*Slurping sounds*
"Ah!" I exclaimed with relief after I had finished a whole water bottle.
It was now afternoon, and my feet were starting to ache. I had been walking almost non-stop since sunrise and had covered quite a distance.
Looking back, I could see the forest and its massive tree on the horizon. I estimated that I was about 50 kilometers away from the bay.
For the first day, I had covered a significant distance, and I decided to set up my tent here.
Fortunately, I had been lucky with the weather conditions and other complications.
I placed my backpack on the ground and started unpacking its contents. I had set up this tent several times, so I thought it shouldn't be a problem.
First, I sorted out the wooden poles. I needed to make sure they were in the correct order, or the tent would be lopsided.
After a bit of thought, the sequence seemed clear, and I started assembling the poles.
I used a great masterpiece that had cost me a bit.
I had asked the carpenters for a space-saving tent, and they had created a sturdy wooden frame using the trees from the forest. But only after I had done something decent for them and kept my distance.
These were sturdier than the trees in the bay.
However, the special thing about the frame was that it could be disassembled into individual parts and reassembled later.
I created a green flame and dried out the ground where I wanted to pitch my tent.
Next, I spread out the tent cover, which was a large cowhide made from multiple hides, and tried to lay it as smoothly as possible. I had received this cowhide from Phillip on my 15th birthday. Through some techniques and processing mechanisms, it had become extremely water-repellent, sturdy and waterproof.
On inquiry, Phillip had shown me the mechanism, but I couldn't remember it.
"Alright, then..." I murmured because the tricky part was next.
I knelt down and noticed that the wind was picking up a little.
Nonetheless, I had to assemble the frame. To make it easier, I had carved small numbers into the pieces, so I just had to follow them.
"One with two, and... three," I thought out loud.
After a few attempts, I realized I had made a mistake. I was one step ahead. I had connected the outer poles with the inner ones already.
The tent cover was already complete, and I just had to assemble the frame inside it, causing the tent to expand.
This inner frame, as I called it, is then followed by an outer frame with loops that provide external stabilization to the tent.
These were connected from the inside to the ceiling.
After some time, I managed to get it right. Now, I retrieved eight large metal pegs from a side compartment of my backpack.
These pegs were used to secure the tent to the ground. The tent had thick loops on the outside at the bottom.
They were 3 cm in diameter and 30 cm long. The loops were located in the corners and in the middle of the edge.
I hammered them halfway into the ground with my fist and tossed my backpack into the tent.
'Finished!' I smiled.
'Easier than I thought!'
Well, it took an hour, even though I had some practice.
I looked at my 1-meter-high, 2.50-meter-long tent and was satisfied. Despite the slight wind, the tent hardly moved.
To celebrate my first day, I wanted to cook something small.
I created a fire pit with the wood I brought, lit it with my fire magic, and walked down to the creek with my pot because I had come across it. My feet were aching with every step now.
Back at the tent, I placed the pot over the fire with a rack and let it cook.
I opened my mom's clay pot and saw fresh rabbit meat and vegetables floating in seawater.
'I love you, Mom!' I had to say.
I removed the ingredients and let them cook in the pot. While it was cooking, I sat on the ground and looked toward the forest. I was impressed because, where I usually only saw the sunrise, I now witnessed the sunset.
I took the necklace I got from Mom in my Hand.
I smiled slightly and thought about my family. What were they doing? Were they having dinner too?
These were my first moments alone, and it felt unfamiliar.
After a while, my soup was ready, and I took the pot off the fire. I let it cool for a bit and then ate it straight from the pot.
Before eating, I touched my soulstone with my thumb and opened my hands to the sky. Like every evening, we thanked Mephisto.
'Delicious!' I thought after the first spoonful.
Then I quietly ate everything and even drank the broth. With a full stomach, I looked up at the sky where the stars were now shining. I enjoyed the beautiful starry sky and contemplated my first day and everything I would still see.
I was ready!
...
The last hour I sketched with coal on the cow skins, the things I saw and described them a little.
There was the big tree, with his roots extending into the waters, and the beautiful sight out of the forest. I wrote my thoughts about the circles in the forest and what I saw, I did some sketches of some flowers I found and what I did today.
