Demus woke up comfortable, but disturbed. He had a few body aches, nothing very intense. He just felt somewhat disgruntled.

... 'What's going on with me?'

--- 'I didn't stretch yestereve, I've slept in, I have one fish left, and 18 coppers. I dined well on mutton stew last night, but I haven't dunged in two days.'

... 'Yucccch! What a thing to think about! So I really have to stretch twice a day?'

--- 'For the full benefit. Do I want to plan my day?'

... 'Not really.'

--- 'It's a couple of hours to noon, am I going to pay another 5 coppers? Or go back to my lean-to? Or go find my protector?'

... 'I said I didn't want to plan or think.'

--- 'Preferences are one thing, deadlines another.'

Demus got up, and slowly did his stretches.

... 'I don't feel so good.' He thought after finishing.

--- 'Do I want to feel better?'

... 'Yes!'

--- 'Go to the outhouse, do some dunging. Go to the bathing area, clean up. Decide if I'm staying here another day. Go outside, do the cross-legged stretch-thing while I breathe deep, strong, and slow, and then fast. Eat my last fish.'

Groaning, Demus complied. The dunging was much more difficult than normal, and the bolus was huge!

... 'What the Buff?'

--- 'I'm eating a lot more protein than before, and I'm not used to it yet.'

Cleaning up was quickly done. On his way out to breathe, Demus decided not to sleep there a second day. There was a small 'park' dedicated to the Imperial Patron of the village: Dystrecchios. Demus sat on the grass in the shade, did his cross-legged stretches, and the breathing his other 'I' had recommended. After breathing quickly, he realized he was starting to feel better. Walking toward the marketplace, he bit into his last fish.

__________________________________

| Acheivement Unlocked!       |

| You have caught and eaten |

| five small fish!                         |

| You may choose one out of  |

| five prizes:                                |

| · Scintilla Guide                        |

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

| · Wanderer's outfit & travel kit |

| · Multi-Scale Net                        |

| · Blessing of Saint Modnar      |

| · Backpack of Extra-Room       |

_______________________________

... 'Wow! I really love the Professional Fishing Rod! Do I have any recommendations?"

--- 'I don't have to give up the rod! This is in addition. If I want larger or more fish I should get the net.'

... 'I'm tired of the taste of fish. That last one....'

--- 'Alright. Scintilla are really for Sorcerors. Like the fishing rod, whichever I choose is going to make a challenge using that thing. So, yeah! The Traveller's outfit and pack.'

... 'What's the point of wearing invisible clothing?'

--- 'It won't be invisible, it'll be unremarkable.'

... "I choose the Traveller's Outfit and Kit!"

With a bright flash, the blue box was gone, he was wearing boots, hose, a loincloth, and a thigh-long grey-green hooded tunic with sleeves. The only skin showing was his face and hands. He had a backpack on. He became incredibly happy, and strode on through the village toward his lean-to.

He got there around noon. His feet were hot and felt very closed-in. He took off his boots, slung off his backpack, and lay down in the shade of his lean-to. He emptied the backpack, and looked through the stuff. A package of salt, a water bota, a bar of soap, some cloths, some spools of line, a small knife.....

... 'What's' this thing?'

--- 'What does it look like?'

... 'A small sledgehammer carved out of wood, with a clothespin in the head.'

--- 'It is called a "fire-hammer", the head collapses as you beat it on something. The clothespin holds a bit of tinder, and the air in the hammer head heats up as it is compressed suddenly, often hot enough to make a spark in the tinder.'

... 'Nice!' There was also a small booklet, showing drawings of how to tie knots.

--- 'I should learn those if I want to trap animals.'

... 'What, raccoons or squirrels? A lot of work for not much meat.'

--- 'What of geese?'

... 'Now that is a lot of meat! Almost too much!'

--- 'Roast some, dry some, sell some.'

... 'How do knots make traps?'

--- 'What is a slipknot?'

Demus read through it for a while, tried a couple of knots, got disgusted and decided to go find some more blackberries. He put everything back into the backpack, shrugged it on, and put his boots back on. After wandering a bit, he found a patch, and about half the berries were ripe. Happily he plucked and ate the sweet, knobby collections of seed, skin, and juice.

--- 'Look up there, just beside that tree!'

... 'A fairy ring? Mushrooms??'

--- 'Porcini-s!! They look young and ripe too! Quickly, pick a few!' So Demus left the blackberry patch and picked 5 smaller mushrooms from the ring that was about a foot across in the shade of a wide tree-trunk.

... 'Do I just eat these?'

--- 'Oh no, I should cook them first! I should go to the lakeshore, light a fire, and do my stretches while they're cooking.' So that's what Demus did. It took a few tries to get the fire-hammer to work, and his other 'I' had to guide him on how to build the fire so that air could flow through. But soon, as the Sun kissed the mountain-horizon, Demus had done all but the cross-legged stretches, when he caught a whiff of a compelling aroma. He picked the pot up from the dying fire, swirled it and inhaled the savory vapors. Soon it cooled enough that he could sip straight from the pot.

... 'Sooooo Delicious!!'

--- 'So, I like this mushroom?'

... 'No, I *LOVE* this mushroom!!'

--- 'Can I thank this mushroom?'

... 'Why not? I feel so good anyway! I thank this mushroom!!!' (Slurp!)

--- 'And am I glad I'm alive?'

... 'Am I kidding? I *LOVE* this life!! I thank this life!!!' (Slurp, sluuurp, drink)

--- 'Excellent!' Demus heard a faint whistling, like air was beginning to twirl around him.

--- 'There I am. Did I want to press on?'

... 'Certainly! I feel like singing! Or dancing!!'

--- 'Can I imagine living safe and free with my protector? Enjoying the wilderness, visiting the village, learning all kinds of mystical, magical aspects of reality?'

... 'Indeeeeeed! And I love being safe! And I love being free!! I love the village, I love the wilderness!! I love having fun LEARNING!!! Oh, oh.... And I thank, oh I just thank it all!!!' And he stood up to dance his way through scooping lake water onto the ashes with the pot (rinsing the pot out), putting the pot back into his pack, and skip-dancing back to his lean-to, just as full dusk fell.