6. Four trees and a creek

Kagami started with her questions right away, and enthusiastically.

It seemed as she got some bits and pieces from that Karneol guy, that were more puzeleing then helpfull. But Alex had no problem answering her.

It was a good distraction from his own bewilderment.

So, he told her about everything she asked about. Well, as good as he could, not that he had the details of how most things worked.

Meanwhile, he walked through the small grove, looking for a good place.

He didn't recognize the trees, but what did he know? That meant only that there were none of the handful of kinds he would recognize at all. The undergrowth was mostly fern, so he had no problem walking between the trees. At some places, there were more dense bushes and such, but they were easy to avoid.

First, he found the creek, flowing nicely through the woods near the other side of the small forest. It was neither big nor deep. You could reach the other side with a small jump in most places. And after following it for a bit, he also found a good place, just a few meters from the creek.

On a small rise were four trees standing in a near perfect square, each about two and a half meters from each other.

So, still telling Kagami about his life and world, he brought all his stuff back, and started to make a camp.

He was never a big camper or anything, but it's not rocket science either. And he had surprisingly many tools.

So, with a machete and a shovel, he cleared and leveled the ground between the trees. After that, he closed two sides with the tarpaulins, which were 2x3 meters each. The third tarpaulin made a good roof, and after he weighed everything down at the bottom with stones from the creek, he had a secure spot where he had not to fear wind or weather.

Some more stones in a circle and a little shoveling later, he had a good fireplace too.

He stopped his attempt to explain the internet to Kagami and asked her.

How much time with daylight have we left?

If I understood the length of your hours right, perhaps two of them.

We are high up in the north, and its still springtime.

Well, then I better collect some wood, and find a way to make a fire. Lucky for me, I was always very inquisitive, and so I know at least the theories of multiple ways to make fire.

Nice! But that's not needed.

Kagami showed him a small wooden box.

Put your hand in your belt pouch and think of this.

What, that is a spatial bag too?

Yes, but not much room in there; perhaps as much as would fit in the backpack if it wasn't a spatial bag.

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Nice!

What is this? And what else is in the pouch?

He had pulled out the box and opened it. In it was a round stone, about 5 cm in diameter, with some inlaid engravings.

Just this and a compass.

It's a firestone. It stores heat.

You activate it, and I will show you later how, then put it in the fireplace and put the wood on it.

The firestone releases the heat, the fire starts burning.

The best thing about it is that as soon it has released all his heat, it starts to storing it again.

So, if you take it out of the burned down fire, it is already fully loaded for the next use.

That's quite ingenious!

I can't wait to see it for myself. But first, we need wood; let's go.

He started to search the surrounding area for dead wood.

Ok, where was I?

You told me that your people had a way of storing knowledge in the clouds.

What?

Oh, no. Not really, it's the same, as with the Bluetooth, again.

There are no clouds, as there are no blue teeth in the machines. Just again, some idiot named it that way because they thought it sold better.

And so, they were back to their questions and answers, while he used the rest of the day to get as much fuel for a fire as he could.

A while after he was back at the camp, it already started to get darker, and he finally had broken up enought of the collected wood, that it should be enought for the night, he registert the no more questions came from Kagami.

Are you already out of questions?

What?

No. I just thought that it was odd that you didn't pester me with more questions.

I really want to know more, but don't you want to know more about, well, everything?

Well, yes and no.

He got the firestone back out.

I’m still shocked by all that has happened.

For now, let's pretend we are just friends on a camping trip, and tomorrow I will ask my questions.

Except, how do I get this stone working, and what exactly are those emergency rations?

Oh, that's easy.

Just lay the stone in the middle of the fireplace, touch it with a finger and will your Mana through your finger into the stone. The same way as when I ask you to help your brain heal.

It's a coarse way of doing it, but it works, and we get to the finer parts tomorrow.

Oh, and be careful; it gets hot fast.

He did so, and even with the warning, he nearly burned his finger.

But on the plus side, he had the fire burning fast. Much better than chemical fire starter.

Do I have a pot, or something like that, in my bag?

Oh, yes!

Wait, I show you!

As Kagami showed him all the cooking utensils that were in it, he pulled them all out.

He had a small pot, a wok-like pan, a roast spit, quite a lot of bowls in different sizes, and an assortment of different cutlery.

He filled the pot a little more than half full of water and sat it near the fire. The cooking would need to wait until he had some good embers.

The boxes have each 50 emergency rations in them.

They are always a slice of zwieback, and a block of dried and pressed meat and vegetables.

Those that you got are spicy, because Karneol said you like spicy. It's so they last longer, most of the time, there is a lot of salt in them, for the same reason.

If you put the block in some water, you get some kind of mash, if you take more water, you get a soup.

Nice! Then we can use it as the base and cook a bunny stew.

Does one portion mean one meal for one person, or is it what you need for a day?

One meal!

Ok.

He leveraged the nailed shut lid from one box and look at the portions.

We have 5 boxes, that means 250 meals. Maybe 500 if I can forage and hunt. So, food is not a problem.

He started to cut the bunny into smaller pieces and put them right in the pot.

Are we safe here?

You said the other animals would act normally, so I think they would not come in the vicinity of a fire.

Yes!

And there aren't a lot of animals here.

Really? Why?

I mean water, good grass and so on.

Well, this area here is a bit of an anomaly.

The Mana here is very, very low, and what comes in from outside is absorbed by the ground nearly instantly.

That's why Karneol brought you here.

You know, in the case, that you wouldn't take his offer. It would have helped to minimize the fallout.

What has that to do with the animals?

Well, first, only the weakest would stay here.

Second, you don't feel it now, because you don't know other, but the sucking force of this ground and the low Manadensitiy feels itchy for stronger beeings.

Ah, ok. By the way, you can go on asking questions if you want.

That stew will need time, and I have nothing better to do.

If it is really okay? I would love to.

Kagami said with a happy smile.