A Flaky Situation

“OUCH! OUCH! OOOOUCH! GET OFF ME!”

Rikko's awakening after returning from his unexpected encounter with Thanya was not at all pleasant. The day was already bright and the sun's rays illuminated the hole in the tree, making it possible to see inside it. It could have been a sign that he would have a good day if it weren't for the events of the previous day and the fact that his body was covered in voracious ants, hoping to make him their breakfast.

“Damn ants! Just because there's a dick stretched out on a pile of dry leaves doesn't mean it's dead! Go away! Look for food somewhere else!”

But to Rikko's misfortune, the ants didn’t care one bit about his complaints, and only a complete fool would refuse such a delicacy served right at their doorstep, for due to the darkness of the night, he hadn’t noticed that the hole in the tree was actually the main entrance to the anthill.

“OUCH! I told you to stop! Damn it, what the hell!”

The ants were quite persistent and the pain caused by their jaws burned like fire, forcing Rikko to leave the tree as soon as possible. Already some distance away from the tree, he shook his feathers madly to knock down the intruders that were still clinging to them.

“What a terrible way to start the day!”

Free of the remaining ants that were now returning to their home with empty paws, he looked around to get his bearings and think about what to do next, when an image appeared in the thin air:

Acquired Skill

-Poison Resistance (low) - Level 1

Can withstand to a certain extent the effects caused by bites or stings from common insects, such as itching and small lumps resulting from inflammation.

“What? Those damn things were poisonous? And what did you mean by “to a certain extent”?”

“...”

“Hey, answer me!”

The answer didn't come.

“...Ah, it must be some kind of... passive system? Well, just because it's magic doesn't mean it has any real consciousness. Whatever. Now I really need to think a little about what to do, I'm on my own, after all.”

He crouched down in that same spot like the birds of his species and began to think. He came to the conclusion that first of all he needed to secure provisions such as water and food, because even though Thanya had given him the package of dried meat and the bottle of isotonic, logically they were not even remotely a source of sustenance and would not last long.

“Maybe I can find some fruit, it's not hard to find fruit trees in a forest this size. And as for water... there was a stream on that farm, it might be running through here somewhere.”

With his first priority set, he continued his path through the forest. As Thanya had told him, it seemed like a somewhat peaceful forest, but that didn't mean it was free of dangers, especially for a little chick like him, so he needed to be careful. He spotted a small bush full of dark blue fruits.

“Yay, I made it!”

He ran towards the bush that had small, tasty-looking fruits, but before he could peck at one of them, a thought occurred to him:

“Wait a minute... what if they're poisonous fruits? There's no animal feeding on them, they look untouched. What now?”

He spent some time pondering the danger of eating unfamiliar fruits in a forest. In some documentaries he watched, there were warnings about wild fruits that at first glance seem harmless, but that can cause diarrhea, dizziness and other effects that would hinder his mobility and expose him to dangers, something he did not want, especially in an unknown world.

“Oh, I know! I can do that!”

He carefully picked up one of the fruits with his beak by the stalk and crushed it with his paw against a rock, letting its insides spread out under it.

“They say that one way to know if a fruit is edible is to rub a little against your skin and wait. If it is poisonous, it should have some effect on my paw after a few minutes.”

In his current condition, it was difficult to calculate the time beyond the differences between day, afternoon and night, so he had to trust his intuition and wait for the fruit to react on his skin. Patience is a virtue.

“Well, I think that's enough. I don't feel any itching or burning, so it should be safe to eat. Here we go!”

He picked up another fruit from the branch, but this time swallowing it in one go like all the food he had consumed after reincarnating, since birds don't have teeth after all, chewing was impossible for him.

“Mmm. Mmm. Mmmmm, how delicious!”

The fruit tasted sweet and slightly acidic, making Rikko feel something familiar about its flavor. Perhaps he had already eaten something similar at some point in his past life. Could it be the same as the blackberries on the farm? In any case, having to test everything before eating it discouraged him. Learning about the things of this world became increasingly necessary.

“Very tasty, but I would prefer not to have to eat things with so much fea-”

- Myrtille -

“Huh?”

An image appeared and he finally knew it was a fruit called Blueberry, and he really did know the flavor, but he doesn't remember seeing the fruit itself, since he had only tasted it when eating a yogurt with the fruit as an ingredient. Although he was pleased to know the name, he had something else on his mind now.

“But you've got to be kidding me... do I need to eat it to identify it? Menu!”

New skill acquired:

-Apparaisal

Allows him to identify anything. Whether objects, creatures or living beings, they can all be appraised using this skill. It is necessary to focus on the target of appraisal with Vision. It is possible to assess using Smell, Taste and Hearing, but it requires greater focus, diverting attention from risks.

“And you're only telling me now?”

“…”

“Oh, of course, we can't spoil the joke, can we? But never mind. So this is Mytille... that name is Blueberry in French. There must be more in common between the two worlds than I'm expecting. I'd better collect as much as I can and store it in the Item Box.

Added items:

-Mirtylle x173

“It's very little, but better than nothing. I hope to find something else along the way.”

Time passed, but your search was not in vain, yielding at least enough for a few days if he know how to ration it well.

