CHAPTER 6:

CREATURE FEATURE

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The night was rough, even after Eurias joined her and they rolled close enough to share body heat. Adi rose before dawn, unable to sleep any longer. Sleeping on the ground sucked. It always had, but without even the comfort of a tent, sleeping bag, and bedroll, it was extra bad.

The System, ever present, greeted her in her head.

[Congratulations surviving a night with inadequate shelter!]

[Leveled up x3!]

[Maximum level reached. Please evolve to continue leveling.]

[Because you are at the level cap, your bonus has been transferred to a skill used in the survival scenario.]

[Gained Rank x3: Woodland Survival]

Level 20 already? She wondered how fast Eurias was leveling, if at all.

Adi poked the dead fire with a stick, stirring up ash but also smoke. Beneath the top layer, coals simmered. She warmed her hands. Eurias was still fast asleep underneath the two blankets somehow.

Figuring that a fire might be worthwhile for warmth alone, Adi gathered the driest wood she could find nearby and nursed the fire back into flames. The water from the tsunami appeared to have receded or have been absorbed... The ground would be super muddy today. If they could travel further inland, they might have dry materials to use for bedding. She set some wood on to dry to take with them when they moved. For something warm to eat, she set a loaf of bread on a stick over the fire to warm up.

With nothing else to do, Adi took her staff and started swinging it around. With [Staff Fighting] only at level 1, she would probably be pretty useless in a real fight. And if this staff was as durable as the last one, it wasn't durable at all. They needed like, oak or something, probably, instead of pine and fir. But at least she could get some practice in and maybe level up.

The smell of bread started to waft through the air as Adi figured out handholds on the staff, single and two-handed. Two-handed gave her more control and power, while single gave her more reach. Overhead strikes and swing-around strikes were the hardest, but side to side were fastest. The speed for forward jabs really depended on where the staff was positioned.

Adi had thought that the smell of breakfast would wake Eurias up, but he hadn't stirred when she took a break for water and breakfast. The bread was soft now that it was warm, and she popped a piece in her mouth as she crawled into the shelter and gave him a nudge.

"Wakey wakey," she said. "There's breakfast."

"Mom?" He rubbed an eye with a yawn, one ear briefly popping up. "I just had... the strangest dream..."

His hand stopped moving as his breathing resumed its rhythm. Adi guessed if he was tired enough to still be asleep, he must really need it. He had mentioned using too much mana, and the blood loss couldn't have helped. She was just surprised someone spoiled like him could stay asleep so long on such an uncomfortable surface.

Shrugging, she helped herself to some water, half a ration bar and some bread before returning to practice. She had started to get used to the weight and movement of her staff by the time daylight had turned the sky blue and she gained a rank in staff fighting. Would she eventually intuit the footwork, or did she have to learn that to keep leveling? She didn't know.

Though she had intended to let Eurias sleep as long as he liked, Adi had begun to grow concerned when another hour or two passed. She set her staff down to crawl into the shelter again.

"Hey," she said, shaking his shoulder. "We should probably get moving."

The serthyen moaned. She frowned, setting her hand against his forehead. The dampness of his hot fur surprised her, and she wiped it off on her shorts. What was his average temperature? She peered closer at him, noting that his nose was dry. Was it usually wet, like a dog or cat's nose? While she was watching, he shivered, shifting in his sleep.

Adi held up her hand, looking for an interaction sign. Her [Field Aid] indicator, a circle with a cross in it, popped up.

[FIELD AID: FEVER]

  [Keep patient cool and hydrated. Administer fever reducing medication.]

Having her suspicion confirmed put a knot of dread in her stomach. A fever, out in the wild? No good. The fact that she didn't get any options out of [Field Aid] didn't seem great either.

It wasn't hard to guess what had triggered the fever. Anxiously, Adi unwrapped his antler, setting aside the bloodied gauze. The break was clearly inflamed and hot to the touch. Further towards the pedicle, the antler was an average temperature.

"Shit," she muttered, calling up her skill again.

[FIELD AID: INFECTED VELVET ANTLER]

* Remove at pedicle (open sore, trigger regrowth)

* (UNAVAILABLE) Antibiotic salve

* Hot compress [Components: rag, hot water, (optional) magnesium sulfate]

* Gauze wrap

Adi resisted rubbing her forehead with the hand that had touched the infected antler. An infection out here was a death sentence. If she'd only stopped to wash and rewrap his antler...

"Don't hate me," she said, selecting the first option. Without preamble, the wounded antler tumbled off of Eurias' forehead. It left behind a nasty circle-shaped wound, which, fortunately, was not bleeding.

Taking the infected antler and used gauze, Adi tossed them into the fire. Then she washed her hands with soap, as well as everything she'd touched. Finally she moved to Eurias, gently cleansing his wound with soapy water. He hissed in his sleep, grumbling and trying to squirm away.

