The new clogs were difficult to walk on at first, because of the pain from the cuts on the bottom of his feet. Slowly, he was able to adjust to them, and then he started to search in earnest for the things he needed. Micah started to get into a rhythm with his steps and his pace increased now he had some type of footwear. The first thing he wanted to find was something sharp, and he was lucky right away and found a stone that had a jagged edge to it. It wasn’t as good as his old survival knife, but it cut well enough he could get at the thin roots and vines faster.
He cut away a thick root that could be used as an anchor, and weaved some vines and grass together to make a type of grass mat. Micah then slid the root through the top of the weave and put it around his waist and tied it off. The root wasn’t able to make a full knot, but it did hug to his hips enough that he now had a type of skirt to cover his private parts.
As the sun started to dip into the sky, he had made three more useful things. The first was a couple of spears that were made from a solid wood branch, and he was able the shave off the end to a sharp point. The second was the discovery of two gourds that had some liquid with a sweet flavor in them. He was able to dip them in the river afterwards and fill both of them up with water. The last was a grass basket that he used to put some fruits and berries in.
The long grass had melded away as he made it further into the trees and the grass had turned more into a blanket of moss. He slipped his foot out of the clog and pushed against the moss and it held his weight and sprung back in place. Micah realized he could use this, but first he had to find a place that he could set up a shelter. He had seen signs of animals and trails, so he couldn’t be caught out into the open when night came.
Micah stepped through the trees looking for spots that might hide more ant hills, and after what he believed was a few hours. He spotted a small grove of large trees that had thick branches that came down in a cone shape. The branches were covered by long needles similar to pine trees, and he counted almost a dozen of them each separated by a thick layer of green moss. He could see the large stream that wasn’t quite a river less than five hundred feet away and an outcropping of rocks a similar distance in the other direction.
Micah nodded to himself as he moved toward the pine trees and saw the tips of them were pushed into the ground, so he couldn’t even see the trunk. He tried to lift one of the branches, but he couldn’t lift it up more than a foot off the ground before the weight caused him to drop back onto the moss. There was one pine tree that was near the center that had an open area around it, and he made his way to it and took out his jagged rock and started to peel away the moss the best he could.
Under the moss, was a dark brown soil that seemed to have a pungent smell. He cut away a large circular area and stacked the five-inch thick moss off to the side. He used a thick branch to dig into the ground and make a pit into the dirt, and then he found rocks and stacked it around the pit putting it up two layers. The fire pit wasn’t pretty but it was done well as he gathered branches and some dried or decayed logs and staked the fire pit with that and brush. He cut a piece of the moss and put in the center and then did something he hadn’t done since he was a kid
Micah found two sticks and some brush and started to rub them together. The process was a lot harder than he remembered but after a while he was able to get a spark and then the brush caught fire. The moss started to smoke, but he didn’t care, and he placed the small piece of moss in the center of the fire pit, and kept on feeding it air till it caught the brush on fire.
The moss burned a lot slower than he thought it would, and he had the clever idea of rapping moss on to sticks and making a number of ready-made torches if he needed them. The sun was starting to disappear from above and his first day was ending. He had a fire and some berries and fruits and water, and he laid down on the bed of moss and soon found himself asleep.
Micah had a troubled night but awoke as the sun started to make its way in to the sky. The first thing he did was see what was left of his fire, and he was surprised that the coals were still hot and the moss was a pile of burning embers. He went out and restocked the branches for the next night before getting back to work. He believed that sleeping out in the open would eventually cause a creature to snack on him. So, Micah’s first priority was making a way to get under the pine tree.
He always took a step by step approach to things in his old life, and he didn’t see a reason to stop doing that. The weight of the pine branch was heavy but it wasn’t unmovable, so he went and searched the trees for two sturdy branches, and he found them after a little while. He then took the branches over to the pine tree and started to dig holes about four feet apart. He placed the branches into the holes and then filled in the holes, so they became posts. The next was the most difficult part. Micah started to cut the top of the posts to make a U shape, and after that he found another four foot branch, and placed in the holes at the top to make sure it fit.