-Fraise des Bois x 21
-Raisin Sauvage x 67
-Framboise x 99

“The variety of fruits is not bad, I just wish I had arrived before the other animals. I ended up only getting the leftovers. But now I need water, I'm starting to get thirsty. Sure, I have the isotonic, but it's not the same thing, especially if it's the only thing to drink.”

It didn't take long to find water. As he had imagined, there was indeed a stream nearby, perhaps the same one that ran through the farm, now quite far away. The water looked clean and crystal clear, and Rikko could see that there were fish swimming calmly in its bed. On the other side there was an animal drinking water that paid no attention to the newcomer.

-Cerf Tricorné
A deer with three horns, with the central one on top of its head serving an aesthetic purpose. The more beautiful and longer the horn, the greater the chance of finding the best mate. Its meat is highly appreciated by men who spend a lot of time away from home.

“Hmm, it looks delicious, but I'm not even going to try. Those hooves look really painful and I don't stand a chance. So let's go to the water.”

He approached the bank of the stream carefully and looked around, it would be an easy target for carnivorous creatures looking for water. He dipped his beak into the water and took the first sip. It was great and at the perfect temperature, not too hot or too cold. It quenched his thirst, but now came the most complicated part.

“Okay, I found water. But... how am I going to store it? Item Box!”

The box appeared in the air at his command, so he directed it into the water.

Warning:

Container for liquids required.

“Oh, sure. It's not like you could store it that way, you idiot. It seems like you haven't played enough RPGs or you're just stupid. I need to find something.”

He wandered along the bank looking for anything that could serve as a canteen, and was almost giving up when he noticed something half-buried in the ground.

“What is this? It looks like some kind of leather. Could it be the carcass of some animal?”

After digging with a lot of effort, the object finally revealed itself.

Item Acquired:

-Dirty Wineskin x 1

Made of animal leather, it can be used to store water, drinks and other liquids. It can be easily carried around the waist during trips.

“Wow, so much mud! Is there a hole?”

He took the waterskin to the stream, washing it as best he could by holding it with the spout. After some effort while struggling not to fall into the water, the object revealed itself to be practically new despite its previous filthy appearance. When he dipped it in the water, it filled up quickly and showed no leaks. Since he couldn't pull it out of the water full, he stored it in the item box right there.

Item Acquired:

-Wineskin with Water - Capacity 2 Liters (Maximum) x 1

“Great! It's not leaky! Two liters is a lot for me, it will last a long time.”

At that moment, a fish jumped into the stream, catching his attention. As if in sync with the fish's dive, his hunger was piqued.

“Hmm, fish. It wouldn't be bad to include it on the menu. And I already know how I'm going to catch it.”

He ran to a large rock nearby and began digging in the soft earth around it. It didn't take long for them to appear. A handful of worms were stirring vigorously after being taken from their hiding place.

“Hello, little friends. I have a job for you.”

Even though he felt disgusted, he killed the worms and carried them in his beak near the stream. His goal was simple. He would hold one worm at a time in his beak and dip his head into the water. With the worm, he would attract the attention of the smaller fish and when they came to bite the bait, he would pull them out of the water as fast as he could with his beak. Simple, but it could work.

“This rock is very firm, I'll use it as support. Let's go!”

He climbed onto the rock, took a deep breath and caught the worm with his beak, then put his head in the water.

Come on, come on, little fish! Bite right here!

He failed on the first attempt, because the fish tore the worm apart before it was even caught, but the following attempts went very well, managing to catch eight small fish.

Item Acquired:

-Gardon x 8

“With these, I have some other source of protein besides the dried meat. Now, I just have to... AAAAH, SHIT!”

Not everything is perfect. Rikko had forgotten one detail. How would he clean the fish? And, more than anything, how does he expect to make a fire to roast them? Having forgotten such a stupid detail made him feel so angry that he could barely fit it in his small body.

“SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! And now this!”

He screamed and kicked, but it was useless. He needed fire or he would have to eat it raw, and that would not be a good idea for fish caught in the wild that could be loaded with parasites. He no longer knew what to think and his repertoire of curses had run out. It was then that he remembered something.

“THAT'S IT! MAGIC!”

His excitement at this realization filled him with hope. With that in mind, he gathered as many branches and twigs as he could. He dug a hole in the soft earth, gathered pebbles around it, filled the hole with dry straw and twigs and finally, with a lot of work, stuck two branches at the ends with another one on top where he intended to rest branches with the fish, allowing him to spin them in the fire. Everything was ready, only the main thing was missing. He stood in front of the fire, took a deep breath and then raised his wings theatrically.

“FIRE!”

Nothing.

“FIREBALL!”

Still nothing.

“EXPLOSION!!!”

Not to mention that nothing happened, one of the sticks with fish broke under its weight, falling among the twigs. Rikko called up the skills menu, looked and looked, but it showed nothing about magic.

“What's the point of having all this mana if I can't even make a little fire? Thanya, YOU DAMN!”

Somewhere, a certain herald of death sneezed, staining the screen of her handheld with snot. And that day, Rikko had to settle for dried meat, fruit and water. The fish will be for next time.

“I'll still eat fried fish.”