Akane woke up with her stomach roiling with hunger. She checked the time on her menu and was surprised, she’d really slept in. Through the holes in her thrown together shelter, she could see a red sky. Already the sun was setting. She checked her inventory. Her cheap beginner bread was starting to run out, and though it was only her second day in the game, she was already finding that she wanted something more palatable. Something more filling, and not growing a little stale and dry.
She ate half a loaf before preparing to leave. It wouldn’t do her too much good if she ate it greedily without thinking of the future. She wanted to delay a trip to a village or city to resupply for as long as possible. Perhaps she could even put off feelings of hunger for several days. The one problem with that method though, was that food might have a bit of an effect on stamina and the hunger would distract her. She doubted she could ignore her feelings of hunger so fully that she could function on the same level as if she was satisfied.
Akane considered her supplies. She doubted she could eat the meat drops as they were. They were raw, so she would probably have to roast them one way or another to eat them. However, starting a fire in a forest was foolish. Aside from the possibility of accidentally burning down a forest, a fire would be like a beacon to her location to any living thing that could see the light. Besides, while she could probably roast things well enough in real life, the game system might be a bit different. It might rely on a skill to make it successful, and she doubted she had any natural ability to start a fire without help of a skill or flint and steel.
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it Akane decided. For now she had enough food to last her a while longer. Cautiously she peered over the top of her hollow tree and searched for any sign of movements or creatures below her. Patiently, she waited, until she decided that it should be safe enough to climb down. Carefully she hoisted herself up over the walls of her hollow tree and then, balancing precariously at the top, she threw herself up at an overhanging tree branch that had grown over the top of the fallen tree. She crawled the rest of the way to where the branch met the trunk, and from there, puzzled her way back down to the ground a distance away.
She picked out a direction opposite of the city, roughly in line with the path she’d traveled and set out to continue exploring her surroundings. If she was surrounded entirely by wilderness, perhaps it would be safe enough to turn the tree into a sturdier home, and make access a bit easier. She’d always wanted a tree house, she reflected. At least, she had when she was young. Admittedly, since this was a game, probably the best she could do was make it more comfortable by adding items inside it, and using a rope to make it easier to enter. After a moment, she paused. Hadn’t she read something about housing that would be later in the game? There had been something about that on the forums and in the handbook. Even so, she needed a place to stay, so perhaps she’d have to go ahead and make her tree house.
For now, it was more important to have a safe place to stay, and make certain that this area was safe enough to stay in. She checked the treetops for climbing creatures from time to time. If she could climb, so could others and it occurred to her that most things wouldn’t look up when they were scanning for trouble. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. A strange fragrance brought her mind back to the present. She paused and lifted her head to look around, scenting the air like a hound. She turned her head this way and that and started off in the direction that she thought the smell was coming from. Food? Am I smelling food? In the wilderness?
Perhaps this area wasn’t as uninhabited as she had first thought. Quietly, she padded through the forest. She did her best to avoid leaves and twigs, and detoured around large piles when she could. She had no desire to alert whoever was making food to her coming. For all she knew, it could be NPC bandits or players that perhaps she wouldn’t want to run into. She followed the scent through the forest, and was glad she had memorized and marked the location of her tree house on her map. At the source of the scent, she found a little hut. She had nearly stumbled upon it before she knew it was there.
She peered through the deepening gloom at it. It didn’t look very big, and it looked rather comfortable, but she had no idea who or what lived in it. She circled the hut looking for a clue about who or what lived in it. There were a few drying racks, a very tiny garden, a well, and a small storage shed not too far away. Somehow, the small garden reassured her some. She had some doubts that bandits or dangerous wild creatures or monsters would bother with puttering around a little garden, and the very fragrant smell of the soup made her think that the person within was more inclined to peaceful days and domestic chores. However, looks could be deceiving.