I wanted to draw my friends and family but I couldn't do it.
The fire was out by now, and it was getting chilly, especially with the rising wind. I decided to go to sleep, but before that, I washed the pot.
The moon was shining brightly, making the path to the creek visible.
...
I entered the tent and activated the mana lamp, hanging it on the ceiling like the pot I had quickly dried with my fire.
In this soft light, I took off my shoes and clothes, putting on my sleeping clothes.
Then I slipped into my sleeping bag and closed my eyes. The wind was howling outside, and although my legs were now throbbing, I looked forward to tomorrow.
...
*Yawn!* I was lying in the sleeping bag, slowly opening my eyes.
I stretched and felt my tired legs. I got out of the sleeping bag, reached for the mana lamp, and turned it on.
The tent was still dark.
After I had it, I let some mana flow in, and it illuminated the tent.
I folded my sleeping bag, changed out of my sleeping clothes, and put on my day clothes.
I packed both back into the backpack and put on my shoes. Then I unzipped the tent by opening the buttons and left it.
The refreshing morning air greeted me instantly. Compared to the tent, it was cool outside.
I stood in front of the tent and saw the sun rising in the distance, dew glistening on the grass beside me, and a light mist hung over the fields, albeit only lightly and not on the hills.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see the mountains, but since the rising sun showed me the way, I couldn't really get lost.
I dried a blade of grass and set my backpack there. The pot and the mana lamp hung on it. I slipped back into the tent and took down the frame.
*Boink*
It collapsed while the outer frame fell on my head.
"How foolish," I muttered, as normally, you disassemble it from the outside first, then the inside.
Once I had finished disassembling it right, I shook off the dew from the tent and let it dry a bit while I ate.
For breakfast, I had dried meat.
Done with that, I packed up the tent and was ready to head out.
The fog had slowly dissipated, and I looked once again toward the forest, which I would likely see for the last time today.
"Farewell," I smiled, turned around, and grabbed the backpack straps with my hands.
Then I set off. The first few steps were a bit sluggish due to slight muscle soreness, but I felt better after a few hundred meters.
As I walked, the fog gradually lifted, which had oddly been hindering my progress, making me feel like I wasn't moving correctly.
Perhaps because I was still tired.
So I was relieved when it cleared, replaced by clouds adorning the sky.
I continued to walk, and around noon, I decided to take a short break as my legs started to feel heavier.
I sat down and looked into the distance, toward the mountains, although I couldn't see them yet.
The landscape had become relatively flat, allowing for an incredible view extending far into the distance.
I took my backpack off, and when I opened the side pocket for rations, I realized that I had already consumed half of them.
I would need to hunt something soon.
I gazed into the distance, and what I saw surprised me.
On the horizon, something large seemed to be moving, kicking up a huge dust cloud, and what made me uneasy was that it was heading straight for me.
Luckily, it was still quite a distance away, and I couldn't make out what it was.
So, I observed it while I ate and drank, as usual, giving thanks to Mephisto beforehand.
After a short break and massaging my exhausted legs, I set off again.
An hour or two later, a raptor circled above me, intent on catching prey, gliding through the air silently without making any noise. While walking, I watched it with fascination.
When I saw it preparing to dive, I stumbled and fell into the grass.
Again, because I wasn't paying attention while walking.
"This is really annoying," I thought, as I wanted to observe my surroundings while walking.
Wasn't there a way to do both? I pondered but couldn't come up with a solution.
I lay on the lush, soft grass, contemplating until my head felt like it was smoking, but I couldn't find an answer.
I lay there for quite some time because my legs and feet ached, causing a slight throbbing sensation.
*Low rumbling*
I snapped out of my thoughts and listened. There was a faint thundering and vibration. I now also felt the ground shaking slightly.
Despite my lingering exhaustion, I pulled myself up and looked for the source. One moving object had turned into several objects rapidly approaching.
What were these creatures? I wondered.
They had four relatively thin legs.
They had long stout faces and heads covered in hair that fluttered as they ran.
