Chapitre 202: It’s training time
I am back to the cave. I am making it my base for now. I looked for some wood after dealing with the killer fang. I brought the body back with me.
But I didn't find any wood. I haven't seen a blade of grass let alone a tree. How am I supposed to pass the night?
A lot of questions and no answer. I have to survive, I guess. Let's test the knife. I did get that knife as a reward for killing the killer fang.
I hope it's sharp and durable. Sharpness aside, durability is a must. It will help me in killing other monsters.
I know this is bit foolish but I try to stab it in the wall. Surprisingly, it passed through the wall like butter. I cut out a block and started carving it.
I carved it to be a bowl. I hope this counts as a bowl. It's a bit flat and shallow but for now, this is a bowl.
I dip it in the pond and fill it with water. I can drink more water like this. I guess, I can make a pitcher now. It will be a bit on the heavier side.
I lean on the wall and think. How can I be here? Was I spirited away? That is another answer. I can't contact anyone. Not even Samantha. I can't use my powers. I only have my human body. Guess, I am back to square one.
My stomach growled. But I can't light a fire. I have virtually no food except that killer fang.
The meat is more like carrion at this point. I know that a few animals can digest carrion but humans aren't one of them.
I always had a strong stomach but even I would get sick from eating half rotten meat. And yet, this is the only food I have.
I guess, I have to brute force my way through it. I can try boiling it. Let's try that.
I carve a bigger and rounder bowl. Fill it with water and put the meat in it. I trimmed off any unsavory and bad looking parts. The killer fang didn't weigh much so this will be just a light meal for me.
A lot of meat was cut off. I have about a pound of meat left. That doesn't look very appetizing either but it's better than nothing.
This bowl is going outside. I find a small fire closer to the cave. It's closer to the location where I killed the killer fang.
I put the bowl on the fire and go back to the cave to get some water. Boiling carrion is probably worse but let's see. If it looks edible good, if not then, bottoms up.
I try to make a bottle but I lack the skills. For now, a wide mouthed glass would do fine.
I fill that glass with water and go back to my cooking spot. It's boiling nicely. I have to say though, the color doesn't look appetizing.
I let it boil for an hour. The temperature should be high enough kill any bacteria. I let it cool down for another 30 minutes before it reaches a temperature where I can drink it.
The meat became strings. It's now a soup. A watered down, bland soup which looks and smells funky.
The smell, it's reminiscent of leather. Like those unprocessed leather. It's tannery waste. I'll just plug my nose and bottoms up.
I gulp that slimy, hot concoction down. I didn't even swallow it. I just held my nose and shoved it down my throat.
Intense nausea hit me. My gag reflex was trying to puke everything out. But I held on. My stomach is rumbling. My tongue is already numb.
I hold my nose and mouth. It's tightly shut. Otherwise, everything would come out. After fighting my desire to puke everything out for 5 minutes straight, it died down.
I slowly open my mouth and drink the remaining water. I run towards the cave for more water.
I can smell that thing in my mouth. I need to wash away that smell. My tongue, it's numb. I can't even feel it.
I drink water. I keep drinking water. My stomach is hurting from drinking too much water.
I sit down in the cave. That was an experience I wouldn't want again. Seriously, it's too horrible. I think eating my own shit would be better than that.
I am tired. Let's sleep for now. My consciousness sank into darkness as I fell to my side.
"….up….wa…..p…..wake..up…"
I hear this broken line in my sleep. I slowly open my eyes to see what's happening. I see a man shaking me.
"Wake up.."
He is saying as he shakes me. I sit up and rub my eyes. I'm still drowsy.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't sleep here."
I look at him again. He seems to be around 25. He has black hair and an average face. It's not bad to look at but not handsome either.
"Who are you?"
Let's just ask him. Because I didn't know there was someone else besides me in this place.
"I am Keith Harding. Your everyday traveling gypsy." (Keith)
He stands up. I guess I should too. I slowly stand up. My body is a bit sore but my stomach feels fine. I guess I successfully stomached it.
"I didn't think I would find someone else in a ruined world." (Keith)
"I have no idea how I came here. I was in my home when suddenly I found myself here."
"Hmm…. I guess stuff happens. I occasionally come here to vent. After all, this place has become a land of death. Only chaos remains. How long have you been here for?" (Keith)
"I have no idea. Must have been a few hours. But I haven't noticed a change in the sky either."
"This place has no time. Time itself was destroyed along with the world. I have confirmed it myself. This place has no time. Meaning, no matter how long you stay here, you will return to the exact time when you came here." (Keith)
That's some valuable information. I guess he has been here a few times.
"You are from earth, right?"
"I am. But I am not from your earth." (Keith)
"I know. Because I am the only human left from my earth. So, you possibly can't be from mine. Anyway, how are you traveling between worlds?"
He stares into the distance.
"I used to be a normal, average human. I was slightly unfortunate but that never bothered me. However, one spark of inspiration and everything happened.
I made a machine to teleport from place to place. I myself had no hopes of success. But I did succeed. In the end though, I ended up losing my body and I am now a clump of data. I may mimic a human but I am not a human anymore." (Keith)
So he has lost his body. Is that due to his constant teleportation between worlds?
"You seem to have guessed something. Well, I lost some of data when I traveled between worlds. And when I noticed it, my body was already corrupted. So I had to get rid of my body to protect myself. That's how I am just a traveling spirit." (Keith)
There are many types of people. I guess his type also exists.
"Do you know anything about this place?"
Let's ask him. My objective is to survive. So knowledge is more valuable than anything.
"All I know is that this place is ruined. Only monsters and never ending flames exist. Although there are a few places where water exists, they are few in number. This cave must have one, right?" (Keith)
"Yeah. Thanks to that, I survived."
"That's good then. I hope you won't die. The monsters around here aren't very big and strong. But the more you head towards the center, the stronger they will get. I have seen a humanoid monster there. It was capable of speech as well." (Keith)
A humanoid monster capable of speech as well. That's intriguing.
"Thanks for the information. I was told to survive this world. My powers have been stripped off and I am back to being a normal human."
"That must be inconvenient. But maybe that's why you were thrown here. After all, I have met other humans who are even more outrageous." (Keith)
He gave me a metal rod.
"It's not much but you can use it to protect yourself. Having something long can help at times." (Keith)
"Thanks. I only have a small knife so this helps. I am trying to move but water is becoming scarce."
"Then take this as well. It's a small water container. It can hold about a thousand kilograms of water." (Keith)
He gave me a small water bottle. It's looks no more than a pint but I will take it.
"Thanks. You saved me again. Maybe we can meet again, somewhere else."
"Maybe. I basically travel around. So you may find me somewhere else again." (Keith)
He leaves bidding farewell to me. But he gave me some information and equipment so I am thankful to him. Let's just focus on surviving for now. I am pretty sure I know who did this.
Once I am out of here, I am smacking the hell out of that person.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Asocial_monke
Asocial_monke I have the story of Keith Harding ready as well. It’s a short story. Maybe I will post it sometime in future.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone