Water (1)
Was I underestimating the wilderness too much, or was I just too optimistic? The moment I spotted the ticks crawling through the gaps in my clothes in the rain, it hit me. In terms of hygiene alone, the wild was way more dangerous than I'd imagined.
So, to manage hygiene, I needed a steady supply of water no matter what.
This damn water has it out for me or something?
Anyway, priority one was giving Wonmo a thorough wash. And while I was at it, I should probably bathe too. Lucky for me I was wearing clothes, or I'd have been tick bait for sure.
First things first, I wanted to thank SunForever and get his advice.
└YasaengGrill Dude... ticks?? Would've been screwed if I'd ignored them lol
└SunForever Better late than never. A hot bath should fix it.
└YasaengGrill Water's the hard part here...
└SunForever Slather on some bug repellent then. Best way is still a hot bath though.
SunForever explained that owlbears have thick hides, so ticks aren't an issue for them. But with my relatively thin skin nearby, that was the problem.
I stripped down quick, slathered bug repellent everywhere, and checked—thank god, no ticks on me.
Gotta wear long pants from now on.
The uniform from ChangguPrincess was long-sleeved only. Guess I'd tough it out with repellent for now.
No wonder survival docs always show folks bundled up.
Lesson learned: long sleeves and pants are essential.
I made sure to cover every inch, then glanced at Wonmo. She was sleeping soundly, totally oblivious to what had happened.
Yeah, not your fault, kid.
I changed clothes and pondered my next move. Water had shot up the priority list. But that golden frog was squatting right there, making it a headache. Still, the stream was the closest source—quitting now felt like a waste.
Maybe dig a canal? It's close enough.
Not a bad idea. Sure, it'd be hard labor, but the distance made it doable. Problem was, I had no clue how to dig one properly, so time for advice.
Dwarf, help a guy out.
YasaengGrill Planning a canal—tips?
└PassingDwarf With what, your mouth? lol
└YasaengGrill Want a frog? Pricey tho.
└PassingDwarf Kidding aside lol, know when to quit.
Suddenly curious about the guy's age. So knowledgeable, but acts like a kid sometimes.
└PassingDwarf You living there long-term?
└YasaengGrill Nah, just water's a pain. Frog's pissing me off.
└PassingDwarf If not settling, skip the canal. Massive workload.
└YasaengGrill That bad?
└PassingDwarf Yeah. Plus no erosion control means filthy water. Better not.
Erosion—yeah, that rock-wearing thing. Soil's even worse, obviously. And dirty water? That stuck with me.
└YasaengGrill No alternatives?
└PassingDwarf How far roughly?
└YasaengGrill 10-12 min walk?
└PassingDwarf That close? Just bucket it lol
└YasaengGrill Snake food? Sure thing.
└PassingDwarf Whoa hold up.
└Desperate much lololol
└Can't even drink freely lmao
└Nothing's easy lol
I'd thought of that too. But unknown dangers en route, plus scooping was tough—the frogs swarmed if you even dipped a hand. I'm no idiot. But this is the wild—one slip and you're dead. Safety first.
└PassingDwarf Got one method, but needs work. Cool?
└YasaengGrill Yeah, hit me.
└PassingDwarf Where's the stream? Upstream or down?
└YasaengGrill Gotta go up.
└PassingDwarf Nice, easy then. Pricey tho, ok?
└YasaengGrill Cheaper than my life?
└PassingDwarf Sweet. Post coming rn.
Dwarf said he'd post, so I'd wait patiently. But I worried—it sounded complex if he needed a whole post.
Could I really secure clean water? Water kept tripping me up every time.
StarlightPrincess has requested a trade. Accept?
"Huh?"
I was just browsing the Gallery endlessly when the message popped. I blinked wide-eyed at it.
StarlightPrincess? The real deal?
StarlightPrincess Hello, Grill! Yes, it's me!
Her energy jumped out even in text.
Gallery nicks are permanent—no changes. So this was legit her.
I grinned and replied.
Body all better?
StarlightPrincess Yes! Thanks to your gift, fully cured! So grateful!
Full recovery—huge relief. I'd worried something was wrong. No more incurable disease scares.
Glad to hear it. Congrats!
StarlightPrincess All thanks to you. Couldn't post 'cause of checkups...
Made sense. After finally getting healthy, she'd want thorough scans. A day later confirmed the cure.
StarlightPrincess registered trade items.
StarlightPrincess The elixirs I mentioned. All but emergencies—should be plenty. Thank you!
Any aches left?
StarlightPrincess Nope. Feel like running laps. Parents holding me back tho.