I estimated from a distance that they had a height of 2 to 3 meters at the shoulders.
However, the specifics didn't matter because the herd consisted of at least more than thousands of them.
What should I do now? I thought to myself as the creatures raced towards me.
Should I run away? No, they looked faster than me.
I pondered and pondered, but the creatures were getting closer, and my stupid head just wouldn't come up with a solution.
"Ah!" I exclaimed and decided to face the danger, the easy solution.
It was all or nothing.
My heart was pounding as the creatures were just about one kilometer away, making the ground tremble with a thousand hooves pounding the earth.
I put myself in a combat stance because, as a left-handed person, I had my left leg in front.
Shifting my weight onto my right back leg for greater flexibility.
Since I had decided to use a specific strike, I extended my left arm horizontally forward while keeping my right close to my body. I slightly turned to the right to employ a half spin.
I focused, and it felt as if time stood still. I had practiced this strike thousands of times, so nothing could go wrong.
There was only about one kilometer left between the herd and me. Their white manes and tails waved in the wind, and their fur glistened in the sun, almost like bronze.
500 meters.
"O Mephisto, lend me your power and let me create my fire, I pay tribute to you with my mana!" I murmured.
This incantation was only present for religious and cultural reasons, as one can actually control mana without divine assistance.
Nevertheless, since the Mephiscan Church discovered the principle behind mana, almost all mages are part of the church, or so Phillip told me.
*Fwoosh*
As a result, my right hand ignited with a deep green flame. I continued to channel more mana into my hand, creating pressure within it.
The animals were now only 200 meters away, which they could cover in under 10 seconds, I thought.
"Third Foundation: Hard Strike," I mumbled.
Then, I tensed all my muscles, took a powerful leap forward, pulled back my left hand, and, with a twist from my core, thrust my right fist forward – all at once.
*Whoosh*
It happened as my fist shot forward, creating a gust of wind. At the same time, I channeled even more mana into my fist, which I then released.
*FIREEEE*
A huge fiery fist detached from my hand and headed toward the herd.
*Neighing* came from the animals as they dodged the approaching fist, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.
The fist seemed about to make contact, but suddenly, all the animals vanished from its path like they just switched places.
The herd split and ran past me. I thought I saw a few angry glares, but I dismissed the foolish idea; they were just animals.
I heard a painful neigh and thought I had hit one of the creatures.
...
For a whole ten minutes, the trembling herd passed by me, and I had to maintain the green fire fist the entire time.
Now, the last straggler had passed by, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was something!" I said aloud, sweat dripping from my forehead. I triumphantly raised my arms and shouted, "YEAH!" while laughing foolishly.
Then, I dropped to my knees from exhaustion.
I circulated my mana and attempted to draw it from the atmosphere to regenerate it faster. I was almost completely drained.
____________
Mana: 2/221
___________
After a few minutes, I could stand again and looked ahead.
A path of scorched grass lay in my wake.
"Neigh!" I heard faintly.
Oh, what's that, I wondered, and followed the soft sound.
"Oh, two young ones?"
At the edge of the ten-meter-wide fire trail lay two young creatures. One was burned, lying on top of the other, and the other was likely just injured, still making sounds.
I lifted the dead young one off the second and took a knife from my backpack to bleed it.
I examined the other one more closely.
Like the other animals, it had a white mane and tail, which were currently dirty from dust.
However, its body was pitch black, except for its left hind leg, which was also white. Well…, it was red right now.
I found it beautiful, so I decided to keep it.
I "quickly" set up my tent and turned my attention to the creature.
It appeared to have an injured leg because it was bleeding now heavily, because it moved the whole time out of panic.
I turned the creature over, despite its resistance, as the wound was facing the ground.
However, the creature was not even a meter tall, so it was very lightweight. It neighed angrily, likely in pain. I cleaned its wounds with water and took some cowhide and string from my backpack.
Good old cowhide...
I pressed it firmly against the wound and secured it.
It continued to neigh, but I reassured it with a gentle pat and said, "It's all right, it's all right," trying to smile without showing my fangs.
(A/N: The animals are horses. I hope you had fun reading! Have a nice day and thank you for reading)