"Sorry," she muttered as she rinsed the sore with clean water. "Just trying to make sure this one doesn't get infected." It was closer to his brain, too, which wasn't good. The only treatment was prevention.

[FIELD AID: PEDICLE SORE]

* (UNAVAILABLE) Barrier [Components: emollient]

* Gauze wrap

When she selected the gauze, it wrapped all the way around his head. It was probably most of the remaining clean gauze. She'd need to find a way to try and boil the gauze once it came off. Hopefully it was cotton or some other natural fiber.

"Keep him hydrated, huh?" Adi mumbled. She got the canteen out and propped Eurias up against her chest, fumbling with the water to try and trickle it down his throat.

Eurias coughed, spluttering, and his hand came up to hold onto the canteen weakly. "I didn't expect assassination," he wheezed, propping himself up with one hand.

Adi shoved at him lightly. "You have a fever," she said, shifting away. "You wouldn't wake up."

He propped himself up on his arm, peering at her with puffy eyes. "Uggggh," he said. "My head feels weird." He gasped, touching his gauze-wrapped head and patting it. His drooping ears went back in alarm. "Where's my antler?!"

"It got infected," Adi said. "That's what caused the fever."

"Noooo," he moaned, setting a hand back down, eyes closing as he gave a tired sigh and shivered. "I don't feel good." He tilted back the canteen, drinking. He paused, lifting the canteen away. "It's empty."

"Shit," Adi said, taking it. "I guess two days is its cap."

"I'm tired," he said, eyes closing again.

"Eat some bread," she said, crawling out of the shelter to grab the bread and toss it over. "We have to find water."

Eurias reluctantly tore off some bread while Adi took care of extinguishing the fire as best she could and gathering up the dried wood. She shoved her kindling into the bag.

She looked back over and Eurias was laying down, curled up with the bread. Sighing, she came back over to take the blankets and pack them up. "Come on, we have to get moving."

His ears flicked as he shivered, and he managed to pry an eye open. "I don't think I can."

Adi considered him. He, no doubt, felt like shit. Depending on how bad his fever was, he might not be able to walk straight.

"Okay," she said, straightening. "I think I have more points to dump into strength." She triggered her personal dialog.

"What are you thinking?"

[ADELINE CHANTREA KRAMER, HUMAN LVL 20]

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

* Stats – 3 POINTS AVAILABLE

* Skills, Traits, and Perks – 5 RANKS AVAILABLE

* CPU Compass (Double tap wrist)

* EVOLUTION OPTIONS AVAILABLE

"A compass?" Adi said in surprise, finger hovering over it. But she saved it for later, opening up the stats menu and putting her three free stat points into strength. She decided to wait on allocating ranks, in case something came up.

She leaned into the shelter. "Come out and put on the bag."

Eurias gave her a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

Dragging him out of the shelter, Adi got him wearing the bag, and then cajoled him onto her back. He really wouldn't be able to walk on his own; just standing up, he was wavering on his feet.

"This is so undignified," Eurias said as she hefted him up. He held onto her tightly. With her newly buffed strength, he felt pretty light.

"You're fine," she said. "Just don't poke me with your antler."

With both her hands full, Adi left her makeshift staff behind. They could find another one later. She tapped twice on her right wrist for the CPU compass. A blue ring, anime magic style, popped up above her wrist with a spinning arrow. The arrow slowed, wobbling back and forth, then finally settled in a single direction.

Adjusting Eurias again, Adi started walking. It was a little sad to leave behind her first shelter, terrible as it was. But hopefully they could find dry material tonight.

Tired as he was, Eurias soon had his forehead leaned on Adi's shoulder. His hands loosened around her neck as he started to drift off. He was quick to wake up and grab onto her when she tripped over a root or almost slipped in some mud.

Maybe making dexterity the dump stat wasn't the greatest idea, she thought as she deliberately placed her feet. How did the stats work anyways? Could somebody build up muscle manually still? Would that show up as a strength point eventually? Would adding points make someone really muscled?

They were questions Adi would normally pester Eurias with, but she left them for another time as she trekked through the muddy woods. Within the hour, the ground beneath her feet turned dry, thankfully. She wasn't sure how far a tsunami could go inland. If she were to wager a guess, she'd say they were probably five or so miles from the ocean now.

The sun peaked. Eurias was still fast asleep against her shoulder and Adi didn't feel weary or hungry, so she kept walking. Her mind settled into a kind of numbness as she put one foot in front of the other, taking easy paths around obstacles.

"Adi," Eurias rasped quietly an hour or two later. "I hear water."

Adi stopped, straining her ears. It was no use; his hearing was far keener. "What way?"

