I don’t know who I’m talking to, or why I do it, but it’s something I’ve done for as long as I can remember; maybe its a coping mechanism.

I’m pretty sure I’m dying or dead or somewhere in that region of mortally challenged.

I don’t know what I was planning to do, I walked into the woods randomly with a collection of random crap and an infection eating me from the inside out looking for honey like that would actually solve anything.

I guess I just needed to convince myself I was making progress, y'know?

In the most helpless times, doing something, anything, that feels like forward motion is my go-to; even if it’s all built on a leaning tower of delusions.

I won’t say I’m giving in to despair, just sort of accepting reality.

I made a good push against the dark, I kicked some serious ass. Hell, I melted the face off of a giant talking wolf while spitting casual quips.

But honey wouldn’t’ve fixed what was wrong with me, I probably had some chunk of tusk or something buried in my gut; surgery and broad spectrum antibiotics would’ve been a better bet.

I’m pretty sure the bees are trying to help me, but I can’t focus long enough to take anything in; I guess they might be keeping me alive.

The world is confusing blur, every now and then I taste something sweet or bitter basically just dumped into my mouth.

My body is hot and cold all at once and throbs in time with my heartbeat.

Heartbeat...

I’m alive...

I am alive.

I am alive.

I am alive.

I am alive

I open my eyes and cry out in triumph.

“I’m alive!”

I snap up like a bolt and my head impacts a low ceiling with a loud crack.

“Ow, fuck!”

Clenching my throbbing skull, I roll out of a hexagonal alcove down about two meters to the ground where I have a swift meeting with the floor that fills my vision with spots and knocks the wind from my lungs.

Rolling over I see that the ceiling is so far above me that I can barely make it out, hexagonal chambers make up the yellow waxy walls spreading in both directions as far as I can make out in the low light and forms buzz through the darkness just out of my view.

“H-hurray… I’m alive... oh god... “

My celebration is cut short as I vomit up a stomach full of honey and mashed herbs and dip right back into the dizzying blackness of unconsciousness; all the while considering the medical dangers of concussion and the startling frequency with which this seems to happen.

I hope my hard headed trait helps here... or that magic fixes brain damage.

Roxyreads

Oof, so this week has not been a really fun or productive time for me; all the same I'm trying to get the actual full chapter out today, though I hope this offering of Amber's slapstick hell is enough to keep y'all satisfied if it takes another day or two.

Good news for y'all menu crack addicts though, next chapter is gonna be big on that front.

Leveling her actually takes a whole lot of work on my part and I'm thinking of taking a day to slap together some automation in that process, probably something made to crunch the numbers for me in python.

Anyway, happy Friday y'all, I'm gonna go get back to work.