It is officially the morning my third day in Aonus and I slept great, having something soft to put my head on and some makeshift night clothes makes a world of difference; even the system agrees

I was up way too late reading every scrap of tutorial information I could squeeze out of the system and today I feel I am sufficiently brushed up on the way things work to make some decisions about point expenditure and to go a bit further than the church’s courtyard.

Still, I’ve got a bit of a late start going here and that’s not great, I don’t really have an easy way of making sustained light for doing anything after dark so I should get moving quickly.

Today’s trip is definitely important, I just finished off the last of my water and I really really need to go out and get some more and... then figure out how to make it safe for drinking, but first… 

I have to get ready.

Thankfully finding a container was not an issue, I was lucky enough to find several large ceramic vessels in a crawlspace beneath the communal bunk-room - if I hadn’t done a second pass sweeping, I might not have found the hatch leading down there. They look huge and heavy, but with a Might score of 90, I manage just fine moving them about and the [Greater Magic Bag] proves it’s worth as well allowing me to bring all five of them without issue. Whatever they were storing has long rotted away to dust and to be frank they smell more than a little funny, but I can just rinse them out when I get down to the lake.

It’s hard to believe, but packing is really the easiest part here… getting into my armor is the greatest challenge I face; there are so many buckles, bindings, and belts that I think it might drive even BDSM fans a little bonkers. The new armor is much more comfortable though, it’s more closely fitted and flexible. making moving around much less of a chore. 

With that said I’m still glad to have something soft to wear under the armor, my old Ramones t-shirt and yoga pants are a nice buffer against the chafing leather.

On top of that goes my new [Flak Jacket], tightly fastened against my chest by it’s side straps and topped off with the [Greater Magic Bag] and my twin bandoliers, one loaded with various alchemical bombs and knickknacks while the other has my potions.

Being frank, I’m quite glad I got the bandoliers, the [Greater Magic Bag] has a noticeable lag time between requesting and receiving an item and I really have to focus on visualizing what I want or nothing happens; something I definitely don’t want to deal with in the heat of battle.

From there, my quiver and machete are fastened at my belt and my two daggers at my thighs before I pull on those [Boots of Leaping]. Once again the gym bag and its contents prove to be my favorite reward; as a comfy, if mismatched, pair of socks make wearing boots a much more pleasant prospect.

On go the [Fisheye Goggles] and [Fumigant mask] and neither seems to cause any problems once I get used to them; really I was expecting some issues but it seems [Iron Lungs] is pulling its weight negating any issues from the mask and either due to my stats, their enchantment, or plain old adaptability I find no problems dealing with the expanded field of view granted by the goggles.

For hands and forearms I double layer the [Ogre’s Might Gloves] and [Alchemist’s Gloves], one for the magic effect and the other for the thick protective leather; at first I was concerned that it’d be a bit constraining but the [Ogre’s Might Gloves] are thin enough that it isn’t a problem.

On top of all that business goes the [Sootblack Cindercloak] and as a cherry on top my [Grenadier’s Helm].

Taking a look in my steel mirror, as blurry as the picture might be, I feel satisfied with the look I give off… fashion might not be a major concern in the immediacy, but who wouldn’t want to look like a medieval Darth Vader?

“Perfect…”

A loaded crossbow finishes the ensemble and so satisfied with my preparations, I start moving… or start to start moving. In actuality, I first pull the door open a crack to peek outside for anything dangerous.

Looking about, I can’t seem to spot anything all that threatening and lacking any evidence of invisible monsters I can only hope they won’t be a problem, so I set out following that main road down the hill from the chapel. 

The dead village feels eerie… a bit like a bus station at midnight, a place made for people but entirely empty; in a weird way that’s worse than if it were haunted or something.

Even if I complain, I’ve already decided to make this place my base until I can find some sort of society, but it’s far from ideal, anything could take shelter in these ruins alongside me - the same facets that make them attractive to humans apply to animals as well. I can only hope that whatever neighbors I might have now or in the future are friendly or… well at the very least benign.