She deliberated a little longer, but the reminder of the coming gloom and coming night monsters decided her. She would see who lived in the hut. Perhaps she’d find a safe place to stay. If, instead, she found danger, perhaps she could kill the owner and take over the hut. She readied her sword and approached the hut. At the door, she took a deep breath to steady herself before knocking. When a kindly woman answered the door, she automatically relaxed. If a man had answered it, perhaps she would have simply fled.
“Yes?” the kindly woman asked.
“Um… Hello, I’m Akane. I was wandering around the forest when I found your hut, and was curious about who lived here.” She said. She felt her mouth water a bit at the smell. From up close, it smelled even better. Damn… It smells so good. I really wanna eat it. I really wanna try it.
Her thoughts must have been written on her face, because after a moment, the woman invited her inside for a meal. Akane was hesitant at first, but was eventually coaxed inside under the excuse that the woman had made plenty of food, and missed sharing a meal with someone. Eating dinner alone made one so very lonely, or so the woman said. Theoretically, Akane had to agree, but personally, she had no real issues with eating alone, except maybe at some of the darker hours of night. After all, she’d been eating alone for the past seven years. Some things a person just got used to.
The woman sat Akane down in a chair as she went to get some bowls and finish the soup. She introduced herself as Nana. Nana, as far as Akane could tell, was a very cheerful friendly woman. Perhaps she was a bit too friendly and cheerful. Her open and friendly demeanor somewhat unsettled Akane, worse yet, Akane had found herself warming up to her and she had made her resolution to be distrustful and suspicious. Perhaps she could change that rule to be distrustful of players? After all, the NPCs weren’t players; they were programmed to behave a certain way. Then again, their creator locked all the current players in this stupid death trap, so perhaps NPCs still couldn’t be trusted.
In the end, Akane wanted to just hit her head against a wall a few times. Now that she’d accepted this dinner invitation, she could hardly just walk out again before the meal. Her mind came up with all sorts of devious tricks this Nana woman could be up to. After all, it was a bit strange for a woman to live alone in the woods. It wasn’t safe, so perhaps, she was part of some sort of elaborate trap. Perhaps she’d drug unsuspecting players and rob them. Suddenly, the soup didn’t seem as good.
Akane decided she would eat, and then not linger too long after; she’d head back to her tree and wait, to see if her food had been tampered with. Akane felt much better once she had a plan in mind. Perhaps she could pull this off without being too rude after all.
Akane was ravenous again by the time the soup was completed. The bread she’d eaten had only taken the edge off her hunger, and the heady scent of the rich soup hadn’t helped much. Akane did her best to hide her eagerness and trepidation as she watched Nana ladle out the soup into their bowls. On a little plate to the side, there were some herbs for seasoning and some salt and pepper.
Akane decided to forgo the extra herbs first and try the soup. It was delicious and filling. Akane experimented with the seasonings self-consciously, but she was curious about what they tasted like. She was full after two bowls. She helped clean up her bowl and utensils before thanking Nana and heading for the door.
“Leaving so soon? You can stay the night if you want. I have an extra bed.”
Akane shook her head at the offer. “Thanks, but I’ve already rested. I’m very grateful for the meal.”
“Then can you come by tomorrow morning? We can have breakfast together.”
“That’s…” Akane thought about it. She felt a bit bad for imposing on Nana’s hospitality. She’d already eaten her food once. She glanced up at Nana’s face, and saw a growing disappointment in it.
“Yes, I’ll come tomorrow.” Perhaps she could bring a gift of some meat or something in exchange for the food. Nana’s face brightened at that, and Akane felt a bit of bubbly warmth inside at that happy expression.
“Alright then, travel safely, and good hunting Akane.” Nana said and bid her goodbye.
As a precaution Akane set off in a direction opposite of her tree and circled back around once she was well out of sight. She felt fine, and the food had also tasted fine. Besides that, Nana had served her directly from the pot and they’d eaten the same food. Maybe Nana was trustworthy, but Akane resolved not to fully trust her for a few days at the very least.
