Descending down the tree proved to be difficult in a new way. The pain started out as something he could almost ignore, but now it commanded attention. Instead of a sharp pain shooting through his flesh, now he was assaulted by a dull, but deep, throb every time he moved. The infection was spreading, or at least it felt like it was.

When examining his body, Charlie could see more pus flow out, the small trickle had turned into a steady stream with every turn. Even if he knew what was going on, he had no way to clean it properly or even tend to it with medicinal herbs. Charlie didn't recognise a single plant around him, he had no idea what was going to kill him or save him.

His mothers teachings didn't seem to apply here, there were no black spots to be found and everything looked so much more plump than anything back home. The one time he did try something, his throat and stomach burned. The only thing that had helped him so far, was eating a creatures carcass... or devouring that gem.

That gem made him feel powerful the last time, like new. Charlie could feel there might be a solution after all, if a bit far fetched. He had been transported to a new world, experienced things he could have never even dreamed of, yet he still struggled to accept that the gem actually made him stronger. It went against everything he had experienced in his last life, but it was his only salvation.

Charlie slithered down the bottom-most branch and was left with a sizeable drop before he'd reach the ground. Unwilling to find out whether or not he'd survive the fall, Charlie used his body to wrap around the tree trunk and slither his way down. It proved to be slower than he expected, but he couldn't complain since he made it safely down without falling.

The pain was coming in waves now, forcing Charlie to stay still while hidden in the underbrush while it passed. Charlie could feel his thirst and hunger gnaw on his mind, adding further stress to his already weakened body, begging to be quenched and satiated. He'd have to push through, no matter how nauseatingly painful it was.

The broken corpse of the bird creature was close by, thankfully, keeping the journey short. Once Charlie reached the dead body, he could feel his stomach gnaw at him again and his mouth started salivating. Yet no matter how hungry he was, he couldn't allow himself to approach this without caution.

Charlie wouldn't be able to consume this giant bird in one go, even if his body and jaw somehow defied everything he understood. His body still had limits, after all, so a different approach was required. Charlie will have to break through the tough leathery skin, get into its chest, and [Devour] that translucent gem.

Charlie briefly considered finding a flat or sharp stone again, and dig into the bird-like creatures chest, before quickly tossing that idea aside. It wouldn't work, his grip was too awkward and the creatures chest wasn't soft like the earth he moved around before. He didn't need to rely on the potential chance of the stone piercing the skin, he had already done it with his fangs.

He didn't have the time to find any other solution anyway, he was too injured to move quickly and worst of all, didn't have any idea what to even look for to help himself. So instead, Charlie used his body to flip the creature on its back, further straining his delicate wounds.

It was harder than it should have been, the infection weakening him further with every moment that passes. Even if Charlie wished to get this done quicker, his strength was fading at an alarming rate.

Out of breath, Charlie climbed the body of the creature and sat atop its prickly chest. Up close this thing felt more defined, more real, and some part of him still feared it, even if Charlie had killed it. The thing still looked like it could jump up at any moment and snap out at Charlie with its fearsome beak.

After catching his breath, Charlie didn't delay any further, he bared his fangs and sunk them into the carcasses wide chest. There was some resistance at first but it quickly gave way to Charlies strike, flooding his mouth with the sweet and pungent blood of the slain creature.

Charlie found himself unable to pull away from the blood that trickled out, it was like he was lost in the desert and had just come across an oasis. The cold water of life flowed through him, quenching his dire thirst and whetting his appetite. He wished he could just swallow this thing whole and revel in that fullness, but he had to keep his mind straight, he needed to find the gem and [Devour] it.

Upon simply thinking about wanting to [Devour] the gem, a power inside of him swirled and roared back into existence. The bottomless and unending hunger leaked into reality, tearing a new desire to [Devour] all, into Charlie.

Uncertain of what else he could do, Charlie decided to trust in the mysterious power inside of him. Desperation necessitated the use of all tools that were available to him, no matter how ominous the description was.

Charlie explored the feelings the power gave off, he followed the rivers of energy that coursed through his body and filled him with unending guidance. He could feel the desire, and hunger, of [Devour]. It didn't start or stop at any one section, seemingly connecting his whole body and focusing that desire into a single point. The corpse of the dead bird-like creature.

In a flash, Charlie opened his mouth, before being suffused with a mysterious dark green flame, and brought his fangs down like the axe of an executioner. Charlie struck out with dizzying speed and precision with the chest of the bird-like creature erupting in a shower of blood and gore. The bones split so neatly that they would give a butcher a run for their money.

Charlie sat atop the chest of the fallen creature in a state of subdued ecstasy, the dark green plumes were sucked back into his being, nourishing the body and mind. The translucent gem had been ripped out by the sharp sharp flames of [Devour], the muscle and bone barely registered as an obstacle before its might.

