Half an hour later, his efforts were rewarded. Nick’s eyes came to rest upon a trio of berries growing on a hearty bush covered in blue-green leaves. They were a different species than the other berries he had seen, although his Foraging skill informed him that they were edible as well. The plump fruit reminded him of blackberries the size of ripe strawberries. After taking a closer look, he was certain that the berries were not only safe to eat but at their peak of ripeness as well.
Ignoring both the grumbling protests of his stomach and the confidence granted by his skill, the tactical, calculating part of Nick’s mind insisted that he take only a tiny nibble, then wait to see if there were any ill effects before eating the rest. He didn’t want to become totally reliant on his Foraging skill, in case there were plants capable of tricking it or were beyond his present level of proficiency. Thus, Nick decided to play it safe. After all, there were plenty of bushes nearby, and waiting a few minutes to eat lunch wasn’t going to hurt him.
His mouth watering in anticipation, he raised the fruit’s soft flesh to his lips and took a tiny bite off the end. The flavor was sweet and satisfying. He groaned in delight as the juice broke over his tongue, tasting a bit like a peach combined with a watermelon. Nick nearly devoured the rest of the berries in a frenzy of gluttony before finding the resolve to wait. Dying of self-inflicted poison was not how he intended to go out, even if he judged the odds of such an occurrence to be low in this case.
While he waited, Nick began looking for another bush, spotting one a dozen yards deeper into the forest. At first, he thought that the local wildlife had picked this shrub clean, but then his gaze landed on a single berry, hidden behind a dense snarl of vines. He reached in, carefully avoiding the stalks’ shallow thorns, to claim his prize, collecting a second berry that he discovered along the way.
By now, the tease of the juice and the aroma of the ripe fruit sitting in his pockets had coaxed the empty feeling in his stomach into full-blown hunger pains, and he could feel no adverse effects from his initial taste. No longer able to restrain himself, Nick devoured all five berries back-to-back, savoring the flavor as the sugary mass slid down his throat and into his stomach.
He felt better immediately as the carb-laden fluid revitalized him, although his stomach informed him that it was only half full. I should load up my pack with as many of these as I can find. This is a major windfall and should solve my food problems for days. Before he ventured deeper into the woods, he needed to make sure that he wasn’t taking a foolish risk.
Nick had not seen any dangerous animals—or any animals at all now that he thought about it—since entering this side of the forest. It raised the possibility that there were predators nearby, creatures stealthier than the komos.
Worried that hidden eyes were watching him from the shadows, his heart began to race. He dropped into a low crouch and started scanning the foliage while cupping his hands behind his ears. But other than the rhythmic pounding of his own heart, Nick heard nothing beyond the gentle rattle of the wind blowing through the treetops.
He did, however, spot another bush twenty feet deeper into the forest. Unfortunately, this one had no berries, but another a bit further back had several hanging within easy reach. I’ll eat this bunch, pocket the next, and then quit while I’m still ahead. The peace and quiet encouraged him to keep going. Even the stealthy lurk could not step between the crowded trunks without making noise and revealing its presence.
Nick passed by a cluster of mushrooms along the way, which looked like miniature versions of the giant shroom he had seen from the treetop. Both his Size Up and Foraging skills indicated that they were not poisonous or otherwise dangerous, but he left them untouched. He wasn’t about to eat an unknown mushroom based on a gut feeling, no matter what skills he had.
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Now fully inside the forest proper, the plants began to change. In addition to the squat mushrooms, this part of the woodlands was filled with looping creeper vines, laden with bright yellow flowers in the shape of trumpets the size of his fists.
He immediately disliked the look of the deep green vines, a sentiment that was heightened when his Size Up skill gave off a resounding ping of danger. Nick turned on his heels without hesitation, ready to leave before he found out why the hard way. He would stick to harvesting the bushes on the periphery of the region going forward and avoid the strange plants completely.
Although he didn’t see it, the creeper vines reacted the instant that he changed course. The flowers’ petals unfolded like bananas peeling themselves, revealing dense balls of golden pollen that glittered as they dispersed into the wind.
Ten seconds later, the wave of pollen broke over Nick’s head, thousands of minute grains flying deep into the crevices of his lungs. That fragrance smells good. I wonder what it is. Wait, something isn’t right… was the last thought that passed through his mind before the drug surging into his bloodstream took effect.
Although he had been feeling pretty full thanks to his feast of berries, only a heartbeat later, Nick was ravenous—hungrier than he had ever been in his life, hungrier than he had known it was possible to be.
His stomach now contained a singularity—a yawning void so intense that the pain was utterly disorienting, removing every consideration from his mind except for the need to feed. He leapt to the ground and began devouring the nearby mushrooms. He ate on all fours like a beast, uncaring of the copious mouthfuls of dirt that he consumed in the process.
Lost in a gluttonous daze, he darted to the nearest bush, furious to discover that he had already stripped it clean. Nick was about to start shoving handfuls of thorn and vine into his mouth when the aroma of fresh berries hit him like a hammer’s blow. The scent of fresh fruit on the breeze was so heavy that he could taste it.
He followed the cloud of flavor deeper into the forest, scooping up the odd mushroom along the way so that his mouth was never empty. He absently weaved his way between the thick clumps of white flowers that now studded the region like a carpet of lace.
The light grew brighter as Nick entered a wide clearing. His eyes locked onto a massive bush covered with dozens and dozens of berries that was growing beside the base of an immense tree, thicker than a sequoia redwood. Compelled to consume, he no longer bothered to avoid trampling the flowers, ignoring the dry crackling that accompanied his every footfall.
He frowned without realizing it as a new scent entered his nostrils, then made a beeline for the berry bush. A small, terrified part of Nick’s brain registered the aroma of putrefaction and decay. Of old death and new.
Although his compulsion had begun to weaken, the sight of the berries so close at hand was irresistible. With a primal growl, he closed the final stretch of bare earth and began to feed, ignoring the rivers of juice running down his chin. That was when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted scores of slithering forms making their way toward his location.
At first, he thought they were snakes, but then Nick realized that they were the same yellow-flowered vines that he had seen growing throughout the region. The small voice that had gone unheard since he was hit with the drug-laden pollen screamed in his mind, informing him that he was in serious danger—that if he didn’t act now, he was going to die.
With a surge of willpower, Nick turned away from the fruit-laden bush and began running for his life. Before he took two steps, the flowers attached to the serpentine vines unfurled, dosing him with another massive infusion of pollen.
He nearly forgot his dire predicament as a fresh wave of hunger consumed him. But this time, the painful bloating of Nick’s stomach allowed him to retain a modicum of lucidity, born from the paradox of being both ravenous and stuffed to bursting at the same time.
This frantic sliver of awareness merged with the electric cascade of adrenaline released by his reptile brain, driving him to think even as he continued shoving berries down his throat. By now, the first wave of vines had arrived at his location.
They began climbing his legs, their grip shockingly powerful. The predatory plants would finish binding his limbs and immobilize him within seconds, then crush his lungs and throat, leaving Nick’s body behind to fertilize the area.