He raised a delicate hand to point. She angled that way and continued walking. He had to direct her again when she got off course. But before long, even Adi could hear the sound of a river.

As they got closer and the sound grew, Eurias started to tense up.

"It's loud," he whined over the noise, pressing one of his ears against her back while taking a hand off her shoulders, presumably to cover his other ear.

"It sounds like--" Adi said loudly as they broke the trees, "a waterfall."

A huge waterfall cascaded in front of them into a beautiful pool at the bottom.

"Oh, it's beautiful," she breathed quietly.

"And loud!"

Rolling her eyes, Adi crouched to set Eurias down against a fallen tree. It was damp with the spray of the waterfall. The serthyen sat down, covering his ears.

"I'm going to get some water," she told him. "We'll camp nearby. This is a good place to camp for a day or two, I think." And maybe there'd be some shallow water they could bathe in.

Fetching the canteen from the bag on Eurias' back, she approached the pool, finding a rock to crouch on and fill the canteen. Hopefully purification spells were easy, because they didn't have a pot to boil water.

Adi should have remembered she was in a creature feature.

As soon as her canteen touched the water, a great maw burst from the water and enveloped her whole arm. Pain shot through her and she gasped as the thing yanked her down head-first.

The cold seized her. Adi spasmed, releasing breath in shock. Logical thought kicked in almost too late, but she managed to clamp her mouth shut.

Orientating herself was harder than movies made it look. Bubbles and red-tinged water made it hard to see. The light was fading, pressure increasing.

The thing dragged her parallel to itself. She punched at it. The drag of water interfered. Aim for the gills, right—but where?! Adi kept punching, her air dwindling.

Her fist connected with something softer than scales. The world slowed, the river monster letting go.

Now only if she knew how to swim.

Her arms and feet flailed, the surface growing further away. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The bottom—where was the bottom, she was going to die—

Her foot ran into something slippery and hard. Adi pushed off the rock, lungs burning. She shot up towards the surface.

Teeth clamped above her knee, lower leg encased by a slimy fish mouth. Breath escaped her again as she was yanked downwards. She kicked as hard as she could into the fish's face. Her boot slowed the movement. But it still let go, thrashing. Its body was big enough—she kicked off of it.

Adi broke air. She sucked in a gasping breath through her wet braids, fire in her throat.

"Adi!" Eurias cried.

And then she was under again, both legs ensnared. She clawed for the surface, hands splashing at air before she was too far down. This damn fish—!

She couldn't kick or punch it effectually. It took her down, pressure making her head feel like it would burst. Scratching and hitting this side of the fish was all useless. Darkness and cold pressed on her.

Breath escaped her, the last of her reserves. Sorry, Eurias.

A silhouette flashed in the light. Adi felt a kind of squelch and the teeth let her go. She'd lost a boot. Red rose up in the water as she tried kicking. Her brain felt like it would explode. She had to take a breath in, she had to, it felt like her lungs were reversing on themselves for how badly she needed—

An arm wrapped around her middle and pulled her towards the surface. Adi wanted to scream in for the pain in her lungs, but there was no air.

Her legs hit rock as her head broke air. She scrabbled for purchase.

"Adi!" Eurias' hooves clip-clopped rapidly and then he was grabbing onto her arms, pulling. With the help from above and below, she slid onto solid ground, shaking and gasping.

Water splashed behind them. Adi pushed away from the pool, turning. Her mysterious savior had disappeared into the water.

"A fisherman!" Eurias said. "Did he attack you?"

"It was some big-ass fish that grabbed me," she wheezed. "Somebody rescued me."

"But he's... oh, he's going up the waterfall."

Adi cast her eyes that way to see glimpses of the sleek blue-ish form defying gravity as the 'fisherman' traversed the falls. Then he was gone.

[Congratulations surviving an attack!]

[Maximum level reached. Please evolve to continue leveling.]

[Because you have reached the level cap, your bonus has been transferred to a perk useful for similar encounters.]

[Gained Perk: Damsel in Distress!]

"That's such bullshit," Adi said, coughing.

"What?" Eurias said, hand clamped over one of his ears, eyes squinting as if in pain.

Dagging herself a little further from the edge, Adi took her boot off to shake the water out. "Get saved one time and suddenly you're a 'damsel in distress.'"

"Can we get away from the waterfall?" he called.

Unsteadily, Adi got to her feet and walked with him back to the bag, sitting down on the log. She was still reeling from the near-death experience. God damn river monster. The system could have given her something like swimming. And she'd lost their canteen and one of her boots. Irritated, she began wringing her hair out.

"You're bleeding," Eurias said, touching her arm.

