Alright, what do I know about forests, mountains and survival?

You know nothing, Marc Rosel!

...

Well, right back at you. I think that reference was already pretty stale a couple decades ago, where did you even pull that from?

Bob – for lack of a better name – didn't answer. I decide to prioritize food and water. I have all day to find shelter and hopefully I’ll stumble upon a cave or some place where I can move rocks around and create shelter. Shouldn't be too hard to find considering that we're in the mountains.

What if there's a bear in that cave?

… So, as I was saying, I'll figure out some kind of weaponry first.

Then food and water, then a cave. Hopefully the bear-less variation. And no mountain lion either. Or really, any other large, fast thing with too many sharp teeth.

Imagine if we stumbled upon a hundred angry duck-sized horses!

Still better than a single, horse-sized angry duck.

A good stick and some rocks I can throw should be a fine weaponry start. Caveman smash! Or tries to, anyway.

There are suitable pebbles everywhere so that's quickly solved. But I’m currently surrounded by the heather, struggling to grow on the thinner soil of the slope up here. There aren’t really any trees up here, I’d have to go back down to the forest to find a branch. I take a good look at the trees again, I can't see any obviously dead branch from here, and they really seem to be very flexible. Can I even make a decent club from that?

Maybe the wood hardens once it’s dead?

One of the stories my mom would tell me as a kid was about a mighty oak and a flimsy reed. The oak taunts the reed but one day a great windy storm comes and in spite of all it's strength, the oak breaks while the reed bends but still stands after the storm. If trees evolved to bend so easily on this planet... Does it mean that crazy strong storms are a common thing?

I'm pretty sure there's going to be a stream or a small river somewhere in the middle of the valley but I'd rather find a small freshwater spring and get water as close to the spring as possible. Also, a forest means reduced line of sight and I'm not a big fan of that idea while I'm not sure if the area is safe from beasts. Hopefully, a clear field of vision should let me catch a glimpse of the wildlife.

Not that I hear any more animal activity than earlier, but well, one can hope.

The forest doesn't feel unnaturally silent because the trees gently rustle with the faintest breeze, but after noticing the missing activity, it feel really ominous, like it’s dark and mysterious, in spite of being well lit and flamboyant of colors.

I’d rather not go there if I can help it.

The plants around are definitely very strange, while the grass is green and the trees are yellow with orange leaves, the bushes don't seem to have made up their mind and there are some of both colors.

I know I'm paying a lot of attention to the plants but I'm looking for berries. And a spring. I expect that the stream a spring creates must be noticeable from afar because it should let more plants than usual grow close to it.

Makes sense, yes.

---

I've been hiking for a while now, making good pace on the relatively clear mountainside. A quick check on my status tells me it's been a solid two hours. However, I had no luck finding any berry bush, or another obvious source of food. In fact, what I did notice is that many plants have flowers blooming, which means, if seasons work like on earth (big 'if' there, I know), that winter recently passed and it's currently spring.

Fruits might not be around for a couple months and I have no idea what I should eat.

I guess I could try munching on random herbs or dig up edible roots... But the best would really be to find a small animal because I'm more confident about eating raw meat than random plants. Well, I've always been a bit disgusted by the idea of eating raw things but people eat sushi and tartar so it can't be too bad.

Except the only sign of animal life so far were the occasional tiny burrow exits I’ve spotted in the rocky ground.

Catching a rat for dinner? Yum.

For now, I am starting to feel rather thirsty as the sun becomes warmer, I’m sweating heavily and panting somewhat from the exercise.

Yeah I'm not super resistant, I've lived in a city my whole life. This is harsh.

At least I'm pretty sure the denser vegetation I've been heading towards for the last ten minutes must be growing around a small stream. It's about 50 meters away now, and while I can't see any water running yet, there's no way those thick bramble bushes don't have a really good access to water.

The question of how I'm getting a drink without skinning myself on all those thorns will be answered later.

I stop near the bushes for a break, laying down to try and enjoy some of the little shade they can offer. Suddenly there’s a short message in my mind.

Trait formation notice : Hiker (-) 1%. [+1 END]

How convenient.

Sure enough, my status shows an extra endurance point and the trait in the physical category. I bring up the details for a surprisingly informative screen.

Hiker (Minor)

Hiking, the act of crossing rough and wild lands at a walking pace for extended period of time. Someone who hikes frequently is stronger and more dexterous than the average, but above all things, they are more enduring. This Trait reduces the rate at which you grow tired from hiking.

This Trait has enhanced your body, this effect remains even if the trait is lost. Currently : 1 END

This Trait is in its forming stage, its effect is reduced (1%).

This Trait is in its forming stage, making it more likely to be lost.

This Trait resonates with your race, it is likely to become [Racial] and grows faster than usual.

Wait, does that mean we need to hike for over 200 hours to get the related trait at "minor" level ?

I have questions too, but only time will tell. While I can get some extra information, like this panel when I focused on endurance, it doesn’t tell me much I wouldn’t have guessed.

Endurance (END)

Endurance reflects how resistant your body is to any kind of wear and tear. Each point of endurance is reflected by a matching health point.

Enough endurance will turn painful and exhausting physical trials into trivial matters.

Like all stats, pushing yourself to the limits of your endurance will eventually make it grow.

I've had no success summoning any kind of true ‘help’ feature that would allow me to ask the real questions.

Although I have a sneaking suspicion that perhaps help falls under the category of the stuff censored by this cursed unknown context modifier.