Nathan was sitting with his legs crossed on the cool sand. He felt drops of sweat running down his face as he lightly tapped his knees with his fingers. He was still expecting something to happen, and the wait had started to wear on his nerves. He had tried to analyze the message in his mind, dissecting the message by each line and word. He knew that things beyond his comprehension were happening and there would be significant and possibly deadly gaps in his knowledge.
Nathan got up and shook the fine sand off his pants while his green eyes looked from side to side. After seeing no change, he shrugged his shoulders, closed his eyes, and braced himself. He turned around and walked slowly, but confidently from the beach into the woods. His movements were quiet but steady, each step taken in such a way that he didn't make much noise. He stopped walking after a while and stood very still listening to the sounds of the forest. He heard leaves rustling in the soft wind, the sound of flowing water, and the occasional sound of animals moving around which made him smile. Animals meant food, running water usually meant clean drinking water, and the forest would provide everything else.
Nathan walked for a few more minutes until he found a good size clearing. It would meet his immediate needs. It was far enough from the beach that the hot winds wouldn't bother him and close to a running stream or river. The thick canopy above would protect him from the sun and maybe help keep water off him if it started to rain. As he surveyed the area, trying to remember it, he began to check what he had with him which wasn't much besides his wallet, a watch that had stopped working, and his pocketknife. He was a bit disappointed realizing how unprepared he was; but he understood that he had to make this work, at least for now.
“Food, water, fire, shelter, weapons, and knowledge are what gives the advantage for survivors,” Nathan remembered as he thought of the “voluntary” survival class he took while in the army.
He spent the next few hours collecting what basic items he could before his thirst made him go to the sound of running water. He walked for a few minutes and came out of the trees to see a beautiful view in front of him. The riverbank was covered with rocks of different sizes and the river itself was about 20 feet wide. Trees were on the other side of the bank, but Nathan felt a chill as he looked at this scene. There was something on the other side, he didn't know what it was, but the primal side of him shouted, stay away. Carefully he went to the water and knelt, drinking water from the river with his hands, his eyes never leaving the opposite bank. With his thirst quenched, he turned and picked up as many rocks as he could hold before going back to his makeshift camp.
He made several trips between the river and his camp, stopping only to rest his body and to drink. The tiredness from when he first woke up in this pocket dimension gradually left his body as he slowly adapted to his new environment. After a few hours of work he checked what he had managed to collect. Arranged in tidy rows were branches and sticks of different thicknesses, a pile of rocks, coils of different vines, a small pile of tinder material, and a few small piles of berries he picked. With a pleased smile he got to work building his camp. He moved systematically, first building a simple lean-to shelter between two trees using some of the vines as tying material. He used palm leaves from the beach to make the roof then put leaves over the palm leaves to help it blend in better. With shelter taken care of, he next moved to the pile of river rocks he had. Taking a rock in each hand he began to hit them together paying attention to which rock broke and which rock did not. Solid rocks were used for the fire ring while broken rocks were placed next to his shelter. He did the same with the rest of the wood that he had. He tested each piece of wood by bending it in both hands. The wood that broke was thrown by the fire pit and the wood that was still green was placed beside the shelter. The final steps were to clear all the fallen leaves from his area to reduce the risk of a fire starting outside of the fire ring.
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Nathan surveyed his new home with a surge of pride. He had built it with his own hands, and he felt a deep longing to share it with Kate. He wondered where she was and how she was coping. He had tried to teach her as many skills as he could after her mother’s death, but he had also respected her need for space to mourn and heal. He felt his mood darken as his mind drifted to the worst possible outcomes. He shook his head quickly, snapping out of his gloomy thoughts. He picked up a few branches that were as thick as his thumb and still green with sap. He began to whittle them into sharp points with his pocketknife.
Sera’s POV
Sera felt a jolt of consciousness as she woke up in the guide chamber, tethered to a crystal that linked her mind with another person’s. The connection was not yet active, so she could not communicate with her charge. She was merely a silent observer, tagging along for the ride.
She watched as her charge surveyed his surroundings. He moved with precision and efficiency, setting up a makeshift camp and crafting weapons. She tried to probe his mind as much as she could. She could not read his thoughts, but she could sense his emotions. He was calm, in control, determined. He had some fear, but that was not what intrigued her. There was something else, lurking at the edge of his consciousness. Something that she had not encountered in a long time.
Sera focused on those distant feelings and touched them with her mind. She recoiled in shock. She recognized those feelings. They were his pain, grief, and hate, locked away like a beast in a cage, waiting for a chance to break free. She shuddered at the thought of what that beast would do to those who had hurt him. She felt pity for them and for him. She slowly withdrew from his mind, careful not to disturb the beast.
He was different from any of her previous charges. Her former charges had given up on life, starving or dehydrating themselves to death. One had tried to escape the pocket dimensions, while another had killed himself with a noose made from his clothes. Others had died in the trials, making foolish mistakes or underestimating their enemies. But this one was different. He was driven and unshakable, yet despite this, she could not bring herself to hope that he would complete his trials.
Sera was pulled back to the present as her charge stopped working and looked forward. She wondered what had happened until she felt the connection take hold.