All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

The bonus is happening every time I eat ten fruits, I imagine there will eventually be an end to this though. After all, if it was unlimited something would have already eaten all the fruits and become equivalent to a god. Looking around I can see lots of tracks around the edges of the field and I can see several bushes that have been stripped of fruit.

It is reassuring that I don't spot any corpses, but just then I hear a low hissing sound. Looking over I see Lizzy laying down in the grass and she seems to be shivering. I quickly rush over to her to see what I can do to help, and I quickly see that her scales are looking dry and cracked again.

Can she really be shedding again after only a few days? I quickly remove her saddle and get out the grooming kit to start brushing away the shed scales. As she sheds she also seems to be sweating out a black goop which smells awful.

After washing away the goop I find entirely new scales have already grown in and they look stronger and shinier than her old scales. At a guess once she ate enough of the fruits her body went through some kind of rejuvenation process. After I am done brushing away shed scales and washing off black goop Lizzy seems to be in perfect health.

Once she stands up she cranes her head around to lick my face, it seems she is quite happy. After that she shows no interest in the fruits at all, I guess once you hit that point they lose any effect. Since I know what is coming I strip off my armor and pile it up before I go back to eating the fruits.

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

All stats have increased by +1!!

As I am happily munching away Lizzy is dancing around and playing like she is feeling amazing. Watching her I can't wait to see what this is going to feel like. As I eat the one hundredth fruit and see the tenth notification I start feeling a strange pressure building up in my body.

Soon my whole body starts shivering even though I don't feel cold, in fact all I feel is the pressure. Then I notice a bit of fur floating on the breeze, when I look down I see piles of fur on the ground around me. Looking at myself I notice several bald spots, and as soon as I notice them they start itching.

The more I scratch the more of my fur falls off, within a few minutes my entire body is bald. I am really glad no one is around to see this, I must look horrible with no fur. Between the fur loss and the shivering I would expect to feel cold, but instead I start feeling overheated.

As the feeling of pressure increases the shivering gets worse, and then I start sweating. The sweat is the color and consistency of tar and the smell is absolutely horrible. The shivering and sweating last for about a half hour, as soon as it ends I grab the waterskin and wash myself completely.

The itching quickly returns as my body grows new fur, I sit on my hands to keep from scratching. Luckily it only takes a few minutes for the fur to grow in, once it is over I take a good look at myself. Not only is the new fur richer and softer, but it is also slightly different in color.

The fur is still black but anytime I move I catch purple shimmers racing across my fur. It looks quite regal if I do say so myself, and as I get up and stretch my body feels amazing. My guess is the black stuff I sweated out was all the impurities in my body, I've read a number of manga where something similar happened.

It is not that I feel stronger but my body moves easier, as if everything was slightly off but now is perfectly aligned. No matter what the reason, it feels amazing and I can't help but run around enjoying it. Lizzy seems to be still in the same mindset and soon we are running around the field playing tag.

She is obviously not using her full speed or I wouldn't stand a chance against her. Instead she is moving just fast enough to make me work for it, almost like she is training me. By the time two hours have passed I am exhausted but I feel that my movements have improved as well.

Out of curiosity when I catch my breath I pick a fruit, but the smell is horrible and I throw it away instantly. However I watch the one I threw away to see what happens, it rots away to nothing after a few minutes. Meaning I can't pick them and take them back for the others, the only way to share this would be to bring them here.

Before leaving I look all around and try to memorize the location based on the landmarks I can see. I probably won't be able to bring the others here soon since it is late fall and winter is approaching. Maybe next year depending on what is going on I will try and bring the girls here.

The fact that we are heading into the mountains just before the start of winter is a little worrying. I am also concerned about Lizzy, normally lizards don't do well in the cold. I don't know anything about her species so all I can do is wait and try to deal with any problems as best I can.

After putting my armor back on and saddling Lizzy I mount up and get us headed back in the right direction. Lizzy is more than happy to gallop all the way to the meeting point. When I find a nice clearing with water nearby I stop Lizzy and make camp.

Once I have a fire going I walk over to the nearby river to take a look, as I had hoped there are plenty of fish that I can see. Knowing the heroes will be led here eventually I unsheath Blitz and start using it to spear some fish. It isn't exactly like using an actual spear but after a few tries I get the hang of it and catch my first fish.

When I pull it off Blitz and toss it in the air Lizzy easily snags it and eats it in two bites. She seems to enjoy it, even dancing in place, as she stares at me waiting for more. She greedily gobbles up the next fifteen fish I catch, I have to move several times to catch so many.

When she is finally sated and settles down by the fire I continue fishing. I would like to catch enough to cook fish for everyone, even brother raven. Luckily the fish in the river are abundant, probably because there are no humans anywhere near here.

*DING*

Congratulations! Skill Fishing has progressed to level 6!

Fishing

Level 6

Agi +6

You are on your way to being a master.

By the time I have caught and prepared enough fish the sun is starting to go down. Just before the last light disappears I spot brother raven in the distance, the heroes should be here in an hour or so. Lizzy is dozing near the fire but she wakes up when I remove the saddle, I motion for her to stand up.

Once she is standing I give her a complete grooming which she really seems to enjoy. After I am done and have put everything away I start cooking, if my timing is right the heroes should arrive right before it is ready. As soon as the fish start cooking Lizzy starts sniffing around them and I have to chase her off.

She decides it is a game and keeps trying to sneak one of the fish while I am cooking them. Her antics keep making me chuckle and continue until we hear horses approaching. Her playfulness vanishes in an instant as she goes on guard, I keep forgetting how fierce she can be.

Before they even come close enough to see, Lizzy relaxes and moves to curl up behind me, she must have caught their scent and recognized it. Brother raven arrives first and lands on a tree branch above where I pitched my tent.

"Brother raven, would you prefer cooked or raw?"

Brother Raven says "Raw, please."

As I toss two raw fish to brother raven the heroes ride into the clearing. They dismount and start taking care of their horses and once that is done they set up their tents. By then the fish are cooked and I call everyone over to eat.

"Brother Raven, is that enough food for you?"

Brother Raven says "Oh, yes, that's plenty. Thank you."

"Alright, if you guys have any left once you are full toss it to Lizzy please."

Justin says "Sure, and thanks for feeding us."

"No worries."

Koko says "Soft!!"

I am surprised to find her right next to me petting the fur on my arm, I didn't even notice her move. After hearing her exclamation Emmy and Rachel quickly come over and start petting me to see for themselves. I just sit there in amused silence but I am truly surprised when Silveria comes over to rub against me as well.