Chapter 3: It's only up from here

Today a crafting table shall be made! I hope anyway. Now breakfast. Those berries only made me a little uncomfortable but clearly, they are safe to consume, all be it not ideal. So, without further ado, I ate the whole basket. I was very hungry, I need meat. So after taking a walk to the stream and drinking my fill trying my best only to skim the topwater since it’s a modicum of cleaner.

I take my axe and start hitting the wood with it, and it’s taking ages. Longer than my fist, why? Well, I found out quite quickly when I finished “creak” followed by the whole tree falling on top of me. Thankfully it was a relatively small tree but my god that hurt. Bruised my whole left side.

Now I have a tree on the ground and an item on the ground. I don’t have an inventory like I used to so it's just a large floating object and it's heavy damn. Il needs to make a magical bag of holding as soon as possible. The rest of the tree didn’t break into items as I expected but I found hitting them lightly turns each segment into an item. I go ahead and do it for all of them.

I try and hit the item with my axe and it starts to crack I continue and I now have 4 slightly smaller logs. Hmmm 1 step closer. I try placing them, I start by throwing them at the ground. All it did was bounce. Must be a way to place it I muse. Next, I try and focus as I place it down “Pop” and with a dramatic number of fireworks the letters “Placed wood, it’s a start”. Damned god is making fun of me. Where do the fireworks come from anyway?

Wait I can build shelter now, putting aside a few parts to try and make crafting tables later I go on a plank crafting spree breaking trees and turning them into planks, simultaneously creating a clearing. I can build a house, or a box, box it is a small easy box.

Starting by building a floor a simple 6x6 followed by building the walls 4 high and then covering it with a basic roof called a flat roof. The floor is a meter off the ground because that’s how blocks function in this 1x1 meter squared. My next house will be better but it's sheltered and I needed this so bad.

And the sun is already most of the way through. Time to find more berries eat then drink some water and get ready for crafting the crafting table because screw crafting. “chuckles” Bring my basket I go berry collecting I eat enough to fill me up and collect enough for later. With a drink, I am back home and realize I’m going to need a second berry bush at this rate and ideally a second source of food.

Okay, crafting table how do I do. I placed a house like magic it can’t be that hard (Famous last words). 2 hours later “What am I doing wrong!” so clearly leaving 4 planks next to each other doesn’t work, smashing them together either. Sitting on the planks failed, but I did that out of curiosity if I could take a seat out of items.

Closing my eyes and focusing upwards I say in the best most pious tone ever “Felix get your ass in gear and tell me how to make this bloody crafting table”

“Thunder” and I fell over, what I didn’t expect thunder to bang right after I prayed.

I hear a very light chuckling “Why haven’t you used your NEI yet?”

“What!” “How did I forget!” I have Not Enough Items. My one gift and I forgot to use it.

“Close your eyes and focus on the item you wish to craft and the recipe will appear”

“Thanks, Felix” I say as nicely as possible even though I just cursed him. He was oddly helpful or maybe me struggling is not funny enough.

Okay, okay enough procrastinating, closing my eyes I say inwardly “crafting table” on repeat just short of a million times. Suddenly a sheet of blurry items skims through page after page before falling on a page of wooden items. The crafting tables, a page opens up like a book detailing all I need to do is place 8 planks together in a square and then place my hand on it and focus on making a crafting table. “That simple” wait 8, not 4 you did that on purpose, Felix I’ve been sat here for the last 2 hours because I had the wrong amount, you prick. I take back that thanks, you evil god.

“Ding” “Crafting table complete” Me speaking in a computer-like voice. I deserve to be able to have fun and be silly when I am the only person in a foggy forest lost to the world. But I have a crafting table! This godly item will allow me to start making “Things!” if anyone heard me right now id be dragged off either to an asylum or the gallows. We will see how advanced this world is.

Okay placing it down in a corner because screw aesthetics at least for now. Let’s make a chest. I place 8 wood; wait I am going to check the recipe before I have trouble again. A few moments later 8 wood in a circle with intent. What does that mean? I got as far as placing the 8 items on the correct crafting grid spaces the items mysteriously shrink onto the crafting table, handy but weird. Okay, I place my hand over the items and try my best to will it to craft a chest.

Suddenly everything gets very focused on the table like tunnel vision, I try and back away and I can’t, stuck in place. The items begin to fuse but with no will of my own, I guide it like I’ve done it a thousand times. And as fast it started it is over and I now have a crafting table and the memory of the whole event is foggy “Freaky”.

