As Xavier’s senses slowly returned with his consciousness the first was his hearing. The soft whisper of a breeze through leaves mingled with the song of various forest birds and the quiet melody of nearby running water. Breathing deeply his nose was filled with the heady aroma of rich earth blended with the sweet tang of crushed grass. He then realized that he was lying face-first on the ground. The sharp prick of a stone dug into his hip even as his cheek was cradled in the gentle cool of a bed of grass. Opening his eyes confirmed his makeshift pillow and he pushed himself up to a seated position to better take assessment of his situation.
What appeared to be mid-morning light filtered through the canopy overhead to illuminate the small clearing he found himself in. A cursory look about the area revealed to him a sight unlike any he had seen since he was in that outdoor youth group as a kid. The forest glen was awash with life from the long grasses he was sitting in to myriad versions of flowering plants. As his mind fully awakened, he noticed the chirp of nearby insects and the scurry of small claws since his movement startled the tiny denizens that made this spot their home. Xander realized he was sitting in a sanctuary of natural life… and he had a thirst and hunger as if he had never cared for his stomach his entire life.
A spring had formed a small pool near the edge of the clearing which then poured out through the brook that he had heard earlier. He quickly rose to his feet and made his way to the water, dropping to his knees in the soft mud at the edge he scooped handful after handful of the cool clear liquid into his mouth to slake his thirst. As that demand lessened, he paused wondering what sort of illness or other issue he may have just inadvertently swallowed in his haste. After a few moments he mentally shrugged, what was done was done and he would have to deal with the consequences when and if they arose, for now though he needed to figure out what to do next.
Sitting back on his heels Xavier reassessed himself. He discovered he was clothed, thankfully, in some sort of shirt and pants made of a rough spun cloth. The pants were held up by a thin short piece of rope laced through loops cut at the waist. As he inspected each piece, he got a small white-bordered prompt for each.
You have discovered: Rough-Spun Tunic
Rarity: Common
Armor Class: Light
Durability: 10/10
You have discovered: Rough-Spun Pants
Rarity: Common
Armor Class: Light
Durability: 10/10
“Ok,” Xavier thought to himself, “I have clothes and a place to get something to drink. I need shelter and food then I can figure out where to go from here. They could have at least dropped me in a town or something.” His stomach rumbled loudly at that moment, and he noticed silver flashes in the pool as fish swam lazily back and forth. Focusing on the closest one he tried to study it and figure out how to catch it. After a few minutes of watching the large creature swim lazily back and forth. He felt he had a good idea about the fish from watching it though as it seemed to follow the same path in its lazy movements. He noticed a small niche in the edge of the pool the fish would swim into each passing and moved slowly over to where he could lay down there dangling his hand into the cool water. After a time, the fish once again looped through the area and he scooped it quickly up and onto the bank. A grin spread on his lips as he caught his first fish in years. Pinning it to the ground so he could stick his fingers in its gills he lifted it and carried it further from the water to avoid losing it.
Setting the fish on a nearby rock he moved to the edge of the woods gathering small sticks and dry grass as he went. After about twenty minutes of walking through trees lining the clearing, he had a small armful of burnable materials and brought them back to his soon-to-be meal. Carefully he dug out a small pit and then piled the grass and sticks within. He had not built a fire since the youth group either. Living in the city did not require skills like that.
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It was nearly a half hour of frustration before he finally was able to kindle a small flame in the tinder he had gathered. Dredging up old memories he carefully added small twigs and then pieces of wood to the flame until he had a tiny fire burning merrily at the bottom of the cook pit. All of his efforts were suddenly awarded with the sound of chimes in his head and a prompt appearing before is view.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Survival level 1. Many and varied are the things that need to be done to live off the land. You have taken the first to ensure your ability to do so. This skill affects your ability to create impromptu survival shelters, campfires, and forage for edible foodstuffs.
A broad smile crossed his lips as he read through the prompt. He had learned his first skill in the world. One that would increase his likelihood of living until he found civilization. With extreme pride, he picked up the fish only to realize he had no way to gut or even cook it. Sighing inwardly, he began searching for a sharp rock hoping to at least be able to remove the entrails of the creature before skewering it to try and roast it over the fire. Though he hadn’t been big on cooking back on earth he at least understood the basics and wished he had a pan and some butter to fry the thing.
It took another fifteen minutes before he had found a small sharp-edged rock and he set about trying to cut open the belly of the fish without destroying it. That was one thing he really missed from the games he had played. They always just gave him the ingredients when he clicked on the animal he didn’t have to actually do the work to get them. Several minutes and one partially mutilated fish later he was done. Rinsing the body of the fish in the pool of water he was able to clean the worst of the entrails out and proceeded to skewer the fish on a long stick he had sharpened with the rock as well. Taking a seat next to the fire he held the fish kabob over the flame and slowly began to rotate it while he thought about what to do next. Soon the pleasant aroma of roasted fish filled the air and set his mouth to watering and his stomach to grumbling even more. While he watched his meal develop, he got a new sound of chimes and another prompt.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Cooking level 1. Hark and hear, by cooking your first meal you have taken the first steps on this grandest if often ignored path. From the simplest salad to the most robust entrée cooking is the path to gastronomic pleasure and status-enhancing buffs. Masters of this skill can craft delicacies that would make gods and kings weep with pleasure and foods that would empower armies. +2% to flavor of prepared dishes. +2% yield from cooking ingredients.
Another skill he thought to himself. If everything came this easy, then surviving in this world would be simple. Immediately he regretted those thoughts as he was suddenly wary of cursing himself with the wrong words.
Removing the roasted fish from the flames he looked closer at it relieved at the new information his cooking skill provided in a new white bordered prompt.
You have discovered a new dish: Slow Roasted Fish (Whole)
Dish Rarity: Common
Dish Quality: Edible
Traits: This whole fish was slowly roasted over an open flame. The lack of seasonings leaves it with a common fishy flavor but overall, it is wholesome and filling. Having successfully created this dish you retain the knowledge on how to recreate it with reduced failure. Chance to cook +1%
The rumble in his stomach shook further thoughts from his head as he ravenously tore into the still-steaming flesh. Never had food tasted so good to his mind. Carefully spitting out the small bones he quickly devoured his meal and tossed the stick into the fire with a satisfied groan. All his pressing needs taken care of he started to look about the clearing. While it would work for a temporary place to rest, he knew he didn’t have the skills or tools to survive for a long time in the wilds and he was going to need to seek out some sort of hopefully friendly civilization. He rose to his feet and put out the fire before setting off following the stream.
“This way,” Xavier thought to himself, “I know at least how to get back to where I started and a place to rest.”
Hours passed and the sun climbed to where it was directly overhead piercing easily through the canopy over the stream. As he walked, the water grew wider and faster. The sounds of animals and birds in the forest grew louder in the distance only to drop off as he grew closer to their location. Sweat slicked his skin as the day grew warmer though not uncomfortably so. After several hours of the casual walk, he heard a louder sound of rushing water ahead of him. Breaking free of the trees he found himself standing on a small cliff, the water from the stream he was following racing over the edge in a beautifully cascading waterfall to a lake below. Drawing closer to the edge he heard a fanfare of trumpets in his head and in the sky ahead of him the words “Welcome to Arath” in a brilliant aged gold script appeared as if written by some invisible hand. They hung there for several moments before fading from view and he knew that his new life had started in earnest.