Another day, another trial for survival in this cold place, but I am getting used to this place. Freezing temperatures, no humans to talk with, or my favorite, literal monsters wandering the forest are something everyone desires to have around. Of course, not everything is sunshine and rainbows, but I can still see the glass half-full. I am clearing my head and finding peace of mind, it is like therapy, but I don't need to talk to anyone.

I got up from the ground, inhaled lots of fresh air into my lungs, and looked at the snowy forest. That's a sight I can look at all day long, but I don't have that luxury, at least for now. Still, I probably should scout the surrounding area and find something to cut wood. I must trap my surroundings.

But for that, I must first search for skeletons. Huh, that's funny how I was terrified by those weak creatures. Now, I know what they are, small challenges carrying valuable equipment.

I moved back into the cave and grabbed the coat I got from the skeleton I killed yesterday. I modified it a bit using the equipment from the same monster. I added a handle to the back using leather strips and nails to hold the long sword, and talking about the long sword, I used the clothing I got to cover certain parts of its edge, so it won't harm the leather holding it.

Now, I won't lie. With this long sword on my back, I feel like William Wallace, at least his representation in the famous movie, but just because I felt like him doesn't mean I want a similar fate.

Enough talking for now. I wore the fur coat, placed the long sword on my back, grabbed the bag, emptied it into a corner, placed several items in it, including my lighter and mace, then left the cave. Outside, I pulled out my lighter and looked at the compass on it. "I already moved towards the west. The berry bush is there if I need any food. But to find new things and skeleton, I will go east."

I put the lighter back into my bag and began moving towards the eastern part of the forest, and surprisingly, it wasn't that much different than the rest.

Except for some places like my cave, there are almost no elevations. That allows me to see the surroundings much easier, but that also means other things can see me with the same ease, and I don't want to know what sort of dangerous monster this place can suddenly decide to send after me. I must be careful.

I stopped with a sound, a rustle from not too far, most likely caused by something passing through a bush. I placed one of my hands on the sword's handle and crouched, then changed my route toward the sound.

After a short walk, I saw the reason for the sound. A group of skeletons, four of them to be exact, and each one of them has weapons and armor. They have two spears, one two-handed ax with a large head, most likely made for cutting lumber, and one short sword, coming to armor. I see one of them has rusty and worn chainmail, the other two members have helmets, and the last one has shoulder pads and gloves like they ever need them.

"Now, I shouldn't risk anything by attacking a large group." I released my grip on the sword's handle a bit. "But all that equipment will drastically increase my chances of survival." I grinned. "I couldn't keep this part of me down." I pulled the sword from my back and charged toward the skeletons with a battle cry.

The ones with spears immediately turned toward me and thrust their spears. I blocked, then cathed the incoming weapons with my sword and spun it to make two of them drop their weapons, then turned towards the skeleton with the short sword and thrust my sword towards its rib cage. "Not heavy." I lifted the monster, threw it away with my sword, then immediately pulled my mace.

While I was beating the three bone bags, the last skeleton sneaked into my blind spot. Thankfully, I heard him coming from his weight-crunching snow, but I should act more carefully. One sneak attack and I am either dead or mortally injured.

I dashed forward to dodge the attack from the two-handed ax, then turned towards the one who dared to sneak on me. The skeleton is standing, ready to strike again with its ax. It is quite the big one too, even bigger than the one from yesterday.

"You are missing out on all the fun by striking from the shadows, big friend. I much prefer for you to attack me from the front. You know all the good things are in face-to-face combat since it is when your body pumps adrenaline to its limit."

I suppose the monster understood me because it began charging with its ax over its head. Good. I avoided the incoming attack from the skeleton by stepping right and putting one leg in front of the charging monster. Poor thing stumbled on my leg and fell to the ground. How bad. Of course, I helped it by smashing its head into pieces with a single powerful strike of my mace.

"Now, back to the rest of you." Other skeletons, except the one I threw away with my sword, are ready to combat again, and against two enemies with spears, I think I need to slow things a little. Now, I need to break their stance, then strike in the opening, but how could I? What can break the posture of two skeletons wearing helmets and wielding spears? Maybe something heavy and throwable. I looked at the mace in my hand and then at the ax lying on the ground.

I grabbed the ax and began to move away from the skeletons. They followed me for a while, but the chase wasn't long, and they decided to play more defensively. "Perfect." I immediately threw the mace toward one of them. The weapon hit the skeleton's hand and caused it to drop its weapon. Using the opening, I quickly grabbed the ax from the ground with both hands and began charging toward the other one.

Skeleton thrust its spear towards me the moment I got into its range, so I used the head of the ax to block its tip and push the spear away. Now it is my turn to strike. I gave a good spin to the ax and landed a powerful hit to the skeleton's head. The large metal head smashed through the worn helmet and crushed the skull.

