07: Well-Balanced Diet

Whether my first impression was wrong or right, I wasn’t sure what to think about the statue anymore. The vines and roots did little to protect it from the same destruction that fell upon the rest of the ruins. Pieces had broken off and cracks had spread as time passed. It looked human, for the most part, but there was something odd about the curve of its broken ears.

I got back on my feet and approached the statue to actually inspect it properly for the first time. When I discovered it wasn't a necessary part of the fountain, and instead just enshrined within it, I rushed through pruning the vines that hid it and moved on. The base it stood on had markings carved across it, eroded and unrecognizable. They didn't match any of the patterns from the other damaged art I'd seen, so it may have been writing of some kind.

The statue, well, he looked like a normal guy. Tall, but average. There was nothing truly fancy or outstanding about him. His appearance was a simple, plain looking outfit I might expect a random village NPC to wear. A tunic, trousers, a thick belt, and boots. He stood straight, his feet shoulder width apart. One hand rested on the pommel of a weapon. The other arm angled lower, as if to suggest the missing hand once held the handle in its grasp.

"Is that a real weapon, though? It looks so… odd."

The handle connected to a crossguard, curved with minor ornate carvings, and continued to a blade of sorts that had to be almost four feet long. About halfway down the blade, it split in two. Both tips rested on the base above the illegible markings. A snicker slipped out at the outrageous thought of how it looked like an oversized, weaponized tuning fork-like sword.

"What are you looking at? Are you planning to 'tune me up'? Oh, no. Anything but that. Ha, ha…"

Then a thought made me stop joking around. It seemed silly to consider, but looking at the statue now made it appear more like a memorial. Why else would someone be honored with such a simple carving?

Back in Wonder Saga, I played the role of a hero—a champion of the people. This guy? He might have actually been one, someone important, a real hero. Laughing felt disrespectful now, no matter how ridiculous his sword appeared. His expression made more sense too, but still came across as arrogant to me.

"Jerk…"

The word slipped out. Given the circumstances, I wasn't sure which of us I directed it at, but that didn't really matter. Neither of us were going anywhere. We were both stuck in the ruins together, whether I liked it or not.

Sunlight continued to fade at a decent rate, taking away the warmth to dry off with it. My wet clothes left me with a chill. I'd have to wring them out and start a fire. I assumed anyone could light a fire. Rubbing two sticks together was easy, right? Nope. Instead of a cozy fire for the night, I earned myself a handful of splinters from the twigs and scraps in the ruins. It left me with no choice but to gather leaves and stuff my ripped pajamas with them for a warmth I almost couldn't feel.

As for where I'd sleep, I didn't think it made a difference where I set myself up. I returned to the same place I hid from the statue. It left a lot to be desired, and didn't do me any good at the time, but there was a corner of the ceiling that looked stable and large enough to hold back any rain, not that it was any concern. The sky remained clearer than ever.

"One day down, I guess."

I curled up in the corner, so what remained of the walls would block any direct wind, and shivered. I wore myself out with the fountain, so even hunger wasn't much of an obstacle anymore. Sleep came quickly.

The next morning, I yawned and blinked the world into focus. Small puffs of air hit my face, and my whole body jumped. My furry visitor from the morning before came to find me again. This time, it was mere inches from my face.

"H-hey, get lost! Stop sniffing me!" I swatted at it, flailing my arms. I didn’t hit it, that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to scare the thing away. The leaves in my pajamas flew about, swirling and scattering from the panicked movement. It jumped back, barked at me, and took off into the forest. "Please tell me this isn't part of my morning routine now, waking up to… that. Come on…"

I headed over to the fountain and splashed my face. A refreshing drink of water helped too, but my empty stomach howled for more. It demanded food. Water alone wasn't enough. I glanced at the statue's goofy sword. Hunting was out of the question. I was just as likely to be something else's breakfast. That left foraging. Simple? I doubted it. I'd already proven the ruins were empty, so one place remained: the forest. If only I knew what was edible.

My first thought should have remained food, but my priority became keeping the ruins in sight at all times after I crossed the blurry border into the forest. Stranded there was better than getting lost in the trees. My secondary focus was watching for any wildlife. If I found what they ate, I'd try the same thing. Randomly tasting everything I came across had the potential to make things worse. No matter how bad things were, there was always a possibility they could get worse. I knew that for a fact.

I started my search looking for what I knew already existed, birds and more of those squirrel-fox things, but all I found were rustling branches and bushes. Their hearing and instincts were perfect for the wild, unlike me. They always ran before I could tell if they had any food.

Eventually, I found something that wasn't afraid of me. The lack of any visible eyes might have been an advantage, though. I almost missed it. A palm-sized blob of green slime sat in front of me. I never expected to see monster fodder like that outside of a video game.

At first, I wasn't sure the slime was even alive. I learned the truth the hard way when I mistakenly stepped on another one in the underbrush. It screeched out a sound so shrill it left my ears ringing. Impressive for not having a mouth. Both slimes slithered away, and a squishy sensation lingered between my toes long after they left.

"But would they be… edible?" I gagged as the words left my mouth, imagining the texture. "Nope. Never. Don't wanna know." My hunger waned from the disgusting thoughts. It helped a little, but not much.

The next slime I found was paler in color and rubbing against a small cluster of mushrooms. I'd noticed a few of the fungi here and there, but remembered something like that might not be safe. They were white, emitted a faint glow, and seemed to grow in the shady areas at the base of trees or fallen logs. A sickly sweet aroma filled the air as I watched what I assumed was the slime eating it.

"Smell and taste are… close enough, right?"

I picked one and sniffed it to confirm the smell came from the mushroom, not the slime. Big mistake. A small puff of something came off it. I spent the rest of the morning certain that a family of roasted chickens was roosting in a nearby tree. They smelled delicious and had a tantalizing golden brown color, daring me to eat them with taunts as they danced about in the branches. I tried to climb up and claim my prize, failing and falling to the ground every time I made it a couple of feet off the ground. At least no one saw me making a fool of myself.

Tired and frustrated when the teasing food disappeared, I gave up on foraging for something to eat. I focused instead on twigs and branches, potential firewood, if I ever figured out how to light it. Hungry and annoyed, I mindlessly swung a handful of the flimsy sticks I picked up, whipping and striking bushes as I passed them.

A blue orb flew off a bush as I aimlessly attacked anything within range, and it landed at my feet. I might have mistaken it for a blueberry, but it was almost the same size as the slime from earlier. It also had seeds on its skin like a strawberry. After the mushroom incident, I hesitated to try it. Under the bush I hit were more of them, half eaten by something I must have scared away.

"Good enough for me."

I popped it in my mouth and bit down. Sour, sweet, delightful juice gushed out and filled my mouth. I felt a little better just from the one, and there were a handful of ripe ones still on the bush's branches. I gorged myself on what I found. They weren't enough to fill me, so I tried a green one. The bitterness left my mouth dry. My discovery was a small win, but the snack left me hungrier.

Following through with my original plan, I remained at the almost non-existent border of the ruins. Some buildings were more tree than stone, overtaken completely by the forest. Not far from the berry bushes were the remains of what had to be a garden, cordoned off from the rest of the area. Unusual clusters of wildflowers filled the enclosed space, along with what I assumed were some vegetables a hungry animal had uprooted and left partially eaten.