The next step was to gather two large rocks and place them under the pine branch. He then used roots to tie the branch wood piece and after he felt it was firm enough. He got under it and started to lift. The branch was stubborn but after he got the leverage he was able to lift it over the polls and place the wood beam in the U shaped holes. He then tied it down and had an opening to the central area under the pine.
He was surprised on how large an area was under there and it was similar to a tepee tent. It was dry and there wasn’t anything but some mushrooms growing under it. He started to move the moss he cut out under it, but he knew he couldn’t put a fire pit in there because the embers could start a fire. He decided to focus on moving his bed of moss there, and then he cut some branches off a far pine tree, He used them to cover up the space that he had lifted up with another layer so nobody could see his door.
The sun was up high in the sky now, and the next thing he had to do was get food and more water. The gourds were handy, but they didn’t hold a large amount of water, and he couldn’t only eat fruits and berries. His best resources were actually the flexible roots he found and with that in mind he started to weave them in to a small net. The net was more long than wide, and he used thick vine as rope and cross the stream and tied them to a tree. He then laid the net down in the river and waited.
It wasn’t really sportsmanship to do it this way but it was necessary. He would sprinkle ground plants on to the roots and when he saw fish coming over to feed off the roots he would pull the vines tight trapping the fish in the net over the stream. He would then take the fish out and put them in the basket and would fish this way till he got as much fish as he needed.
He was able to catch five fish before his net started to come apart, and then he put the net over on the opposite bank and took the fish over to the fire pit. Micah used sticks to make spits and then started the fire and did work while they cooked. He really did need something better, but he couldn’t come up with anything until he noticed that down the stream there was a bank that was made of clay.
His wife loved to do pottery, and she had a large kiln for it, and he had helped her with it often before his illness. Micah thought about it and used a jagged knife to dig up the clay, and then he started to pile it near his camp. The clay was difficult to mold but as he added water it became more malleable, and he started to experiment with different ways to use it.
He spent the next two days focusing on the clay and searching for materials. He finally came up with an idea to make a type of pattern, and he used it to hold the clay in place. The pattern was in the shape of a large kiln, and he carefully packed the clay over the roots. There were only holes in the bottom where the wood and coals would burn, and the top where the smoke would leave. He shaped hooks on the side where he made a door that would hang there and small hooks where he could pull off the door. It was crude but workable, and he set it out to dry in the sun.
He then built a stand from rocks and mud that he could sit the kiln on. The rocks had an opening in the front where he could stack the logs in the pit he made. The whole process took almost a week from start to finish, and when he finally tried it out he was relieved when he didn’t see it crack when the fire pit was started. He used the kiln with the door open when he cooked food, but he put on the door and closed it when he started to create bricks for use around the camp. He had planned on building a log cabin and the bricks would be useful in making the hearth and chimney eventually.
Over the next few days he improved the camp which included a steady supply of making bricks and stacked them near the spot he wanted to build a cabin. He was able to make six bricks at a time, and while he did that he improved the area making it more secure. The final touch was building a semi-solid wall of wood sticks, and then he hung vines to give the camp cover from anybody that might come across it. It blended in to the forest well but if attacked it wouldn’t hold up for long. Micah had just finished the wall when he heard the voice in his head.
“You have completed the mission and have unlocked the mission system. The system will give you missions from time to time and reward you with progress points and sometimes unique rewards.” The voice said. “Missions will be ranked from F to SS and depending on how well you complete it the reward will be altered accordingly. Mission: F ranked. Result: B rank. You have exceeded expectations and your reward will alter accordingly. The reward for this mission is 25 Progress Points and Unique Reward token Level 2. To receive your unique reward you only need to command it and your interface will start the process in choosing the reward.”
Micah sat down around the kiln outside and finally decided to use the unique reward token, and as he made his decision a screen popped up in front of him asking him to confirm his choice. He focused on yes and the screen disappeared and after a few moments the voice in his head spoke. “You have received the following rewards. Spell: Medium Healing and Item: Linguistic Stone. Your information has been updated with the needed prerequisites and knowledge on the use of both rewards and can find the information in the journal section of your interface.”
