We spent the next few weeks setting up a place for us to stay, unfortunately, there was no sun and the soul scape was set in a constant state of ethereal twilight. This meant that both Kibbles and I have started to completely lose track of time.
On the first day if you could call it that we rested after we cleaned our wounds. We had gone back to the river and collected some water to boil. I had once watched a WeTube video on making your water safe to drink.
I wasn't actually sure boiling the water was needed due to being in a soul scape. As I thought about how bad my luck had been I decided to anyway. I didn't I would end up in a bush for thirty minutes praying to the porcelain horse gods for a reprieve.
Once we had secured water and cleaned our wounds Kibbles and I had fumbled together some fishing rods. This place in a lot of ways ended up being the equivalent of a school camp. We were fishing, building shelters as well as making devices to cook on.
I never went to a school camp. By high school back on Earth, I was getting bullied so much that I just decided to stay home. Who would want to spend a weekend with people who would put your head in a toilet?
I as a young adult always felt it was a shame I couldn't have just gone like normal kids and enjoyed myself. Back in those days, I wished I could be normal.
I would watch as all the students would be praised for being the smartest, or the strongest or the most handsome and there I was less than a nobody. A whipping boy for insecure kids having a bad day. Going through high school made me dread waking up in the morning.
In hindsight now, If I could tell my previous self that I would make lots of friends meet a family who loved me and become trapped with my cat in a forest, I don't think the old me would believe a word of it. Knowing all I do now...
[If I had to go through all of it again to be here I think I would.]
In fact, the soul scape has become really fun!
I watched as Kibbles was chasing a boar looking spirit beast with a spear. He was dashing from tree to tree as if he was born in the jungle. I had trouble keeping up with him so after an hour I shouted that I would go back to camp and wait for him.
We had turned the cave into a makeshift place to sleep and cook. Just outside the front of the cave was a campfire. Kibbles and I were not exactly sure what we were doing so it looked more like a hole in the ground covered with rocks and sticks.
Inside the cave, there were beds made out of leaves that we had found. Kibbles and I had no idea how to actually make some wilderness beds so they were more like hay that had been stacked into mounds. The beds were rather uncomfortable but better than nothing.
The lizard that had latched on to my face when we had first arrived was nicknamed " Puff " after a book that I had read as a child. It was still very annoying and clingy but it at least has helped find berries to eat on the rare occasion. It had become more of a house pet then Kibbles had ever been.
Watching it lazing near the front of the cave like an old guard dog had made me laugh on more than one occasion.
The Soul Scape itself was excellent for training, both my sword skills and reaction times had improved dramatically. Being chased by huge beasts or chasing tiny beasts to eat had become quite the norm.
We had broken a fair few sharpened sticks though.
I watched as Kibbles had finally come back with a smile on his face. The huge bore on his back made him look like he had superhuman strength.
As we cut up the bore using stones Kibbles turned around to me and said " Ever thought about using your magic to find your magical avatar?"
Puff, after Kibbles had spoken, raised its head. It walked over from where it was near the front of the cave and walked over to Kibbles. It then stared him down before jumping up and landed on his head.
" I would but.. I don't know how to use magic." I said bluntly still cutting at the boar before putting some flesh on a hot stone.
Puff shook its head and a small amount of green smoke came out of its nostrils.
" I don't know much about magic either, I was built to be a system, not a spell caster. But I think I have some of the basics in my memories. Could that help Yuki?" Kibbles said as he took the meat off the hot stone with some sticks.
To be honest I had actually pushed the idea of using magic to the back of my mind. I had always thought that Lady Yu would teach me the basics before I was thrown into this mess. For Kibbles to bring up a solution so casually made my brain burst into action!
" Could you explain what you know? " I said to Kibbles excitedly.
Kibbles took a bite of the hot boar meat, chewed and swallowed. He did this as he seemed deep in thought. He then put down the sticks he had been using as chopsticks.
" Mm basically I think what we need to do is meditate, to begin with, and see if we can get our essences to materialise," Kibbles remarked offhandedly.
" And that means?" I said confused.
Puff had smacked Kibbles on the head with his tail.
" Ouch! what was that for" Kibbles held the back of his head with the tiny dragon still attached.
" Hmm close your eyes and think of the element you wish to use or something like that. I am sorry I can't of much help Yuki, I really don't have the memories implanted for this." Kibbles said as he sighed.
" Mm it is a start!" I replied.
[ My Status ]
Name: Yuki
Current Doki Dollars: 52
Current System: Love Mode
Doki Dollars: 100
Strength: 15( Unlock: 45 DD)
Dexterity : 15 ( Unlock: 45 DD)
Magic: Level 1 Earth ( Unlock Unavailable )
Spells: Blank ( Unlock Unavailable)
Intelligence : 16 ( Unlock: 30 DD )
( Familiar ) Kibbles
Level: 3 ( Rank 1) ( Upgrade 500 DD)
Strength: 9 ( Unlock: 15 DD)
Dexterity : 25 (Unlock: 15 DD)
Magic: Level 1 Fire ( Unlock Unavilable)
Spells: Blank (Unlock Unavailable)
[ Looks like my stats have gone up a little Kibbles stats too! ]
" So you have the fire attribute and I have the wood attribute. So that stands to reason that it may help if we meditate on the attributes we both have. Since we have a perfectly good fire here, why don't you try sitting near it and think about fire? " I said as if thinking out loud.
Puff jumped on to the ground and sat on my lap before rubbing it's face on my chest.
" Do you think Puff can understand what we are saying?" I said to Kibbles.
" I have no idea! " Kibbles said as he put another bit of meat on a hot rock.
" Hey Puff can you understand what I am saying? " I said suddenly to the small dragon.
Puff nodded in response.
" Whaaa? Really?" I said surprised.
Puff nodded again.
" Do you know how magic works? " I quickly stated.
Once again Puff nodded.
" How come you haven't said anything? We have been here for weeks! " I said upset.
Puff opened its eyes and stared at me as if trying to look under my skin. It opened its mouth wide and inhaled air.
" RWAAAAAAAK" Puff yelled.
It sounded like a mix between birds and a small dinosaur.
[ I am guessing that means it can't speak ]
" You didn't have to be rude you know!" Kibbles responded looking at the creature on my lap before clearing his ear with a finger.
I must admit even my ears smarted a little after that!.
Kibbles and I both looked at each other and then at puff registering what just happened.
" So puff if we learn a bit of magic can we use it to find Yuki's avatar?" Kibbles said excitedly.
" Rwark" Puff said and nodded.
" Is meditation the way to harness magic? " I asked quickly.
Puff looked down thinking for a moment before shaking its head to say no.
" Then how do we use magic? " Kibbles said eagerly.
Puffed looked at Kibbles as if he were an idiot before looking up at me.
" Looks like we are going to have to play a game of twenty questions," I said dejectedly.
" We should finish lunch first!" Kibbles said as he grabbed more boar.
Puff grabbed a slice of raw meat from the boar before nodded in agreement.