[@Zelosse]  Day 16 Midday

Tailpin was well on his way.  His assessment was correct and the monsters fell quickly, most with a single arrow.  He took a moment to review his mapping data and survey the mobs in his path from the top of a hill.  There were only a few mobs and the mapping data showed no surprises.  He should be able to set up at the edge of the forest fairly quickly.

He drew back a lvl 4 arrow and proceeded to eliminate the mobs in his path.  The strongest of them were the boars and only the strongest boars required a second shot.  Nothing else had the hitpoints.  Six arrows later he had a clear path forward to his next vantage point and at least five minutes before the fastest respawn in the area would trigger.  He dealt with the loot windows dismissively.  His eyes didn't move from the field in front of him.  They didn't need to.  He knew where the accept key was without looking after having dealt with so many mobs over the past weeks.

Then, he ran.  It wasn't the panicked run of someone in flight nor a charge into battle.  It was a very swift traveling run with long strides, taken quickly.  His bow was in his hand with an arrow gripped tight against the bow, ready to draw and fire in an instant if the unexpected happened.  The distance between the hill and his next point was at least a couple hundred meters but he crossed it easily and stood again on a high point, though lower than the other.

Here he stopped and scanned everything within his vision in all directions.  He took note of the monsters between him and his next goal.  He took note of the terrain.  He took note of the remaining distance he had to cover to reach the forest.  He also took note of the player standing still and staring at him from some distance away.

That may well be the persistent inquirer who the rumors had spoken of.  Still, if the man wanted to make contact, he'd have to cross the distance between them and the monsters that populated it.  Even if he was strong, it would probably take him ten minutes or so to cross that much ground if his physical build was any guide.  Add to that the time needed to slaughter the monsters and it could be as much as a half-hour before the man got to him.  That is, if he even started trying.

It was while he was staring back at his observer that Tailpin noticed movement in a patch of tall grass behind the man.  It was a monster that had wandered farther than usual from its normal range.  It was only level three, there wasn't anything in these open fields that was a threat at that level, at least not to him.  Tailpin didn't know who the other player was, however, and didn't want to take unnecessary chances.

He turned to align his body with the observer's position, raised his bow and drew back his readied arrow.  This time it wasn't a regular shot.  He activated one of his recently acquired Attack Skills, Longshot, and the arrow suddenly glimmered brightly with emerald green light.  For an instant the arrow cast a prediction line that marked the other player's face.  He loosed the shot.  The arrow was fast, twice as fast as its normal speed.  A line of emerald defined the distance between them on a trajectory only slightly bent by gravity and wind.

The arrow passed the observer's ear and pierced the tall grass half a dozen meters behind him.  The line of emerald green that traced the arrow's path was only a few inches distant from the player's head.  The sound of a monster shattering broke the silence and sapphire shards drifted toward the sky from the tall grass.

Tailpin accepted the loot from the kill as he lowered his bow.  Then he waited.  It was time to see exactly what this person wanted and, perhaps, how good they were.