Chapter 172 - Exploration - IV (1/2)
”Ya. I am even concerned about getting decent firewood. We might just need to get some dried pieces of wood from the forest and try it out. The Nandi managed to get dry piece for the cub's nest. We can do at least that. Else, we stick to vegetarian food,” said Balthazar.
”Actually, we could stick to uncooked food like fruits. We don't even know which woods would smoke or if any of them release poison or hallucinogens or any other chemicals. Some trees have effects in their barks as defence mechanisms against other species you know,” said Robert. He was a doctor and had studied about various flora and fauna as part of training in his college. Though, he wasn't aware of the species found on a planet, he had a general idea of the various defence mechanisms of various species and believed that a few of them could be common in various planets.
”You do have a point,” said Balthazar. He had never heard of hallucinogens that came from burning wood, but he did know that many of the first discoveries of poisons and other chemicals were initially made from different parts of plants. He also heard about other adventurers using only specific types of wood to cook and them making lists of usable wood for cooking purposes. So, he had reason to not risk.
”Yes. This is going to be very hard to just survive on fruits,” said Robert.
”No, problem. The only tiring thing is this gravity. If not for that, I could remain a day easy without food. By a day, I mean 24 hours not the day of this planet,” said Balthazar. ”In that case, I will just explore the area and come back. We could at least take a good nap in this cave. Use your blades to hack at the wood and make some basic spikes to cover the entrance. We don't need intruders.”
He went ahead to map their surroundings with the unlocked features. The new mapping tech in his systems also allowed him to map not only the structures but also the various materials that of the different structures. It also increased the mapping range five-fold and introduced better features regarding various noises of the forest and frequency isolation technology which could be used to identify and notice different species around him. He could also differentiate between the species by isolating their vocal prints.
”All nice and good,” thought Balthazar as he checked the new features that were unlocked. ”I would rather have a more comprehensive description of the species and ways to cook the species that we managed to kill instead. These guys are too serious about this,” he thought as he started to move around and map the place.
He came back in a few minutes with his backpack filled with a number of hard fruits from various trees and some other stuff. He had also found three plants found on the list, but two of them were poisonous. So, he left them and collected only one of the three. He also attacked a few of the brux coyotes and tied them to his belt using the spare crossbow string.
”Cousin, the new features are great. It allows me to identify any item on the list through my sensors. They are a lot more receptive. I don't know what tech enabled this, but I already have found three items on the list though I brought only one. The other two are marked poisonous on the list and I didn't want to mix them with the fruits and the normal items,” said Balthazar.
”Oh! Yes, we need to separate the poisonous ones from the others,” said Robert as he also realized their problem. ”We need something to separate the two things. Actually, I think, we might need to separate the various items during transfer. How come we missed something so simple?”
”We never worked at this level before. I mean I did, but in regulated conditions where there were a proper set of rules and all the things required were provided to us. Now, these things are being left to our own discretion,” said Balthazar.
”Damn! In this way, we might have to deal with a lot more work than what we expected,” said Robert.
”Don't worry. One thing at a time. Let us prepare for resting for the night.”
”What do we actually need to do? You made me set up a few spikes made out of a few trees at the entrance, but I doubt that.”
”I think the same. I have no idea on what we could do. Don't know if we could use fire or something. Even the spikes aren't much useful without someone to man and stand guard. Nothing to setup a proper trap or something. By the reaction of the Nandi, I doubt that one could ward against them with the two crossbows,” said Balthazar.
”Oh no, I hope you are not saying what I think you are.”
”I am,” said Balthazar nodding his head. ”Let me take the first shift. We will monitor the entrance for alternate shifts of two hours each. Just relax and sleep”
”Just two hours? That is too little isn't it?”
”Don't forget that the days are half the usual time. That also makes the nighttime reduced to half the one you are used to. So, two hours are the best option. We don't know our position relative to the axis of rotation and other things which determine the relative duration of day and night. By the amount of time it takes to darken, we can assume a bit more than five hours for the night. I would also like to get some shut eye and with me taking the first two hours, you would get a decent amount of shut eye,” suggested Balthazar.
”It is hardly enough time. I am feeling extremely tired due to the gravity here. I didn't expect it to be like this,” said Robert.
”The gravity compensation systems in the suits are locked for us to give a proper survival situation experience. We didn't think they would lock the features of the suits, but this is the best way in this scenario. We can sleep for more duration continuously but that would be wasting daylight.”
”Right. I am sorry. I am just too tired. Let me take a nap then,” said Robert as he laid down at a corner of the cave and went to sleep. Balthazar went ahead and started cutting some trees. He decided to make gate of sorts against the entrance with the logs by tying them up with the guts of the brux coyotes that he had previously killed. Those were the best substitutes for ropes that he could find in the forest. As he made them, another idea sparked in his mind.
”I can make a few partitions or boxes with this wood to separate items in the backpacks,” he thought. It was not a viable option for them to always put poisonous items in Robert's backpack and the others in his. This idea would allow them to share the load a bit.
He decided to carve a few partitions and boxes, but in an hour, he realized it was very hard. He had always prided himself to be a good smith and engineer. He had been quite successful in this field even in vita-nova, but right now, he was failing miserably at this job. It made him realize that even in vita-nova, it was only the tools in workshops that have him the advantage and that he still couldn't do much in the wild alone.
”Damn. I am almost as useless as Robert. If I can't make a simple box, it would be impossible to craft a bow or arrows. I guess I can only improve with practice or always keep a few tools smaller and sharper than these blades. Even the blades have gone a bit dull. It is best I don't waste them on carving wood,” thought Balthazar as he decided to give up on it. He waited staring into the dark while munching on fruits for another hour before he woke up his cousin.
He warned Robert against using the blades on wood as he took his nap. Robert woke him up in two hours when the sunlight had already hit the skies. ”That was quite short for a night, wasn't it?” joked Balthazar as he got up.