I turned towards the other spear skeleton, leaped towards it, and slammed my ax toward the connection point between its arm and shoulder. I don't know what, but I felt like my ax cut something hard, and the skeleton's arm fell from its body. I followed my attack with a tackle, then removed the helmet from its head and smashed its skull using the ax's back. This way, I also saved the equipment for myself.

"Last one." I looked at the skeleton that barely got up from the ground. It is still stumbling and trying to remove the sword from its rib cage. I just moved towards it and did what I did to the other three, shattered its skull into pieces and killed it.

I dropped the ax, grabbed the sword, placed it on its handle, then moved to get my mace from the ground and put it back into my bag. There are too many items to get, but no way to carry them. I must improvise.

***

After pulling everything to a single place, I choose what to grab and what not to. I left the damaged helmet but wore the other one, gloves, and shoulder pad, then stuffed the chainmail into my bag. I turned towards the weapons. I could carry both spears in one hand and the ax in the other. I can't leave the short sword behind. No. Improvise.

"I hope I won't regret that." I wrapped some cloth around the short sword's blade, then placed the weapon between my belt and pant. It won't fall thanks to its handle, and clothing will stop it from damaging my body.

And that makes it all, I guess. Now I have everything, and I am ready to go back and start building traps around my shelter. I already have a plan in my mind. I can use tree bark to make fiber and branches as short spears. Combining two, I can fill the entire forest with snap traps that will kill or badly injure any small creature stepping over it.

My mood is good, so I am currently whistling while walking, but who cares. I made a good hunt, gained more stuff than usual, and increased my chances of survival and escape from this place. I can only top today with a good meal. Perhaps I should visit the berry bush before night falls.

I am unsure, and maybe I should sleep through this day. I could even stop searching for an escape at this rate. This forest, I like this here. I can feel what I felt during the war again here, a place with an endless fight. Yes! This forest could be the answer to my desires. "Ha! I love this place!" I shouted.

***

I am back at my cave, but something is wrong. I feel a pain in my stomach. It is like something is burning it from inside my mouth. It is watering, and my brain screams for something, but what! I don't know.

I dropped the things I was carrying and fell to the ground next to them. I cannot even get up. What might have caused that? Think, think. Yes, those berries. Perhaps they are the reason being.

[Negative.]

What! Who said that? I moved my head a little by giving whatever strength I had in my body. But nothing. Not even an animal. It is only trees I see every day. "Who are you." I tried to shout.

[I detect unnaturally high amounts of addictive toxin in your blood. Your best chance is waiting until its effects are over.] The same voice repeated. I don't know how it entered my mind, but whatever it says, I won't question mysterious voices after seeing monsters, and it is not like I can do anything else.

So I let myself down and closed my eyes, but I couldn't sleep. The burning in my stomach is slowly moving through my body. I can feel the same heat in my eyes, arms, and tips of my fingers. I need medical help. No, I need help.

I slammed my hands to the ground and pushed my upper body away from the dirt. "I see why I was this happy to be in this goddamn nightmare. Still, my body and will are not so easy to break!" I spit on the ground as I got up. I can barely keep myself straight, but no. I cannot lose losing my consequences. These plants' drug-like effects might have caused me to act a little more carefree, but not anymore. I am over this shit.

[It is highly advised to stop resisting the toxin. One's health and wait until the body circulates and destroys t-]

"Put your advice to your not very nice place. If I learned something from this forest, that would be that at least one monster will visit my shelter in a day, and I haven't finished today's quota." I shouted to the voice inside my head.

And as it wanted to prove my point, a wolf jumped out of the nearby greenish landscape with its fangs open, ready to attack. "You see the magical voice inside my head. I would be dead if I ever listened to you." I stumbled, but managed to take a step forward, pulled my sword out of its sheet, and damaged the leather strips holding it in the process.

Wolf did something similar too. It opened its mouth and began running towards me. I don't know what caused this animal to be this aggressive, but I won't take it easy on it.

[Your scent.] The voice inside my head answered my question. [Toxins cause you to give out a scent that will make predators think you are a defenseless prey, and its paralyzing effect is to make you a defenseless prey.] And added more explanation.

"Good, but let's chat later." I slashed the sword toward the running wolf. Even though I didn't put much force behind it, its sheer weight and gravity gave it enough power to split the top of the wolf's skull into two, killing the creature right there.

I fell to my knees and began panting. A simple slash took so much energy, much more than it should. "Yet, I won. Even after getting drugged by a plant, I won!" I shouted and began laughing with satisfaction. "Perhaps it wasn't the toxins that caused me to like this place. Now, strange voice, while I cut whatever edible meat from this creature, explain to me what the fuck are you."