Chapter 7A: Serpent of Eden
Alex woke up to the sound of alarms. She soon realized the ringing was her HP bar. Last night it was already in the red, and now as the sun started to rise, it dropped to a mere sliver. It was a miracle she survived the night.
“I might find shelter and dry off.” She thought to herself.
Her HP won’t recover unless she is within a comfortable area.
Alex looked around and realized she was still on the tattered leaf. Several mangrove roots have created a tight-knit cage around her. Luckily, it prevented her from drifting further along with the currents. Wood and debris blocked the entrance and created a calm area under the trees. It would be an excellent place to rest if it wasn’t submerged in water.
Taking some larger pieces of wood, Alex supported her leaf and made a makeshift raft. It was incredibly shabby, but it will have to do for now. She took a long thin stick and started to steer out of the mangrove cage. With some effort, she pushed aside the large log blocking the entrance and ventured out.
The sunlight barely was able to find small holes within the thick rain clouds to shine through. The temperature rose by probably only a few degrees, but with the wind letting up, it felt warmer. Not warm enough to get rid of the hypothermia status, but warm enough that she stopped shivering uncontrollably.
Looking down into the flowing waters, Alex saw some small creatures stirring about. Insects and small tiny marine animals thrived during these times right after heavy rain. Water brings about life; it is the factor that decides life and death of so many living things. Thankfully, it was still raining hard enough to the point where Alex can get a few sips of fresh water from her waxy leaf.
But she hasn’t had anything to eat for a full day now. She didn’t know what status her stomach was as she entered this world. Did she start at full or half empty? Although she can last a couple of weeks at best with no food, it still won’t help her chances of survival. She needed the energy to move, and with all the water, she will need a lot of energy to either swim or row a rift.
Looking down at the water again, Alex hoped to see some edible fish. But sadly, there was nothing. Suddenly, a black shadow zoomed past her sights. It was huge, around a good fourteen feet long. It looked like a snake, but the speed of which it swam at made Alex think it was perhaps an eel. Either way, it could be edible. But it also means it could eat her.
Alex suddenly shuddered at the thought and prayed it was not venomous.
Suddenly, off in the corner of her eye, she spotted something that gave her hope in this wet watery world. A patch of dry land that piled up as a mass of debris created a natural barrier for sand, dirt, and mud to gather. It collected over time and solidified with mangrove roots as support, creating a small island. Alex paddled her way to it. Finally, she carefully crawled off her leaf and twigs raft and onto land. She almost kissed the ground in relief. But to risk illness for such a silly thing would be too hilarious to the goddess above. Alex quickly looked around and saw some hair-like bark that was peeling from the trees around. If properly dried, they could be used as tinder to start a fire. She gathered as much as she could and covered them with waxy leaves. Hopefully, the rain will stop long enough for it to dry. The HP alarm is now just background music to her. It rang with rhythm along with the sound of the water and waves.
Suddenly, Alex realized something important. Such a giant creature in the water must need a stable food supply to grow to such size. This means there are other smaller things in the water that perhaps she might be able to catch and eat. With the eagerness of her awaited meal, Alex started to plan her survival plan. First, she needed to construct a more permanent shelter on this patch of dry land. Thankfully there are several mangrove trees around that had their roots stuck deep in the mud. They could be used as supports. She needed something along the lines of rope. Thankfully, the waxy leaves she found could be used as a water deterring roof material.
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Looking left and right, Alex finally found some vines that grew on the branches. They will have to do for now. She carried her battered body towards the tree and started to rip and unwind the vines off the branches. Finally, she had a small pile of two long vines. With two mangrove trees that were close together, she tied the vines to one of the trees. She took some flatter pieces of wood and with a rock, drilled some holes on each end of the wood. She took the vine and strung up the pieces of wood to make a wooden hammock of sorts. Tying the other end of the vine to the other tree, she finished her makeshift bed. It was always better to sleep above the floor for fear of biting insects. Alex carefully climbed on the wooden platform and tested its strength. It held well. The elastic vines were thick and robust enough to carry her weight and more. After a few jumps up and down, Alex smiled at just how sturdy it was.
Now she needed a roof. Looking around for more vines, Alex wandered the small island. Little did she know, a creature was hidden deep in the water, watching her every movement. It was a very cautious creature. It had lived off the lands for a long time, and its cautiousness ensured its survival in such a watery hell. Sticking its tongue out to smell its prey, the creature prepared to hunt. But it’s too early now. Soon it will strike and feast upon this new food source.
Around two hours later, Alex returned with some vines and made a roof. She layered branches full of waxy leaves on top and created a waterproof roof. Then, she went to check on her tinder to see if it dried. Thankfully, the rain stopped around an hour half ago. The tinder was almost dried enough for her to try to start a fire. Honestly, it shouldn’t be this fast in real life, but it seems the world is working with her now. She looked at the tinder and realized there was a tiny blinking star on top. She focused on the star, and a monitor popped up suddenly.
It labeled the item and its uses.
[Wet bark: 14% moist. Can be used as tinder when moisture falls under 10%. Chance of starting fire: 27%]
The chances were low. But it was a chance none-the-less. Alex had to start a fire, or her body won’t last the night. She didn’t want to give up so early. What she wanted was to brag to her friends, to be able to share her adventures with people who finally give a damn about what she did. Being left behind was one of her fears.
With determination in her eyes, Alex took out a small red fruit she was hiding in her pocket. She discovered it floating in the water when she went to look around for vines to use. It seemed pristine enough to eat. Now that she knows some items have information, she looked for the small star and hoped to see if the fruit was edible for humans or not.
But sadly, the star did not appear. It seems she could not say so unless she handled the item first. She remembered the words from the wise adventurer from the books.
“First, take some juices from the fruit and rub it on your forearm. If there is any itching or rash-like reaction, do not consume said fruit.”
Alex peeled open the red fruit to reveal several seed pods inside. The crimson pods looked like they were full of juices. She nipped on and rubbed the juice on her forearm and waited. She started to clear her surroundings as she prepared to make a fire pit. An hour later, she checked on her forearm and saw nothing happened. Thus, she moved on to the second step.
“Take a small bit of the juice and place it on your tongue. Do not swallow yet. Wait an hour for reactions. If nothing happens, the fruit is safe to consume for now.”
She took a single pod and squeezed a drop of juice onto her tongue. The sourness hit her like a truck. Alex never experienced flavor before. Most of the nutrient bars tasted like crap and the water she drank tasted like nothing. At best, her sweat let her know how salty things taste like. But sour was a new experience. She was confused at first but remembered people describing foods in books she read during class. She calmed down and waited an hour. Nothing significant happened.
The fruit was safe to consume for now. She ate ravenously. Although the fruit was sour, when eating large amounts of the pods at a time, it gave a tart-sweet taste. The sweetness gave Alex energy. She ate the entire fruit within minutes.
Then she remembered the last step of the adventurer when food is found.
“Eat one fruit and wait an entire day. If nothing significant occurs, the food source is good and can be used as a staple during times of survival.”
Honestly, Alex hopes the fruit is safe. The crimson fruit brought a new color to her otherwise dull world. It mixed well with the green leaves, the blue water, and the yellowish sand.
With renewed vigor, Alex set off to find more of the fruit and things that she could use to help her survival.