Leaving behind the quiet ruins for a walk along the sunny somewhat overgrown road beyond the fallen gate, I find myself entranced by the sheer variety and bounty of edible forage, just glancing around I can spot spicebush plants and dandelions bursting into yellow blooms, red veined sorrel, and tiny curled fiddlehead ferns.

I can’t help but stop to harvest a bit. 

Spicebush can make a fairly tasty tea and later it’ll give red berries I can use to season my food with. The sorrel has a sharp taste but alongside the dandelion greens it can make for a good fresh salad; I’m not as confident on the safety of the fiddleheads, I remember that some varieties of them can be... poisonous...

“Wait…”

I pause in the middle of meal planning as a discomfiting realization strikes me.

“I don’t remember that… I don’t remember any of this but I still know it... “

Pulling up my menu I scan through my skills until my eyes land on [Foraging] lv 1³Rarity: Common
Status: Active, Related
Associated Classes: [Guerilla Fighter] [Combat Alchemist]
Description: A skill used when searching for food or provisions, usually in natural locales..

“That’s the bitch.”

It’s confirmed, this system does fuck with my brain and I am really not comfortable with that....

I’ve tried yelling at it, let's try another approach.

“Okay, I… know you’re trying to help, but can we set some boundaries? I just don’t like the idea of something in my head other than me.”

The fact that the system responds helps me feel a bit less like a crazy person, only trouble is I don’t exactly know what ‘external mode’ means.

I guess I could just ask, the system has been pretty forthcoming with information since yesterday afternoon’s debacle.

“Alright I’ll bite, what does that mean? Can you give me an example?”

A plant in the corner of my eye is highlighted and a window appears in my vision.

“That is… better.” 

...

“Much better actually...  Can we do this from now on unless I say otherwise?”

The original window asking for confirmation disappears with a chirp which I can only take as an affirmative and I shrug, leaning down to gather some of those tasty leaves.

Like that I go along harvesting a small bundle of edible forage and tossing it in the bag, doing a few minor experiments as well. As it turns out, I can’t store parts of a plant in my [Greater Magic Bag] and in fact unless it’s a possession of mine I can’t store it at all unless I pick it up first.

After a bit, I fall into a rhythm - identify, read, harvest, store - ad infinitum. But mundanity never seems to last, while harvesting some white clover I see a tiny blur in the corner of my vision, almost by instinct I whip around with my machete drawn and see…

Its a… well… it’s got the head of a rabbit, a pair of oversized fangs, tiny antlers, a sort of fat squirrel-like body, a long raccoon-like tail, and a pair of wings. As if all of that isn’t strange enough… it’s about the size of a small dog.

[Wolpertinger] Lv 43

Ah, of course, thank you system.

How could I not recognize it...

The creature tilts its head, beady black eyes catching catching a glint of sunlight. It squeaks at me and flaps its wings idly, slowly trotting in a circle around me as if sizing me up. 

Actually, that reminds me… [Size Up].

So it’s weaker than me in pretty much every way… seems like it can only match me in evasion defense.

It stops it’s pacing and looks up at me with those big eyes, tail drifting back and forth and nose twitching as it sniffs the air.

“Huh… its kinda cute in a weird way...”

After I give voice to that thought it rushes me, flapping and screeching as it scampers over the ground at incredible speed. Before I know what’s happening it’s on my head and trying to bite and claw my face; thankfully my protective gear prevents anything more than a few scratches, but I will not call my response graceful.

“Aghff ffffuck! I take it back, I take it back!”

The encounter quickly devolves into mess of flailing limbs as we both tumble down into the ditch beside the road. My every attempt to strike ends in a whiff; it seems to dodge at just the right moment to avoid my strikes.

After a spirited exchange, the little fucker takes a distance and trills at me threateningly, tail all puffed up.

“Shit, is this some kind of territory thing? Fuck off you horrible little bastard!”

With my ass flat on the ground I try and think up a plan, getting as far as ‘kill the fucker’, while on the other end the wolpertinger continues it’s threat display. 