Adi paused to examine the bite on her arm and the ones on her legs. "Don't even have clean water to clean it with," she muttered. "Need a new container for water."

Eurias' ears flickered up and to the side. "The water looks clear. Other than that beast, surely it's safe."

"Maybe. I don't want to risk contracting a brain-eating parasite."

Ears back, he said, "A what?"

"Do you think you can do a water purifying spell?"

He glanced towards the waterfall. "Not on the scale of a sanctuary cistern."

Adi rubbed her forehead. "That's fine." Now that her adrenaline was running off, she found herself shivering.

Eurias was still discovering her other wounds, eyes widening as he noticed the dribbling red from her legs. "Shouldn't you stop the bleeding?"

"Don't want them to get infected," she said, rubbing her forehead. "I... gotta wash it. Need clean water." But to get clean water they needed a container.

The serthyen cast about, ears flickering uncertainly. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest once he stopped looking around. Then, seeming to come to a decision as his ears settled forward, he picked up the pack and rummaged through it. He pulled out a few items, considering each before setting it in his lap or putting it back. He pulled out the bar of soap, sniffing it carefully. "We used this to wash our hands before. Will it not be enough for your wounds even with impure water?"

Adi hesitated. It hurt a lot to think. "I... you're right. Just need clean water for drinking."

He pushed the soap into her hands. "Wash."

Numbly, Adi did. She squeezed out her braids to get water.

"This is bandaging," he said, holding up a small roll of gauze. "Yes?"

"Yeah. Gauze."

He shifted, picking at the roll of gauze until the end rolled up. Then, taking her washed arm, he attempted to wrap her wound. Adi watched. Clearly unused to this kind of task, he fumbled with the roll a couple of times before managing to get it wrapped around her arm twice.

He looked at his work, then down at the dwindling roll uncertainly. "Is that enough?"

"Dunno," she said honestly. The [Field Aid] had been taking care of amounts. "Not enough for my legs anyways."

The serthyen stared at the roll, then wrapped it halfway around her arm again before the roll was gone. He tucked it in.

"Now..." he said, picking apart one of the neatly folded blankets. "Wet things come off. Correct?"

Adi nodded, handing him the soap. He took it gingerly with two fingers. Then she stood to take her shirt and shorts off, tossing them onto the log. Eurias wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

"How do I build a fire?"

"Too wet here," she mumbled, drawing the blanket close, still shivering. They would need to move. She pushed her boot around with a foot until it was upright, then stuck her foot into it.

"Alright..." Eurias said. He clasped his hands in front of himself and looked around again, ears forward. He gathered things back into the bag, then slung it over his shoulder. Picking up her wet clothes, Eurias gestured and said, "Let's try this way?" He glanced to her, ears turned sideways.

Adi followed him without input, cold, tired, and off balance with a single shoe. Even with that though, Eurias was less steady on his hooves. He tripped once, catching himself on a tree, and then fell a moment later on some uneven rocky ground.

"Need a walking staff," Adi suggested as she helped him upright. "Find a good stick."

They went just a bit farther until Eurias stopped and looked around. "Is this spot alright?"

Adi glanced around wearily, shrugging with a nod.

"Alright." He took the pack off his shoulder, crouching to get out the second blanket. He laid it down on the ground. Patting it, he looked up at Adi. "Sit here?"

Adi did, watching Eurias.

"You used wood for the fires," he said. "Does it matter what kind?"

"Dry," she said. "There's some in the pack."

He started pulling sticks out of the pack and then piling them up in a single spot.

Adi used her booted foot to clear debris from around the fire. "Gotta clear a spot. Stuff catches on fire."

"Ah..." he said, ears back as he considered the spot. He reached his hands down, hesitated, then grabbed one of the sticks and started to use that to pull pine needles, pine cones, and extra dirt away from the spot.

"Yeah," she said, lying down facing him. "Like that."

Finishing clearing a circle, he found a nearby twig and drew a fire rune in the dirt. He touched it with a finger and fire jumped up from the sticks. He jumped as if startled, then fetched her wet clothes. Uncertainly, he looked around.

Adi worked an arm free of the blanket to point to a convenient branch in the path of the fire's smoke. "There." She shivered and shoved her arm back in, closing her eyes.

The serthyen stepped over, carefully draping her shirt and shorts. He tripped as he turned around to come back and stop before her, looking around. She peered at him with a single eye

"I don't know how to make a shelter."

"Sit down," Adi mumbled sleepily. The warmth of the fire was nice. "You had a fever."

Eurias dropped down next to her with a grateful sigh, ears and shoulders drooping.

"I think I'm falling asleep," she realized, starting to sit up. The serthyen set a hand on her shoulder.

"Sleep," he said. "I'll make sure to wake you if anything happens."

"Mkay," she replied, eyes already shut again.