Mikal decided to follow the slope he had initially ran down when fleeing the treehog. He figured he at least had some idea of what lay in that direction and it would be safer to explore that way.
He scanned the barren forest ground for anything new he could analyze. There wasn't much to find. It seemed the large trees with their dense canopy made the ground inhospitable for any other plants. Starting to worry a little as he felt his hunger and thirst rising, he began a methodical search of the forest walking in zig-zagging lines down the slight slope.
After around an hour of searching all he had to show for it was a handful of berries, called rowaberries by his interface, as he had begun calling it. He hadn't dared eaten any of them because, among their known uses and effects, laxative was listed. Although they were also listed as a food. He had saved them in the front pocket of his hoodie, thinking he might eat them later–if he didn't find anything else with less undesirable effects.
By the angles of the shafts of light coming from above, he guessed nightfall was fast approaching. He had found nothing he could use as shelter, he had thought of maybe trying to lay down between the heathers the rowaberries had grown on. But the small patch he found would not even hide his torso. He continued his search, still walking down the slight slope. It was sort of odd that the terrain never seemed to change, he didn't know how far he had traveled down the slope, but despite only a slight decline, he must have traveled quite a distance downwards.
Another hour, and a few more handfuls of rowaberries later. The forest had really started to darken, his already limited vision was quickly becoming worse. He had devised a way of increasing his chance of finding rowaberries by looking for spots where the distance between the trees was greater, letting in more sunlight. As the sun set and the forest turned nearly pitch black he could barely see his hands in front of him, much less gauge the distance between the trees.
Again feeling panic well up he stopped walking, listening intently. Trying to use his other senses to look out for any potential threats. All he could hear was the rustling of the pines in the canopy above him. Even though he had not seen a single other creature since he left the treehog, the dark forest made his imagination run rampant and he felt like there were some shadowy, spiked creatures always lurking in the darkness of his peripheral vision. But he heard nothing besides his own rapid breathing. He stood there, his body still and tense, his head on a swivel trying to catch the monsters always just beyond his perception.
Just as the panic was about to overwhelm him and he was about to set off sprinting. The forest was once again cast in light. Columns of a blueish-white light shone through the canopy above, giving the whole forest an ephemeral feel. The light was not nearly as bright as it had been during the day, but in his vision, already adjusted to the dark, it seemed like the forest had suddenly been revealed as a whole different place. He marveled at the sudden change, looking up at the canopy above and the beautiful pale light shimmering through the needles, waving slightly in a wind he could not feel down at the ground. His panic completely forgotten, he began walking again–hoping to find somewhere he could get some sleep in relative safety.
Despite the new light, the forest was still dark and ominous. There were many patches the pale light did not reach and he felt a sort of tingle run across his skin from different directions as he walked. Once or twice he could have sworn he spotted movement between the trees just beyond what he could see clearly. The fatigue of his experiences was getting to him, and having to constantly stay on high alert was draining his dwindling reserves even faster. He could not explain why, but he felt that he had to get somewhere safe fast. It felt as though the pale light had awoken something in the forest, something dangerous. The feeling went beyond just his fright of what he could not see.
Despite his fatigue, he increased his pace. The tingles on his skin were coming from every direction now. He needed to get away from the open ground. Starting to become desperate he set into a light jog, which quickly became a controlled run. His adrenaline was pumping and his fatigue was forgotten. The panic was again rising, and he tried to rationalize it away as he ran. "You haven't actually seen anything that indicates a threat, it's just a feeling," he told himself in his mind. But he knew deep down that the feeling was true. A break in the monotony of the endless trees caught his attention, he had seen something diagonal between the trees. A glimpse of the pale light being reflected by something other than the giant trees. He adjusted and started heading towards it. Almost at a full sprint now.
The sight that greeted him as he neared was such a welcome one he shouted.
"YEEES!"
Still running, he pumped his fists in the air as the sound echoed through the otherwise eerily silent forest. He had found a shack. A small wooden structure with a roof made of dirt. It was beautiful. He rushed to the door and opened it, not thinking of who it might belong to or if anyone might be home. Before looking around inside he stormed in and shut the door behind him. The shack had no windows or other openings, so as soon as the door closed behind him he was in absolute darkness.
He stood there for a little bit in the darkness, catching his breath. Finally, his sense caught up with him and he realized he had no idea what was in the shack. For all he knew he could be in here with a horrific monster and he was just standing there. With a little yelp, he cracked the door open a little letting light in again.
The shack was tiny, on the right side a raised platform with some furs on it stretched along the wall leaving about a meter between the door and the bed. Against the left wall stood a bureau-style desk, taking up most of the wall. It smelled musty and old, swirls of dust were visible in the light shining through the crack in the door. He took a step in and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the door. He slowly calmed himself and regained his breath, he knew he should close the door. But he couldn't bring himself to sit here in complete darkness. A few minutes passed like this, him just sitting there his arms on his knees, his head down. His mind blank as the adrenaline faded from his system and his heart rate steadied again.
