Chris wakes up after dozing off. The sun is still high in the sky. He quickly checks the time on his watch. It has only been 20 minutes.
He was starting to realize that he had no way out of this game. If it even were a game. Somehow it felt as though he had been transported to an entirely different world.
Maybe I should just make the most of this. I am in a clearing in the middle of a forest, but I am supposed to have some woodworking skills. I should try them out.
Wait a minute... I have no tools. I guess my wishes weren't as good as I thought. "Damn it!"
Okay, no need to panic. There must be something I can do about this. I know, I will start by gathering materials from the ground and think of my next move later.
Chris spends a few hours gathering fallen branches, rocks, moss, flowers, and some vines. There were a lot of Spruce trees and since he knew that Spruce Needles are edible, he gathered a bunch of them as well. They could also be used for other purposes, so they certainly felt like a good material to gather.
He spread out and sorted the materials on the ground of the clearing. The first goal would be to create some tools.
Chris heads over to all the rocks he had found. He looks them over and pick out the two of them that look the sharpest. He takes a flat one and tries to sharpen them further. It works! With this method of sharpening rocks and all the gathered materials, he starts working on an axe.
After hours of tough labor he had managed to make a small axe out of a sturdy branch, some vines and a sharp rock. He also had a few extra rocks that he had managed to sharpen, the largest of which he would use as a knife.
It was now late in the afternoon and while it looked as though the sun would still be up for several hours more, it would be wise to try and build a shelter for the night. Chris would also really like to have a fire for the evening, but it could be tough to start a fire without a lighter.
He picks up his axe and starts cutting down some smaller trees. He then sharpens a few of them to be able to drive them into the ground. This kind of camp building went on until the sun had set.
By the time that it had gotten dark, Chris had managed to build a small hut. It had four walls, a roof consisting mostly of spruce branches and moss and a bed in similar style. Outside of it, he had also managed to start a fire and he had spruce needles to eat.
Along the way, Chris had realized a few things about himself in this world. He had a lot of energy, but eventually he got tired, hungry and thirsty. When he ate, the hunger was alleviated. Just like in the real world.
This means that he needs to eat and drink as usual, which could prove a challenge out here in the forest. He hadn't found any water yet and that was starting to worry him.
Another thing Chris had realized was that he had yet to find a single animal or even an insect. That was really the only thing Chris had found to be strange about this forest so far. Everything else felt very realistic, apart from his interactions with the fairy Nina of course. However that felt quite distant by now.
Sure it hadn't even been a day since he met Nina, but this day had been soooo long. Chris felt the fatigue from all the work and laid down to rest. He would put his worries aside until tomorrow.
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The sun rose early and woke Chris up. He sat up, looked around his unfamiliar surroundings and remembered all that had happened the day before. It felt like a dream, but somehow it wasn't.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel his muscles ache. He actually felt quite powerful. Despite having eaten very little and not having any water for almost 24 hours, he wasn't feeling bad.
Usually Chris was neither particularly strong nor weak. He could also be without food and water for half a day without getting too cranky, but after that things would rapidly go downhill. This must have something to do with his second wish for health and form, or how this world works. Or perhaps both.
The unusual stamina and endurance that Chris felt gave him hope and he resolved to find water. He would search more parts of the wood, but first he would need to make something to mark his path in order to find his way back.
Chris took his knife and started carving symbols into 1-meter branches. He would place these along his path on top of trying to stomp down the vegetation in order to create reliable trails in the forest.
Since he had already headed East yesterday, he would now try a different direction. He didn't quite know if he was heading to the north or the south, but he was on his way.
Ten minutes later he found a small stream of water. "I did it! I won't die of thirst!", he shouted loudly.
Chris knelt down and took some water into his hand. The water was cold to the touch and it didn't smell bad. However, he wouldn't take any chances. The water would need to be boiled before drinking. That was the only method he had of purifying the water.
The only issue was that he needed some sort of container for the water. "What should I do, what should I do...", Chris mumbled to himself.
I can't boil water in something made of wood. It would just be lit on fire. A stone would be difficult too. I really don't know how to purify this water, but I will definitely refrain from drinking it for a while longer as I try to figure this out.
Chris went back to the clearing. It was easy to find the way back, he just followed the carved branches he had placed along the way and was back in no time.
Just as he was nearing the clearing, he heard a noise. It sounded like footsteps. Then he heard a voice.
I think that's a female voice, he thought to himself. Maybe Nina is back?! Chris hurried recklessly toward his hut and the voice he had heard. He stopped in front of the hut, but didn't see anyone around. He looked inside, but it was empty. He took a few steps to go around the hut to the other side.
There was a loud - Thunk! Chris felt a sharp pain across his face. He had been hit with something, something hard. It felt like a tree branch. He had stumbled down onto the ground into a sitting position.
Chris looked up to see a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair, a white robe and, pointy ears? Was she an Elf? Are there Elves in this world?
She also happened to be holding a large branch. So SHE had hit me, Chris thought to himself.
"Who are you and why the hell did you hit me?", Chris shouted at the woman.