The forest felt lush and alive. Cool air filled Asa’s lungs, and she felt immersed in the wilderness. The Lapis Bear bounded ahead several paces, barking occasionally. No matter how far it went, it paused and waited for Asa to catch up, growling at her with impatience before running off.

Asa stepped over ferns and roots, touched thick tree trunks, and marveled at the enormous trees that made up the forest. She’d never imagined seeing trees so tall or wide with green and browm roots that covered the land and had to be climbed. The Lapis Bear moved with ease, but Asa had to grab on the moss and vines and pulled herself. Her body felt stronger already since the temple, and exercise felt good even if she had to keep careful watch over her stamina bar as she climbed. She’d have to figure out how to improve that.

Bright flowers grew around the trees like necklaces. Mushrooms sprouted in the shade of the roots like little crowns. Some were green and chubby; some were purple and slender. There were screens for every one of them.

Robust Mushroom: recovers 1 Heart. Cooking this mushroom will greatly increase its effect.

Purple Mushroom: increases stamina momentarily. Cooking this mushroom will greatly increase its effect.

There were others, but Asa found Ladybugs with heart shaped spots and beetles the size of her head. Their hard shells glistened in the sunlight streaming in through the leaves overhead. Moths flew out of bushes that Asa startled. She wanted to stop and read every screen that flickered over something, but she followed the little blue bear as it climbed and rolled and headed deeper into the forest. Whatever it was, she could explore to her heart’s content once she’d finished this quest for the Old Man.

A white rabbit sprung out of the bushes. The Lapis Bear looked ready to pounce, but Asa told it to wait. The rabbit’s long ears twitched. It started at the two of them with beady, frightened eyes.

White Forest Rabbit 20 HP

She couldn’t imagine fighting such a cute creature. It seemed paralyzed with fear, giving Asa chance to study the moss growing on its underbelly. She stepped towards it, wanting to feel its fur, and it darted off into the forest.

As they continued, they stumbled upon other creatures. Asa wanted to study them all. They seemed so familiar. Squirrels were dark red with busy tails and wings that let them glide from the branches. Some sailed by near her, but they moved too fast for her to read the screens. There were snakes and large spiders, but she stayed away from those.

She squatted down and hid behind a root when she saw a doe and a fawn chewing on plants in the quiet. A bird called overhead, and the Lapis Bear headbutted her legs, but she wanted to observe the graceful creatures.

They were large, much larger than she thought dear should be. They had brown fur with black spots, and the fawn had what appeared to be a spike jutting out from its back. Was that a male feature?

Asa imagined riding one of them, holding onto the spike and charging into battle. She moved close, careful not to make a sound. The Lapis Bear scampered up her legs and climbed onto her back as she moved close enough to the fawn to read their screens.

Forest Cervidae (Fawn) 30 HP

Forest Cervidae (Doe) 150 HP

The Doe stopped chewing. It turned its dark eyes towards Asa, then let out a cry before both creatures bounded out of sigh. Asa sat on the ground wondering what sort of meat the old man had cooked for her as the Lapis Bear climbed onto her shoulder and licked her face.

“Okay,” she said, laughing. “Let’s keep going to the lake.”

It sniffed the air and leaped off her. She tried not to stop for every little thing she saw. There were dragonflies and other buzzing things she couldn’t name. Spiderwebs so large that they stretched between the giant trees. She didn’t want to imagine what could’ve spun them.

There were things in the branches too, but they were too high for her to reach without climbing. Fruits and flowers, mushrooms, and other things she couldn’t make out even if she squinted. On the forest floor, she found some of the fruits.

Apples: restores two hearts. Cooking this fruit will greatly increase its effect.

Peaches: restores stamina. Cooking this fruit will greatly increase its effect.

The Lapis Bear tackled one of the fruits, and they stopped to rest. She collected as many as she could and watched the forest birds fluttering around and singing. When Asa had nearly a dozen of each fruit in her inventory, she followed the bear again, the juices of a fresh peach running down her chin.

They came upon a tree larger than the others. This one had darker bark and was rather thick, but around its base grew odd mushrooms that made Asa stop and stare. The mushrooms were various shades of light brown with a dark nib at the center of their globular head, and they grew in pairs.

She knelt and touched one of them, ignoring the Lapis Bear headbutting her from behind impatiently. They felt soft and firm, and she wondered if she could eat them or cook them like the others. The screen flickered over them.

Busty Mushroom A rare mushroom that is full of the Earth Mother’s milk. Restores two hearts and provides a short-term stamina boost.

“These sound amazing,” she whispered. “Even if they look a bit lewd.” She counted three pairs of the mushrooms growing near her, but before she could pluck them and test out her theory on how to retrieve the milk, the Lapis Bear snarled.

Its blue fur stood on end, and Asa turned just in time to see the brown blur racing towards her. A tusk scratched her thigh as she threw her weight out of the creature’s way. She landed on the ground, pain searing through her leg as blood gushed from the wound. A stinging on Asa’s wrist let her know she’d lost a heart. She looked up to see the creature had gotten stuck in a root, squealing furiously as it tried to escape.

Wild Forest Boar 50 hp.

