Jonah, time was ticking.

They'd already wasted two days in the clearing, waiting for whatever was happening to Beta to finish, but to no avail. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be ending any time soon. Nor was he going to leave the cocoon in the clearing alone; there was no telling what was still lurking in the forest. Even if he buried or hid it somehow, he still couldn't be certain something couldn't find it.

Time was running out, and after a week Jonah was still no closer to finishing his mission than when he first began. He needed to pick up the pace or things weren't going to end well for anyone.

Thus the cart.

If the clearing wasn't safe, Jonah would have to take it somewhere it was. Ironically, that meant back to their prison. He'd already observed how the native creatures seemed to avoid the portal. Whether that was because of some fear of the Titan on the other side, or the portal itself, Jonah didn't know, but at the very least it should serve his purpose.

It was a pain in the backside to actually move the cocoon onto the car, though.

Not only was the thing far heavier than it appeared (and it looked like a flesh covered boulder) but the Hounds of Beta's pack seemed to venomously regret anything other than Jonah or the Pack Leaders from getting close. One Hound had chased a large butterfly that had landed on the cocoon for nearly 10 minutes, before having to be "rescued" by Alpha after getting stuck in a tree. Once they managed to roll the pulsing mass of flesh onto the cart however, it was a simple matter to strap it to Gamma and have the large Flesh Elemental pull it down the cleared path.

Alpha, for his part, enforced his control over the leaderless Pack and brought them in line. The Pack members were still connected to Beta, thus reluctant to follow its orders, but that wasn't anything their shared connection to Jonah and rough beat-down couldn't correct. Soon, all three Packs were moving down the pathway towards the portal.

---

'Something isn't right...'

Jonah thought from atop Gamma.

As they drew closer to the portal, a sense of uneasiness grew in Jonah's mind. The forest was too quiet. Even during their battles with the giant creatures that called the forest home, it had never been truly quiet. There was always the sound of life, off in the distance, or the rustle of stealthy opportunists, waiting for the battle to end. But now? Now it was silent. As if someone had thrown a blanket over them.

With a mental command, Jonah drew the scouts in closer. It might mean they had less of a warning if something was out there, but it also meant that they wouldn't be picked off one by one, either.

Jonah contemplated if they should slow down and proceed cautiously or move faster and possibly catch whatever was out there off guard. A flash of movement from out of the corner of his eye was all the warning Jonah had before the bulbous end of Alpha's tail slammed into him. Jonah was thrown off Gamma's back with enough force to knock the wind out of him. His confusion lasted only enough to catch the sight of the large black wooden spear digging half an inch into Gamma's bony backplate, still vibrating from the force of its impact.

More on instinct than anything, Jonah hit the ground and rolled, barely avoiding the second spear that slammed into the ground next to him. Gamma billowed, rushing to block a third spear that followed shortly after, as Alpha and several previously hidden Stalkers rushed into the nearby treetops where the attack had come from. They split into groups, converging on two locations on either side of the cleared path. At first glance, they appeared to be empty, but further scrutiny revealed some kind of woven net of branches and leaves, blending near-perfectly into the canopy.

From behind the cover of Gamma, Jonah drew [Leviathan's Reach], taking aim as he watched. A few seconds later, one of the nets broke, and with the sound of breaking branches, a large figure tumbled from the canopy. As the shadowed figure fell, the lone Stalker clinging to it was thrown off with a yelp, hitting a nearby tree and sliding down. Even before the figure had hit the ground, the nearby Hounds and Bone Beasts converged on it, a swarm of tooth and claw reaching out to devour their prey.

The assault didn't last long before a long, muscular, dark brown scaled tail lashed out from the pile of Titanspawn, throwing several into the air while pushing others back. It was then that Jonah got his first look at whatever it was they were dealing with. The figure appeared humanoid at first, their upper body muscular but not bulky. Dark leather armor covered their abdomen, but their upper chest was bare, instead protected by what seemed like thick brown scales. They wore what appeared to be an intricately carved stone mask with a serpent motif on their human-shaped heads. Despite the somewhat human appearance of the figure's upper body, its lower body from the waist down was that of a massive serpent, giving it enough height to tower over Jonah and the Flesh Elementals.

Just Great.

Living up to the System's title of "Elite," the Huntsman drew two twin daggers from sheaths on its armor and lashed out with surprising agility for something its size. Using its powerful, prehensile tail like a third arm, the Snakeman quickly pushed back the swarm of snarling, snapping Titanspawn, and slithered free, though with Hounds and Bone Beasts hot on its tail.

Movement in the treetops gave away the position of another figure, Alpha, in hot pursuit. Jonah flicked his aim towards the figure in the canopy, hoping to stall the being long enough for Alpha to make their move. However, as he pulled back on the draw, a chill slithered down his spine, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Jonah ducked down once more, a sharp pain exploding from his shoulder as a fourth spear slid by from behind him, slamming into Gamma's side. The large Bone Abomination grunted and stumbled but was otherwise unharmed. Its thick bone plating stopped the projectile just like the others.

So that made three. Maybe four. And they were surrounded.As Jonah watched, the hidden figure slowly lowered itself from the cover of the trees by its thick, muscular tail. Instead of the dark brown of the Huntsman, this one was a mottled green, their leather armor splattered with a mix of dried mud and blood. On their back, a quiver full of short javelins sat half empty. Instead of a serpent mask like the other, on this one's face was a half mask in the shape of some kind of big cat. The mask itself had no visible eye-holes, but that didn't seem to matter.

The being's eerily human-like, but sharp-toothed mouth spread into a sicking grin, a thin black tongue flickering out from between the gaps of his teeth before the mask's cold stone eyes turned to stare directly at Jonah.

Yos-za the Ambusher Void-Blessed Master Tracker (Named Snakeman Elite) - level 29