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A creak from the door snapped him to attention. The door was slowly gliding open, revealing a dark, horned silhouette on the floor. Three far too long and thin fingers were wrapped around the edge of the door, slowly pushing it open. Mikal threw himself at the door, trying to slam it shut with all his might. The door slammed on the thing's fingers, and the creature let out a guttural screech. The door pressed on the fingers and Mikal could feel the thing pushing back. Not willing to give any ground he set his feet against the bed and using his entire body he pushed against the door. An intense few seconds passed in a stalemate, Mikal grunting as he pushed with all his might. Suddenly the door snapped shut with a bang and Mikal heard a dull thud against the floor inside the shack. The thing outside let out an ear-piercing shriek.
He stood frozen, tensed to push again should the creature reattempt to open the door. Listening intently all he could hear was his own labored breathing, before a scratching noise came from the wall to his right. The noise continued around the entire shack, before stopping again on the left side of the door. The thing seemed to be looking for an alternate way in. He was suddenly very thankful the shack had no windows.
Mikal slid down the door with his back against and his legs braced against the bed in front of him. Figuring he would have more power to hold the door closed this way, he shivered from fear as he listened intently for any more sounds coming from outside the shed. I will hold this door closed no matter what. A crash rattled the door and he locked his muscles acting as a brace for the door. I will hold this door closed no matter what. Again the thing smashed against the door shaking the entire shack. The door slid open a few centimeters before he pushed it back into place. I. Will. Hold. This. Door. He felt a rush as his mind flared for a fraction of a second before a sensation of... something leaving him filled him. The sensation faded as quickly as it had come and an immense feeling of weakness overtook him before his vision darkened.
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Mikal woke with a start, jerking his head up and slamming it against the door to his back. The movement also sent a spike of pain from his neck. Disorientated from the sudden pain he looked around, not understanding where he was. He opened and closed his dry mouth a couple of times before jerking to his feet. The memories of the night before came back to him in a flash. He was alive! His stiff body didn't comply with the jerky movement and he staggered before landing face-first on the bed of furs. He heard a squelch and felt a cold sensation on his stomach. Turning over in the bed he touched his stomach through the hoodie. The hoodie was wet. The rowaberries. Falling on his face had smashed them to pulp. What had that sensation been before he passed out? And how did he hold the door in his sleep?
He looked around himself, seeing nothing in the still complete darkness. He had fallen asleep against the door. How long had he slept? Was it day yet? His body let him know that it must have been some time because he was incredibly thirsty. He dragged his tongue over his dried-out lips, trying to soothe the stinging from the cracked skin, but his tongue was almost as dry as his lips. Sticking his hand into the front pocket of his hoodie he drew out a large clump of mushed berries. He wondered if he could still see his interface in this darkness and willed it forth.
Item Name Mushed Rowaberries Quantity 24.3 Description Small red berries growing in clusters of 3-6 berries. Grows on the rowaheather. These berries have been partially mushed. Type Ingredient, Consumable Known uses and effects
* Food
* Laxative
Rarity Abundant
He could read it without issue, it seemed the light conditions did not affect his interface.
He considered the berries. On the one hand, he was pretty sure he would not survive much longer without something to replenish his fluids. On the other hand, was he pretty certain that getting diarrhea would drain his fluids way more than he would gain from eating the berries. But he was so thirsty. Also, he didn't know if the effect listed in his interface was the effect in their raw state, he might have to prepare them in some way for them to act as a laxative. Not thinking about it anymore he shoved the entire handful of berries in his mouth. They tasted fruity and a little bitter, the juices instantly being absorbed by his parched throat and mouth. It was divine. He rummaged around in his pocket and got another handful of berries with some lint and thread from his hoodie sticking to it. He ate that too. The feeling was bliss, but having eaten a little the feeling of hunger intensified and his stomach let out a gurgle. He would have to go out and scavenge for more.
The thought of opening the door again terrified him. He had no idea what was out there, was it still night? Had the thing from last night left or was it waiting? Posted right outside, just waiting for him to be dumb enough to open the door again. But did he have any choice? If he stayed in the shack he would just slowly die of thirst, there might be something for him to drink inside the shack. But trying to fumble around in the dark would most likely be fruitless, and even if he did find something it would not last forever. No, his only logical course of action would be to open the door and check his surroundings.
Fumbling around for a bit to find the edge of the bed he was on, he crawled out of the bed and found the door. He took ahold of the handle and ever so slowly made a crack for him to peer out of.