[As you are walking, you see a dust cat in the distance. It runs away before you get any closer…

As night falls, you look over your ever-dwindling rations, and eat a small amount. You fall asleep…]

…

[Day 20: You feel significantly weaker due to the evil power consuming your vitality…

You continue traveling around the ravine…]

Around midday, Lem’s simulated self passed into a region where the forest thinned out, and the sunlight streamed down without obstruction. The terrain was rocky and uneven, with a few prominent hills, and every so often, he would see a small lizard scurry over from one rock to another.

It made for a pleasant change, as the rocks reflected the sunlight and created a bright, warm atmosphere.

He had been walking through it for a few minutes when he suddenly grew alert. His instincts told him that something was amiss.

He stopped in his tracks, drawing Lem’s attention to the unsteady gut feeling.

Lem wondered where it was coming from.

To his left was the ravine.

While he didn’t discount the possibility that there could be something lurking inside of it, he felt it was unlikely that it was the origin of the feeling. Whatever secrets it held were far more terrifying and primordial.

Lem’s simulated self had just passed through the outcrops behind him without being alerted, and he had already been looking ahead. Lem thought that his instincts should be signaling to something on the forest side.

His simulated self came to the same conclusion.

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His eyes darted, as he glanced through the thin forest.

There was one prominent rocky outcropping that obstructed his view. His instincts told him that the feeling originated from directly behind it.

He studied the position of the rocks carefully. A few lizards were visible, sunbathing on the more prominent, flat stones, but they were far from threatening.

What was wrong?

Was it a beast?

Suddenly, he saw movement. It was slight, but discernible. A head peeking over a boulder.

His eyes were fixed on the new, more specific location.

Two ears were still clearly visible.

Both Lem and his simulated self were able to quickly identify the beast from the shape of the ears.

A dust cat!

He suspected it was the same one that he had seen several days earlier on the tree.

Was it really trying to ambush him?

The dust cat peeked out from over the rock a second time. Their eyes met, just as they had before.

[As you are walking, you see a dust cat staring down at you from a rocky outcrop. You suspect it is the same cat that you saw several days earlier. You stare at one another for several minutes…]

The dust cat abruptly retreated, the head ducking back down.

Lem’s simulated self stared at the vacant spot for a moment, before he continued on his way.

Would he see the dust cat again in the future?

Lem felt uneasy.

What if it attacked him while he was sleeping? Would his senses alert him or would he die suddenly?

The simulation could end in an instant, without warning.

[The dust cat runs away, and you continue traveling…]

The next few minutes passed by in discomfort.

Lem’s simulated self was busy thinking about his troubles. At the same time, Lem was musing over the situation from his detached position.

Out of nowhere, he noticed that his simulated self had been alerted to danger once more.

Lem’s simulated self turned quickly, and saw the dust cat was only a handful of meters away, and closing the distance.

It kicked at the ground with its hind legs, causing a cloud of dirt to fly through the air.

Lem shielded his eyes with his left arm, as he pulled his right arm back, dropping his spear in the same motion.

Strangely, he had time to feel happy.

The dust cat had chosen to attack him during the day after all, eliminating one of his concerns.