She crawled away, staring at the little growths on the boar’s back that looked like broccoli. The Lapis Bear pounced on the creature, snarling and biting down.

The boar pulled itself free, threw off the bear, and circled around to face Asa. It pawed the dirt, ready to charge again. She stood on shaky legs and braced herself, drawing a Bone Club. Blood gushed down her leg, hot and wet, but she squeezed the bone tight.

The boar charged, thundering over the grass. It crashed into her injured leg with its snout before she could swing, and she tumbled over its body, her fingers running through its growths. She landed on the ground with a fistful of broccoli as the boar circled around again.

Forest Broccoli: Can be cooked into meals. Provides a short-term increase to offensive capabilities.

As the vegetables vanished into her inventory, she bit back a cry. The pain in her leg was too much, and there was so much blood flowing down her leg now that her head was spinning. The Lapis Bear, a snarling ball of blue fur and teeth, raced to collide with the charging boar. It climbed onto the boar’s snout, clawing and growling, slowing the creature down.

It turned its attention to Asa again, trying to shake off the bear. She readied herself with the Bone Club. It flung the Lapis Bear aside, and Asa struck the boar over the head with her bone. The Wild Forest Boar fell forward, squealing, and Asa hit it several more times before the Bone Club shattered in her hands. Suddenly losing her weapon made her fall onto her side, and the boar stomped the ground, circling back to face her.

Its eyes were furious and red, but its health must be giving out. The pain in her leg made her vision blurry; she couldn’t see the screen over the boar’s head and check its HP. The Lapis Bear leaped onto the boar’s side as it charged again, and Asa waited for it, holding two Short Bones.

The Wild Forest Boar thundered upon her with a scream. Asa lied flat on her back as the tusks went over her, letting the animal on top of her. There was a horrible cracking sound and another burst of pain so sharp inside her abdomen that Asa almost passed out. But she managed to drive the bones into the boar’s underbelly. Her ability activated.

Piercing Blow: Close range stab attacks will deal more damage.

The boar collapsed, heavy and hot and furry. Her wrist throbbed with pain, and just when Asa thought she’d suffocate beneath the hefty carcass, it shattered into blue dust. She found herself with a pile of meat, two tusks, and plenty of broccoli.

They vanished into her inventory. Asa tried to sit up, but the movement made her cry out. Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she grit her teeth. Something was definitely broken inside. The Lapis Bear licked the tears off her face, making worried sounds.

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered, stifling another cry. Clear Slime Jelly appeared in her hand, and she lifted her shirt and smushed it gently against her ribs. A whimper escaped her lips as she pressed down, but as the goo spread over her skin and tingled, she still felt the pain.

“Alright,” she gasped. “Maybe it won’t be okay.” The slime wasn’t helping this, but she summoned another one and pressed it into her leg wound. That sealed up nicely, and she let out a sigh of relief. But how would she heal her insides?

She held another slime out, looking at its see-through jelly body. Should she just swallow it? The Lapis Bear barked from her side, and she saw it sitting near the Busty Mushrooms.

“That might work,” she said, gritting her teeth and crawling on her elbows and knees towards the tree. The mushrooms grew in bunches around its base, and as much as they looked like breasts, Asa was willing to try anything.

Busty Mushroom A rare mushroom that is full of the Earth Mother’s milk. Restores two hearts and provides a short-term stamina boost.

The Lapis Bear bit a pair off and carried it over to Asa, the two mushrooms bouncing with each step. It laid them in front of her, and Asa pressed her face into them. Her lips closed around the little nibs that were basically nipples, and she sucked. She felt silly, but when the sweet milk burst in her mouth, she drank greedily.

With each gulp, she felt her strength returning, and when no more milk came from the mushroom she sucked on, she sat up and wiped her mouth. Her ribs felt normal again, the pain was gone, and the hearts on her wrist were back to three. She stretched, relieved. The mushroom still looked full. For some reason, Asa thought it would shrivel out as she sucked on it.

She picked it up and studied it. It was two spherical mushrooms, each with their own stems attached to one bigger stem. The one she’d drank from felt light while the other still was full. The taste, she couldn’t quite describe it. It was heavy like cream, but sweet like honey.

“Thank you,” she told the Lapis Bear, scratching behind its head. It panted happily, then Asa picked the other Busty Mushrooms and placed them in her inventory. She wondered if she could harvest the milk so that she wouldn’t have to drink from the mushroom in front of anyone.

The blood on her leg had dried, and she lifted her shirt up to see that her skin was clear again. No dark mark from where the boar had attacked her. There was no scar on her thigh either. She thought about the Sacrificial Dagger in her inventory, wondering if she’d have to use it if they came across anything else as dangerous as the boar. Her bone weapons weren’t nearly enough. Crashing sounds filled the air, and she turned. Was it another creature?

More thrashing was the only response. It sounded like heavy footfalls, and they were coming towards her.

The Lapis Bear growled at the direction of the sound, standing in front of Asa. Was it another boar? She summoned a Bone Club, thinking these sounds were much too large.

The tree near them gave away, and Asa saw a guy rushing towards her. He wore a denim outfit, had a satchel, and was holding on to a straw hat. He leaped over a root, shouting, “Run!”