Foreign power flooded his body and returned his lost strength, yet it didn't stop there. The world felt clearer and, again, there was a noticeable shift in his perception, he had grown once more. The worlds colours seemed to be brighter and more saturated, as if everything became a bit more real.

There was more to it, it wasn't just the colours or the brightness, but something that was at the tip of his tongue, he was unable to explain but could feel the change. Charlie didn't have time to mull over the mysteries of what he did or didn't understand, he needed to come back to reality and check in on his body.

The infection was still there, unfortunately, but there was some good news. The flow of the pus had considerably slowed. It was no longer leaking out of him when he sat still, instead only releasing small spurts when he twisted his body. That was great but it didn't put him out of danger yet. His thirst was quenched momentarily but he was still ravenously hungry, [Devour] didn't seem to actually fill him.

Curiously, this time [Devour] didn't rear its head at the mere thought of it. There must be some limitation to it, or some rule he didn't understand yet. Charlie was certain he'd be able to figure it out in time, he didn't believe it would stay calm forever.

Having used [Devour] and reclaiming much of his lost strength, Charlie felt like he fared better against this infection but wasn't out of the woods just yet. He was still voraciously hungry and needed to clean himself to further stave the infection away. The stale blood that coated Charlies scales couldn't be good for him either.

Setting off without wasting any more time, Charlie made his way to the river. Charlie couldn't be certain that it was still nearby, but instead hoped he would be able to at least find signs and make his way over, quickly.

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While searching for signs of the river, Charlie found that his body responded a bit better to how he wanted to move. Like it was a bit more comfortable and less restrictive than before. It didn't feel like it was due to his strength returning, but more like he became more agile.

This discovery allowed Charlie to make way through the underbrush at an astonishing speed, when compared to his earlier days. He started to look like a native of this strange forest. Now capable of making far better turns and reacting quickly to changing landscapes, Charlie was successful in finding the river on good time.

The forest canopy opened up and cleared before the river, the sun finally given the chance to break through the dense foliage's shadowy barrier revealed a sparkling river. The creatures that dotted the riverbank, drinking the water in utter silence, all left ample space between each other. Charlie was grateful for this wild and unspoken rule amongst the forest creatures.

Slithering to the water and finding a suitable cover in the reeds, Charlie greedily had his fill. The cool water was crisp and refreshing, washing away the uncomfortable heat of the infection that built inside of him. Charlie slowly lowered his body into the river, taking care to not be taken away by the current and felt himself relax in its soothing embrace. He watched the bloody and discoloured water merge with the river, and float off somewhere into the distance.

Right now, his body was as good as it was going to get. He needed to find a way to feed himself, as even now he could feel his strength waning again, hopefully due to hunger this time. He was going to have to upset the peaceful law of the river, and find a meal.

From his concealed position, Charlie scanned the creatures that were closest. None of the prey matching his requirements, as they all were either too large or looked too alert for him to easily approach. He needed something smaller, something he could wrap his jaw around and swallow whole.

The riverbank was sparsely populated with reeds that were tall enough to cover Charlie, yet there was no choice but to try and keep to them, keep to the shadows. The sharp instincts of these creatures mostly bridged the gap between them, he wasn't going to outsmart instinctual fear in his current condition.

Yet no matter how much Charlie searched or where he looked, he was unable to find anything that he could eat. It was already incredibly frustrating and Charlies insolent stomach wouldn't shut up, pushing Charlie closer to his limit.

What could he do?

Charlie dejectedly slithered back to the lip of the river and let its cool waters wash away the stress and grime off of his body. The wound was starting to close up a bit and the water pulled away the caked-in pus that had accumulated over time, easing the deep itch that was making itself known.

Suddenly, Charlie was ripped out of his reverie and felt his tail, that dangled aimlessly in the water, get swallowed and pulled under. It quickly pulled him off the riverbank and tried to drag him downstream. The water pulled Charlie under before he knew what happened and, not having taken a large breath, felt his lungs start to burn. He stopped himself from spluttering and coughing but could still feel the water slosh around in his chest.

The drag of the river was nothing compared to the speed that Charlie was being dragged down, making fighting back monstrously difficult. The pressure around Charlie quickly mounted as they descended deeper and deeper into the river, even the light started to turn murky down here.

The only solace Charlie had was that whatever was trying to eat him, didn't have teeth to bite down with. It was like the creature was trying to swallow him whole, a bit like himself if he was honest. The underwater creature would find that to be its first, and last mistake. Well, it would be if Charlie could actually reach it in time, which was proving to be difficult.

The currents around Charlie raged and made it a nightmare to orient himself, half of his body being swallowed didn't help either. Still, Charlie managed to at least get a good look at what had him halfway into its stomach.

