Nicole wandered through the tropical forest. At first, she was nervous, constantly looking around and turning her head at even the smallest and farthest sound. But after half an hour, she got over it and felt much better.
Hm, if I want to live here for some time, I should make some kind of home base and have wood for a campfire. It would be great to have a food and water source. So, a base near a river it is. I remember Soi mentioning that there was a river flowing into the ocean not too far from the village.
Turning south, Nicole continued on. Another few hours were spent walking in a more or less straight line and avoiding anything potentially dangerous or unknown. She saw a few wild animals, but neither she nor they wanted to get closer. Finally, she heard the sound of water ahead, motivating her to speed up. Soon enough, she found the river. It was easily over ten meters wide, and the current was rather strong, creating fast-moving waves and foam around big rocks scattered here and there. The river’s edge was mostly sand.
Well, first part done.
Nicole left her backpack at the nearest tree, then looked around and started gathering whatever pieces of wood and big leaves she could find nearby. As she did so, she spotted some fruit trees and berry bushes that Soi had said were edible. By midday, Nicole had gathered enough materials to attempt building a shelter. She approached the line where sand met the forest floor, then took a few steps back into the trees.
Nicole worked until evening, only taking breaks to eat the gathered fruits from time to time. When the sun was almost set, she realized her mistake—she didn’t have a bonfire yet.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. I thought I’d have more time.
On the sand, she piled together dry wood and leaves, then reached into her pocket for her magnifying glass. It wasn’t big, but it was her only hope. Aiming it at the base of the potential bonfire, she tried not to move, even slowing her breathing as much as she could.
The last glimpses of sunlight disappeared behind the treetops, but no fire—or even smoke—came.
Agh, I am a fucking idiot! Nicole kicked the sand, biting her lower lip harshly.
After a while, she calmed down and went back to working on the shelter. By the time she finished, it was night and she could barely see anything.
At least I have some kind of base.
It was a 3x3 meter square made out of branches, with a leaf roof and walls held together by vines. One wall—the one facing the river and the nonexistent bonfire—was made out of thinner but longer leaves to serve as an entrance. Inside, Nicole sat on the makeshift bed: layers of leaves on top of more leaves to create at least some softness.
Man, this sucks even more than the huts at the village.
The night wasn’t too cold at first, but it didn’t take long before Nicole heard thunder. Soon, harsh rain poured down. The roof wasn’t perfect, and here and there water dripped inside. The rain was so strong she feared her shelter might be destroyed. Not only that, it brought a deep cold with it.
Nicole sat on her bed, hugging her knees and trying to fall asleep, but every sound woke her. Each time, she instinctively grabbed her spear, only to relax and drift off again—repeating the process for the rest of the night.
In the morning, she ate the leftover fruits before stepping outside her shelter.
Shit, now searching for dry wood will be even harder. She groaned, then sighed. Alright, calm down. I can live without fire, but food is more important.
As she walked around picking whatever fruits she could find, Nicole heard a buzzing noise. Quickly glancing around, she saw three enormous mosquitoes. They were the size of a cat, entirely black, with long, pointy noses and big stingers on their rears.
The monstrous insects hovered in place, and as Nicole stepped closer, she noticed a grey-and-white monkey-like creature swinging a thick stick at them. Coming even closer, she realized it had the head of a husky.
Damn, that’s a fucking husky standing on two legs and fighting mosquitoes with a stick. This place will never stop shocking me.
The insects circled around, trying to sting the husky-monkey. Nicole was about ten meters away, hiding behind bushes, when one of the flies got behind the animal and drove its stinger deep inside.
"RAWWWHHRR-IIIHHH!" The creature roared and whimpered, trying to push the attacker off while still fending off the others.
Nicole grabbed one of her flint knives and threw it at the mosquito, hitting it in the back. The weapon bounced off its exoskeleton, but it was enough to draw the attention of the other two, who flew straight at her with their sharp noses aimed like spears.
Before they reached her, Nicole dropped her backpack to move more freely. With a precise strike, she stabbed the first one with her spear, hearing a disgusting CRACK as the tip pierced the black body. Meanwhile, the second landed on her back left arm, and she felt the sting, followed by a sharper pain as its nose pierced her flesh.
"Ugh, shit! Come here, fucker!" Nicole grunted, swinging the blunt side of her spear to knock it off. The first insect was still impaled on the spear tip, so she couldn’t use it effectively.
Pain in her arm quickly faded, replaced by numbness. Desperate, she threw the spear aside, grabbed the mosquito’s nose with her right hand, and yanked it out. Then she twisted, bending it unnaturally. After that, she started punching the insect’s big head until it finally stopped moving and fell off her.
"Gha-shh," she gasped as the stinger came free from her back.
Nicole retrieved her spear, removing the remains of the first insect from its tip. She tried to hold it with both hands, but her left arm was too numb to grip. Looking around, she saw the husky-monkey on the ground with the last mosquito on top of it. It wasn’t moving, so she had no trouble driving her spear into it with another CRACK. This time, the insect exploded in blood, splattering everywhere.
"Oh, fuck." Nicole wiped her face with the back of her hand.
The strange animal was breathing heavily, its tongue hanging out like a normal dog’s. Nicole noticed it looked smaller and weaker than before. Strangely, it didn’t try to run away—just stared at her with big, blue dog eyes.
"Fuck, I can’t just leave it to die. Not when it looks like a cute dog." She sighed and grabbed some dried meat from her backpack. She placed it next to the animal, which immediately jumped up, grabbed the treat, and darted off into the bushes.
Well, it seems to feel better already.
Nicole looked around for her flint knife and quickly found half of it—the blade had snapped when it hit the mosquito.
"Fucking perfect." She groaned.
With nothing else to do, Nicole went back to looking for fruits. Her numb arm made it harder, but after a few hours she noticed the feeling was slowly returning, letting her move her fingers again, but still very poorly.
Great. I was starting to think I’d have to go back to the village if it didn’t go away. Looks like that won’t be necessary.
After some time, she returned to her camp. Using sticks, vines, and branches, she built a crude container to store her finds so she didn’t have to keep them in her backpack or directly on the ground.
This amount of food should be enough for a few days.
She had planned to keep exploring and maybe find dry wood, but with her left arm still not fully functional, any fight would be riskier. Instead, she stayed near the shelter, gathering small sticks, stones, and anything possibly useful, piling them next to the building. The repetitive work let her mind wander freely while her body kept busy.
Hah, if someone on Earth told me I’d be living in a forest, fighting monsters, and fucking catgirls, I’d have thought either I or they were too drunk or crazy. Or both. But here I am.
If I ever go back, I could write an autobiography and get rich. If anyone believed me, that is. ‘My parents died because of me, I went into an orphanage, then got adopted by a family of rich morons and had to escape after turning eighteen… Then they got mad and, after a few years, paid a judge to put me in prison for almost nothing. And then I fell into the Pacific Ocean and woke up on a bizarre island. Read more about my life in my book.’
Man, that sounds like an idea for another isekai anime… Annie would love it.
Hm, maybe I’m actually crazy and all of this is fake? Or maybe I fell into the ocean back then and went into a coma? Does that mean if I die here, I’ll wake up? Not that I want to test the theory.
She kept thinking until she suddenly stopped in place. Something was off.