Well no use thinking about how weird this world is because it is in fact based on a game. I should already be grateful for the convenience. I make a second chest so I can have a double chest but this time I feel empty, like something is missing, a few steps later and I’m on the floor panting. It seems to craft is far more intensive than I remember. Let’s try not to use it too often shall we? Because I have to admit feeling empty and weak is scary.

It seems to get better with time I’m more wondering why I didn’t notice such an empty feeling after the first craft. Bet Felix obscured it so I would fall over.

Anyhow I still need to make a door, while I wait to feel better, I place my chests. Larger than anticipated but I am still not used to this 1x1 meter rule. I try placing that rotten flesh inside and it shrinks down and falls to the bottom “Sweet”. This is going to be very useful.

Wait to look at myself the bruise I got earlier is almost healed. That is fast. Do I regenerate in exchange for food like Minecraft? I should eat or all my muscles will disappear if my theory is correct and the long shot self-cannibalism is a thing. A long shot I know but I’m also hungry and it means, allowing myself to eat food. I love food even if these berries are astringent and not very good.

Great back up to a decent level of not hollow so I then make a door. This feeling of loss il have to get used to. Placing the door, I have 2 chests and a door. Life is great. After sleeping in a tree for 2 nights your standards drop a lot it seems. The night is about here so il quickly grab some wood I think my axe has about had it id say 1 more tree and it's done, so I grab the wood, as night finally falls and I see my first monster this evening another zombie. My axe is on its last legs, so to speak so I don’t fancy my chances. And in my house, my nice safe house. And the zombie is knocking on my door. “Lovely” The floor is hard and uncomfortable but I try and get some sleep but with the constant racket, I don’t stand a chance. Crafting a wooden sword, it is. And with the 2 crafts of sticks and then the sword, feeling hollow I meditate on the floor until I don’t feel fatigued.

Okay with a weapon in hand it's time to get rid of this early morning alarm clock called zombies. Clarification, a zombie I only see one at this time.

So how am I going to do this I have the advantage I think, home-field advantage is a thing right?

Now that I look at it, should I bother I could try and get back sleep? Starting to shake from the idea “Go away please?” yeah didn’t think that would work.

Okay, you can do this, fight it carefully, no adrenalin or blood lust so the fear is real. Just a zombie easy to kill right.

Whatever I’m doing this, I have to for sweet sweet sleep, my priorities are out of wacky but it needs to die.

I steel my nerves and kick my door open pushing the zombie to the ground I run out as it slowly gets up, I manage to slice its arm with this unwieldy but scarily sharp sword, wooden or not. I back away waiting for it to charge me. As expected, it charges me, I dodge to the right and hit the arm again. I aimed for the same place but missed, nonetheless that arm should be partially out of action; undead or not.

Keeping this dance going I whittle it down until it is moving at half the speed with black blood pouring on the floor. Then I hear it “Groan” turning around just to be tackled to the floor by a zombie. Stupid always keep an eye on the surroundings, it managed to deeply scratch my arm I used to keep it back. Pushing it to my side I scramble away for my door. Not today.

And as the adrenaline falls away, I start shaking again, I got scratched will I become a zombie? Suffice to say I neither got sleep nor became a zombie. Although I did clarify food equals health, as the scratches healed, I got hungrier faster. I ate the last of my berries il have to forage at daybreak for breakfast. Love it! “I need some new types of food, this is not very fulfilling”.

As I try and get some sleep with the now even louder groaning I mentally go over the right. I need better awareness this is not a game. Luckily this zombie didn’t infect me but I am not a gambling man, I need armor, something. Closed eyes I search “Wood Armour”. Okay, I'm going to make a wooden buckler tomorrow. It's relatively simple 2 sticks and 7 wood in the top 3 1 middle bottom 3 with sticks on either side. Armor on my actual body may very well increase my odds of getting hit I appreciate agility, thank you.

Also, I should mention this Not Enough Item is even better than it used to be I can search for far more broad things and not just get items based on the letters used. For example, I searched wooden armor and a wooden buckler came up as well. Very useful. I don’t dare look at anything outside my means yet I don’t want to die looking at the steps to make an infinity gauntlet for example.

One step at a time and I think I am just tired enough to fall asleep so good night and may a new day bless me with luck.