Slowly I grasp for a stone on the roadside, keeping my eyes locked on the fluffy assailant; but I don’t have time to execute my master plan⁴Throw a rock at the little son of a bitch..

[Danger Sense] suddenly shoots through my brain like a bullet - my eyes snap to the source of that horrible sense of looming danger coming from atop the hill where the road lies.

A pair of gold colored eyes peer down at me and the wolpertinger.

In a flurry of motion, a massive form descends, razor sharp talons spearing through my would-be foe, an almost instantaneous kill.

A sharp beak rips away a strip of flesh from the fresh carcass and swallows it whole. Head wreathed in white feathers and wings flapping a few times in a triumphant display. 

Now that I see the creature in its entirety, I can only recognize it as one thing… an enormous chicken. Strictly speaking I’m wrong, but if it looks like a two meter tall duck and quacks like a two meter tall duck… 

I assume the exclamation point means ‘much higher’

‘Fuck… what do I do about this thing?’

It bobs its head down once or twice more, pecking open the skull of it’s kill before lapping at the contents and seems entirely happy to ignore my presence and continue eating until I shift my weight.

‘run, that's what I do about it.’

Feathers at the back of it’s head rise as it makes eye contact with me before crying out.

“Kree-wrraaaarrrk!”

It continues to flap and strut threateningly, its muscular legs as thick as tree trunks and it’s talons dripping red.

“Nice… birdy… good birdy...”

Keeping my hand hidden in the tall grass, I tighten my grip on the stone and pray to my goddess this works before subtly flinging it. 

‘please work please work please work…’

The brush behind the bird shakes with the impact and it turns and starts pecking at the nonexistent enemy with a wild fury, seeming to forget about me entirely.

‘Thank you, [Misdirection].’

Seeing my chance I back away slowly in the hopes that will make it less prone to notice me… and then break into a dash the moment I’ve got a bit of distance; an Agility of 142 and the [Sprinting] skill combine to propel me away from the scene at dizzying speeds.

I can hear the bird giving chase from behind me, but [Evasive Maneuvering] gives me the necessary edge to shake it off my tail despite its best efforts.

The trees turn into a blur as I sprint down the path - [Accurate Measure] chimes in helpfully to inform me that I’m moving at a tick over 60kph, but I’m entirely numb to the theoretically record breaking dash; all I can think to do is keep running.

At first it was because of fear, but somewhere along the way I suppose that turned into a runner's high and before I know it, I find myself sprawled out on the beach almost entirely out of energy.

I’m tempted to use a stamina potion, but I’ve only got three of them and have no goddamn idea how to make them yet, so I catch my breath the old fashioned way by having a quick lunch on the beach.

I've been getting tired of the dried rations, but after a workout like that the salt of the jerky is absolutely delicious if somewhat thirst provoking;Eating seems to restore stamina some and I’m pretty sure drinking does as well, but the water is not confirmed safe yet; I might’ve chugged a ton of it swimming out to the island without getting anything nasty, but that’s no guarantee.

It strikes me now that it might’ve been possible to take advantage of the confusion to strike a blow, but what’s done is done - I was in no way prepared for what I faced today.

“Fucking hell, German cryptids and giant chickens... some neighbors I’ve got; it makes me wonder what else is out there...”

I might not be proud of running away, but I’m not ashamed. That bird was stupid, but I know just how dangerous large flightless birds can be. Not only that but knowing what I know about these bomb things makes me... hesitant to use them; if I’d fucked up at any point in that encounter I have no doubt that I would’ve died.

Just because this world has ‘gamey’ elements doesn’t mean I can treat it like a game, you’d have to be a fucking dumbass to think that way.

“I need to be careful going out, make sure set some concrete goals and stick to ‘em… if I’d kept moving instead of getting distracted, I wouldn’t have had all that trouble...”

With those thoughts in mind, I load up those clay pots with as much as they can hold⁵Just shy of 20 liters each it seems, thanks [Accurate Measure]; I don’t want to have to make many water runs if I can help it.

I’m glad I got that bag, it makes this whole thing a hell of a lot easier… 100L of water isn’t a bad start if I can make sure it’s safe to drink.