They're worried too—don't overdo it.
StarlightPrincess Always think it, but you're so kind. Rare in the Gallery.
Kind, huh? I tilted my head. Heard that a lot subtly. Gallery culture made it true, though.
Dunno.
Maybe this world was just that shitty. Human rights? Chew 'em up in these times. Add Gallery's toxic vibes—no explanation needed.
Helping others helps me in the end.
You're kind too, Princess—paying back what you could've ignored.
StarlightPrincess Good point. Still wanna leave Four Seasons Forest?
Yeah. Desperately.
StarlightPrincess I'll help however I can. Smarter than I look.
Or you could come?
StarlightPrincess Haha... nah lol
BringBackTheHotLawyer Of course kidding. Who'd tell a procrastinator to die yesterday? No one's escaped Four Seasons Forest, they say. Her words were comfort, not literal.
StarlightPrincess Oh! Saw the owlbear pics. Cute, right?
Reflex answer. Not showing off—it's legit cute.
StarlightPrincess Yeah. But the name... not a fan. Wonmo? What even.
Got a better one, Princess?
StarlightPrincess From "healthy child"...
She paused, then dropped it.
StarlightPrincess Hellin. How's Hellin?
Oof... primed for Hellspawn evolution. How do high-nics suck at naming? Fluffy's still best.
But stuck with Wonmo for now. Some poll I didn't know about lol
StarlightPrincess Just ignore it?
Cheonma named it—can't diss that. Helped me out, especially her. Piss her off and I'm screwed.
StarlightPrincess knew, grumbled but accepted.
StarlightPrincess Too bad. Plans now?
Gonna rig stream water soon. Dwarf posting tips.
StarlightPrincess Got it. Call anytime—waiting!
Thanks.
StarlightPrincess Fighting!
Chat ended. Warm fuzzies mixed with bitterness. Her cure was great, but I was still stuck. No normal life without escaping this hell.
Escape... possible?
Daily thought. Could I leave Four Seasons Forest? Beasts and plants, maybe. But space shifts constantly. Lost paths plus warping reality? Impossible.
Elixirs... whoa, seven?
StarlightPrincess's gift: seven vials, different colors for grades. Lighter = lower, easy sort.
Hide from Wonmo—she'll smash 'em.
Stashed in the dwarf's old box, shoved in the deepest corner.
Post up yet?
Refreshed Gallery—there it was quick.
Listen Up, YasaengGrill
PassingDwarf
[Rough sketch of stream water setup]
[Natural rubber hose pic]
[Valve pic]
Do it like the pics. Suck the end of each hose segment to prime, water gushes. Oh, suck standing up, not lying. Pressure diff makes it flow. Valve on last hose to open/close. Get it?
└YasaengGrill Got the idea, but what's the mesh? Filter junk?
└PassingDwarf Yup, sharp eye.
└YasaengGrill Knew it lol
└PassingDwarf Regret sharing now
└YasaengGrill Thick skull here
└lolololol
└Quick switch-up lmao
└These dorks crack me up lol
└Bros fr lol
└PassingDwarf Anyway, connect hoses right, adjust slope, easy peasy.
└YasaengGrill Said pricey—which part? Hose?
└PassingDwarf Yup, rubber's expensive af
Rubber pricey? Question lingered, then faded. Gallery hints: factories just starting up. Mana trains exist, but rare.
Warp gates for long hauls, right?
Fantasy as hell. Sports booming, science lagging. Magic fills gaps—no biggie. Warp gates cost a fortune; trains for plebs.
ChangguPrincess's uniform pricey too.
Quality demands it. Asked dwarf the big Q.
└YasaengGrill Price tag?
└PassingDwarf Cheap end: 500 gold total. Processed rubber + valves incl.
500 gold—steep. But Olfather cash remained. Issue: Gallery rules. One trade per 24h. Dwarf traded post-lunch yesterday—no go.
└PassingDwarf Auction instant buy at 1100g. Cool?
└YasaengGrill Post it
└PassingDwarf Okok
Blood pressure rising, but water emergency—no haggling. Fences later; water now.
Rushed auction, snagged dwarf's item.
Grill's Idiot
Price: 1100 gold
"This punk?"
Payback later. Laughed it off, bought. Too pricey for snipers. Worst case, rebuy from him.
"Prep's done..."
Time to fetch water. Sword, shield on—just in case. Coiled hose over shoulder.
Work time.
Water first, then scrub Wonmo.
Glanced at sleeping Wonmo. What if she wakes alone? Wanders out looking? Disaster.
Fast as possible.
My DIY skills get tested now.