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Adventure: New beginnings
1 - Fiddlehead fire fit

1 - Fiddlehead fire fit

The glade disappeared behind me, turning around there wasn't anything there. Instead the area where it would have been was a massive tree, the trunk as wide as two large cars from my past life. This is a bit mind boggling to me, but I surveyed my surroundings. Around me a forest of large sequoia trees loomed overhead. I couldn't help but to feel a sense of adventure as I struck out ahead of me.

The floor of this forest was mostly bare, flora stayed close to the trees for the most part. I've heard the chirping of birds in the distance, so at least I know there will be food here. I'd have to figure out how to hunt them in the first place, but for now mayber I should check out some of the plants. After all, the plants in the glade I arrived in seemed to be similar to wheat. Maybe other edible plants could be around here. I'll keep looking while walking.

One of the sequoia trees had fallen here some time ago and was rotting rather thoroughly. The texture of the wood is punky and moist.

It must rain here a lot.

Either way, I should try to remember where this is, it might make a good camp for the night. I should probably go gather some firewood and keep looking for food, maybe try to build a lean-to here. I have no idea how cold it might get during the night.

Searching around the forest flore I found plenty of branches that had fallen from the trees. It wouldn't be difficult to find enough wood to last through a night here if the amount of day and night is similar to that on Earth.

I wonder, if Earth became advanced enough, could humanity eventually travel here? This is all assuming that God has this world in the same universe.

"Ferns!" I exclaimed, startling myself with the sudden noise. It has been rather quiet aside from the yet to be seen birds. These ferns are young, and their leaves are edible. They taste a bit like asparagus if you cook them. They have an interesting shape. The leaves of these ferns start growing as a spiral, when they reach maturity they spread out to form the familiar shaped ferns that I would think of. It isn't much, but at least it will be food if I can get a fire going for the night. It has been so long since I've practiced any sort of 'primitive' firemaking. Even then, I would use a bow drill type of fire starting.

After stacking a large quantity of branches back at the fallen sequoia I retrieved a hearty amount of fiddleheads. I could eat these raw but from my past experiences, I know that it wouldn't taste very good. I set about making my shelter, stacking long sticks against the dead tree with enough room inside for me to crawl in and sleep. The ground here is soft. Most likely from the decayed needles of the trees. If only I could remember what this was called. There is one thing for sure, with all of this around I'll need to dig a pit below it. This substance I'll be sleeping on is very flammable and could burn for hours and spread for miles.

With a stick in hand, I began digging up the substance and setting it aside. Ideally I'd have some rocks to line the pit with but there has been a noticable lack of rocks in this forest. After about half a foot of digging I reached the solid dirt floor of the forest. I extended the pit for a few feet in each direction until I was satisfied that I wouldn't catch this place on fire. Using the stuff I dug out of the ground, I laid it atop the sticks I had lent against the tree, forming more of an insulating barrier against any sort of wind. It would seem like I finished the shelter just in time, the sun was beginning to go down. As it was doing so the temperature grew colder.

I better get this fire started.

I began taking small pieces of wood and setting them aside, making sure I had a sufficient amount of tinder to start it and build it up to larger pieces. The tedious part would be trying to start the fire by spinning a piece of wood fast enough and long enough to get an ember. Just thinking about it made my back and hands hurt from remembering the carpal tunnel from my older years. With a shrug I sat down and got to work.

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After an hour or so of trying to get the fire started without any success, I slumped to the ground staring at my hands. Calloused and blistered I felt dejected.

I'm not gonna have a fire tonight. That means I won't have cooked fiddleheads, and I'll probably be cold.

With these thoughts I buried my face in my hands and sighed. Out of nowhere an anger filled my being.

I hate how cold fiddleheads taste. Disgusting. I need this fire, if I don't have this fire I'm going to have to eat them... raw...

With a renewed energy I began the firemaking again, every turn of the spindle my anger grew. Teeth gritting and stomach growling, I pressed harder on the fireboard.

Snap

The spindle snapped in two, causing my hand to slap the bottom most piece to the ground. I have had it. I have tried for over an hour with not so much as an inkling of smoke! I grabbed the piece of the spindle and raised it over my head and launched it at a nearby tree.

Crack

the broken spindle burst into flame upon impact with the tree.

And like that, my anger disappeared.

Wait... what is this heat?

My hands were burning with a fire on them. Out of panic I shook my hands violently, shooting a ball of fire at the ground beneath me - subsequently in the pit.

How did that...?

Wait! I have fire! haha!

I immediately began piling sticks onto the flame and soon had a healthy fire burning. My mind cleared up temporarily and I thought about the stick that hit the tree.

I should probably go find that and put out any fire.

Looking around the base of the tree that the broken spindle hit, I could only find the charred spindle.

Did I somehow light this on fire?

I picked up the charred spindle and brought it back to camp. Having this fire nearby made me feel safe. Darkness was beginning to set in and in short, I was scared. The noise of the forest died down considerably when the sun finally set. All that was left hanging in the air was the crackling noise of my fire and the embers it produced.

I let the fire burn down to a nice bed of coals and placed my fiddleheads on it. Pleased with the smell they produced. I found myself leaning against the tree my shelter was on and smiling at the fire. I was happy, but did not understand why. After everything was said and done, I was dead... but everything felt so real. I guess he did say that I essentially respawned.

The noise of the forest picked up again, seemingly more alive at night then at day. The bird calls were alien sounding, unlike anything I'd have encountered on Earth. The fiddleheads finished cooking and I ate them, ash and all. After I ate, I fueled the fire back up and let it get to a healthy, warm size before I crawled into the lean to and laid my head down atop my arm and drifted off to sleep.

Today has been eventful.

Reflection:

You experienced magic today

[Fire] You have utilized the base fire spell today.

[Imbue - Fire] You have utilized the the base fire spell today, and used the base spell to imbue an object with the properties of the spell [Fire].

 What? Magic? That isn't right.... I guess that is something to deal with when I wake up.

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My sleep was interrupted abruptly by some foreign sound.

Something is in my camp.

I thought as rationally as I could in my sleepy state. The fire has burned down entirely during my slumber. Whatever is out there sounds like its laughing.

I shifted my body slightly in an attempt to get a glimpse of whatever was in my camp. In doing so I nudged one of the sticks on me lean to and made a little bit of noise.

Oh shit. Silence, that isn't good.

Whatever it was that is in my camp started stirring around a lot before darting away. I hurried to get out of the lean to in order to get a glimpse of my night time visitor. I couldn't get a good look at the creature but there were a few things for sure. It was a biped, it had skin that was forest green, and long pointy ears. The sticks in my camp were scattered around like the thing was playing with them.

It doesn't seem like I'm going to get anymore sleep tonight. I might as well try to get the fire going again.

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