It was a shiny creature, with thick scales resembling metal plating layered across its body. It had a unique shape that resembled nothing else Charlie had ever seen, flat and with strange appendages that seemed to help it glide in the water. Charlie could only see one eye from this position, so he couldn't tell what it's face looked like. There was also a strange gap that separated some smooth skin with the scales, it released turbulent water every time it opened.

Charlies breath was running out, his lungs felt like they were about to burst, and he needed to finish this now. If they sank any deeper there was no chance for Charlie to return to the surface as anything but a corpse.

A particularly powerful current slammed into the two, while the shiny creature gracefully shook it off, Charlie was thrown about wildly. The shiny creature took advantage of Charlies slow recovery and swallowed another portion.

A cold wind blew through Charlie and sent him into a frenzy. In thrashing about, Charlie felt that he had a bit more stability now, the length that he could move around was drastically shorter now but it could be used. Not missing his chance, Charlie struck out with a laboured [Hollow Fang] and filled the aquatic creature with liquid death.

The shiny creature squirmed for a moment but refused to let Charlie go. Undeterred, Charlie let out another [Hollow Fang] and felt the grip around his body lessen. It squirmed violently, thrashing side to side but still held on to Charlie, unwilling to let go of this easy meal.

Yet Charlie will prove that he was anything but an easy meal. He'd make the creature work for every single inch of his body, even if it was the last thing he'd make sure to do.

Charlie felt the grip lessen yet again, and this time he had enough purchase to force his way out of the guts of this creature. In a visceral display of Charlies will to live, he escaped the maw of the aquatic creature, along with the contents of the creatures stomach.

The sudden turn of events created a disturbance in the water, drastically slowing them down. The aquatic creature was thrashing around desperately, at first, but then slowed and eventually calming. The contents of [Hollow Fang] had done their job and finished off the creature.

Yet victory was short lived as a strong current whisked them both away. Charlie fought it with all he could, writhing and coiling into a ball, desperately hoping his attempts were not futile. He didn't know if he could hold on any longer, the pain in his chest was starting to overwhelm him, he needed to take a breath now!

Charlie opened his mouth to take a breath, when his body collided with a rock-like wall, forcing him to take inhale even more water. Charlies body was tossed upwards as the current changed rapidly beside this sturdy stone. Water shot through Charlies lungs and filled him with an undeniable need to take an even deeper breath, as if to push out the water.

Yet Charlies throat, that twitched and ached uncontrollably, refused to open up. It felt like his lungs were about to collapse, yet his body would not take in another breath. Then, the pain started to ease, the world started to dim and Charlie started to calm down. It was suddenly so quiet, even the turbulent currents seemed to still.

Then there was light, it was soft and warm - It felt so nice, like the gentle caress of a fire on a cold winter night. That warmth quickly turned to ice in his veins as he wrestled out of the alluring grip of death.

Charlies will to live returned with a flurry of intense emotions, all screaming to take a breath and get to the shore.

His eyes regained their focus and in an instant took in his location, he was above water, floating right beside the rock wall he collided with earlier and was drifting towards the shore.

It was mind-bending to fight back against his instincts, Charlies body had never fought him this hard before - The want to breathe almost drove him insane before he could no longer relent. He inhaled deeply and with everything he had.

Revitalizing fresh air filled his lungs, sending him into an uncontrollable coughing fit as the water displaced. There was blood and mucous in the water, it came out in parts and felt closer to vomiting than coughing at times.

Amidst the coughing fit, Charlies head ducked back under the water and sending him into a short lived panic. His body washed up on the riverbanks sandy beach and was just barely deep enough to cover his head. In a flurry of panicked motion, Charlie threw himself out of the water and further into the riverbank.

The sand felt comforting and safe, but the momentary relief was quickly marred by a violent coughing fit. Charlie eventually found himself just laying in the sand and taking a moment to calm down now that his fit had subsided. He couldn't help but want to hide somewhere safe, and dug himself into the sand, the warmth and gentle pressure felt assuring right now.

He knew water was dangerous, but what happened down there wasn't anything he could have expected. Not knowing how to swim and drowning was one thing, scary but avoidable, but the creatures that made the water their home were an entirely new fear that Charlie didn't know he could have had.

What else existed out there, that Charlie not only doesn't know about, but can't even imagine? What other horrors, or maybe wonders will he see out there that defy all logic? Will he even survive until tomorrow with how many devious horrors he had experienced today?

It was frustrating beyond reason how shit Charlies situation was. He didn't have a moment to rest, to breathe and to fucking come to terms with his situation. He had just, maybe, survived an infection by doing something that should be impossible and absorbed some fucking gem. Speaking of the gem, that stupid bird was an even bigger monstrosity than he thought. Yet, he continued to survive, he had survived against all odds but they never stopped coming, constantly tightening an invisible rope all over him.

It was too much.

Charlies vision swam and then, faded - The stress simply, and utterly, overwhelmed him.