Chapter 5: Survived

My stomach no longer growls at me with hunger, instead it churns with the very beginnings of starvation. Berries? Mushrooms? I can't remember what sort of delusions I was under but there were no such things in this cave.

The only plant life here was the wet, slippery moss that covered nearly every bit of the walls and floors. And the only source of light were the broken bits of crystals that littered the area, I'd gathered a lot of them and hammered them into the pommel of my sword, having it act as a lamp in the dark corners.

I don't know how long it's been but I knew it was long, now all I ate were the few rats I managed to catch. Not sure why I say few, it's only been the one. And ever since that one I hadn't caught another, nor did I exactly want to; It's impossible to make a fire in this damp cave. Needless to say, I'm missing Pyromancy.

I'll be the first to admit eating an animal raw wasn't my finest moment, but desperate times…

With the Bear dead I wandered around the cave, I'd seen it munching on something the first time we met. I have some hope to find more of whatever that was but for all my searching, the cave was still dead. It was like the Bear and I were the only things that lived in it. Well, aside from the many rodents and critters that scurried around at my slightest move.

Aside from the ever-present hunger, something else bothered me. I was being haunted. I hadn't summoned Anselm since he almost had the Bear kill me and yet I could feel his presence around me, floating about my head and hanging over my shoulders as I trudged on in the cave looking for the slightest opportunity to sate my hunger.

I hate the man. He was the reason I starved right now, if only he'd possessed the Bear as I begged and pleaded, I wouldn't have had to drain it of its soul…and meat. In many moments I considered, albeit briefly, draining his soul like I did the Bear, if only to be free of his hauntings.

But I fiercely resisted the temptation; he was my last resort. If I got desperate enough, I'd summon him and have him scout through the many walls and crevasse's I couldn't get through for food.

I come upon yet another large opening, like the one with the Bear's pit except it didn't have that. All it had were mild elevations of rock and most noticeably, a large, deep roof.

The rooms in the cave weren't as spacious as this, some even requiring me to hunch over the deeper I went. This discovery however, makes me rethink all my hoping for an exit in the back; If there was a space like this in the cave then chances were this cave was within a mountain or some other immovable natural structure; the only way out is the way in.

[Status Effect: Starvation.]

WARNING: Mana Use May Worsen Effects.

MP -200

MP Regen Suspended.

[HP Regen Suspended.]

STR -2

DEX -2

[AGI -2]

I let out a frustrated cry, not only of hunger but of desperation as well. What use is magic if I'm too bloody starved to use it?

The only response to my futile cries were the scuttering of the rodents and critters that seemed to just be everywhere. I wipe the tears from my eyes and get off my butt, thinking about what next to do.

I summoned my spell list for the thousandth time and resist the urge to cry again.

There were only three spells I knew I could perform. Sense Death, Summon Spirit and Soul Drain. Create Undead the solution to my problems was one I knew I absolutely couldn't use.

Death Grip a spell I was cautious to use, its description read eerily similar to that of Soul Drain and I wasn't eager to try it on any of the rodents for fear of losing a meal. And I knew I couldn't use Undead Servant, at least not yet. It worked just like Create Undead, except not as useful in breaking through rocks.

All that left was Animate Animal a spell that showed many prospects, which was why I was hunting for a dead animal to perform the spell on. The Bear…wasn't an option unfortunately, Soul Drain had done something strange to it to say the least. Nothing to animate according the blue screen.

"Ah!" I yell as something scurries above my feet. I brandish my sword and turn around, looking for it, with luck it'd be my next meal.

I skulk about carefully looking around and beyond my feet. And like a blessing from above I spy the little guy, sniffing and scratching at its little nose. A grin splits my face as we lock eyes. It stops and freezes entirely, staring at me like a particularly curious object.

I'd been here before, face to face, eye to eye with my prey. I'd botched it those times, but this time? Well, I wasn't going to ruin my chances; I was desperate.

Mana wells up in my hands, the rodent, shrieks and begins its escape. Too late.

"Death Grip!" a tethered green mana hand shoots out from my outstretched arm, latching violently onto the brown furry fella.

[HP +1]

[HP +1]

[HP +1]

I pull back slowly and on my command the hand brings my prey, still alive to me.

Excitement fills me and with the widest grin on my face, I make a slight gesture and snap the things neck.

***

My inevitable internal conflict of whether to devour the rat now or animate its body with corrupt, necromantic mana wasn't much of a conflict once I peeled a patch of its skin with my blade and teeth only to be greeted with black blood and rapidly rotting flesh.

"Ugh!" I spat. The decision was made then. Since Death Grip did turn the rodent's flesh rotten, the body had only one use then.

I took a look at my MP and true enough, it had stopped regenerating along with that huge minus from being starved. After performing Death Grip, I only had a bit more left before running dry. I have to be careful.

I pick up the stiff, dead body of the rat by the tail and sneak off back to the Bear's pit. I'd noticed that ever since it died, the rodents had taken up residence, the pit was where I cornered my first raw rat meal in fact. For what I had planned I'd need more rodents.

It was beginning to seem like I stood a chance at survival after all.

Slowly but surely and uninterrupted by any spiritual negativity too, I make it to my target, coming in from the back end of the pit, the narrow path to the entrance at my right.

I flatten myself on the floor and pull out my dead rat and peer down the pit. Like I thought, the rodents were present, foraging around the remains of the Bear and the many bones of its victims.

I gathered mana, the very last bits of it at the tip of my fingers and place them on the body of the rat. The mana seeps in and within seconds I feel a strange connection, like I'd grown and extra limb but with more limbs and a mouth.

[Animate Animal Successful]

Status Effect: Starvation has reached level two.

MP Regen -0.5

[HP Regen -0.5]

I curse under my breath at the blue box. I waved it away and quickly return to getting my bearings with my new limb, it would be the answer to all my most pressing problem after all.

I play around a bit with the rat, my focus entirely on my ability to open and close the mouth. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to get it all right, I could feel my MP and HP draining and I didn't exactly have a second chance at this.

I send out my agent, having it crawl down carefully into the Bear's pit as I watch from above with bated breath and beads of sweat pouring down my back.

I orchestrate for it to meet with another rat, this one excluded from the rest as it bit around the moss on the floor. Quickly and without hesitation I order my puppet to attack.

It launches itself, albeit clumsily at my target, puppeteered into gripping the skin around my prey's neck. I give another order. Bite!

Blood spills and the prey squeals in pain as it begins its struggle. The other rodents do nothing but watch as I press on, digging teeth into the neck of my prey as it clawed, quite efficiently at my puppet. Too bad neither my puppet not I felt a bit of pain at its attacks.

Within seconds of griping and clawing and bleeding, my prey dies and my puppet sets its dead, white eyes on another.