Chapter Sixteen

Aster filed through his status as he walked.

> [STATUS]

- Name: `Aer`

- Title: `None`

- Account Tier: `Iron`

- Outstanding balance: `$23,500,000`

- Path: `Support (Pending)`

- Echelon: `Pathless`

- Feats Completed: `None`

- Stats:

 `Constitution: 11` 

 `Stamina: 10` 

 `Strength: 9` 

 `Dexterity: 8` 

 `Intelligence: 7` 

 `Mana: 1` 

It seemed mostly the same, his stamina had gone up by one, but his mana had dropped to one. It made sense, considering the current state of his mana pathways... But it didn't make it feel any better.

It didn't matter, it wasn't what he was looking for, regardless.

- Abilities: 

 `Field Dressing (NEW)`

 - `Attributes: Active, Survival, Non-combat`

 - `Mastery: Unlearned (43%)`

 - `Description: A warrior fights. An adventurer survives. Your keen eye tells you these beasts have more uses than one might suspect. The journey to becoming a true survivalist begins here.`

Aster read through the description with a slight smirk. It was similarly unhelpful as meditation had been, but at least this one fed his ego a bit. 

I made the right decision. He thought to himself, reassured, before continuing to read.

 `Meditation (UPDATED)`

 - `Attributes: Active, Basic, Noncombat`

 - `Mastery: Novice (12%)`

 - `Description: When the rest of the world disappears, it becomes easier to see yourself. You have become able to see the inner machinations of your mana pathways, but seeing is not always understanding. Spend some time with yourself, it couldn't hurt.`

Aster's eyebrows rose.

The system is talking to me like a haughty elder passing down wisdom. He wasn't ungrateful, but it was hard to ignore it's tone. Despite this, Aster couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

Ah, who cares! The system knows everything anyway, if anyone can talk down to me, it's the system. More importantly, my skill knowledge ranked up to novice! and even got a little bit of percentage towards the next step too.

Suddenly, Aster remembered the pings he had heard before falling asleep last night. The first one was likely announcing that meditation had evolved, but the other... His eyes shot downwards.

- Body:

Aster stopped in his tracks and gaped, the status menu had a new section.

- Body:

 `Status`

 `Physical Health: 23%`

 `Mana Pathway Health: 7%`

 `Resistances`

 `Poison: 1%`

 `Mana Poison: 14%`

 `Mental Poison: 2%`

What? Poison resistances? Aster couldn't believe it. His mind raced.

The statuses make some amount of sense. I can probably see this because I improved my meditation skill... But the poisons, was it prolonged exposure? He could understand the exposure giving him the one and two percent resistances... Something else ate at him.

How the hell do I have that high of a mana poison resistance?

- Items: 

 `White Buttoned Shirt (Common)`

 `Black Pants (Common)`

 `Black Boots (Common)`

 `Burnt Quilt (Common, Unique)`

 `Provisions, 21% Available (Common)`

 `Aggoar Meat (Uncommon)`

 `Aggoar Pelt (Very Poor, Uncommon)`

- Quests: 

 `Supplies for Harboridge (Unique)`

Aggoar, huh? That must be the name of the beast I fought. The uncommon modifier is nice, but is the very poor really necessary? An image of the pelt he had splayed across his back popped into his mind.

No, that's fair.

-

Aster was on his second day of the post-fight trek. The wild tundra wasn't getting any easier to traverse, and his body wasn't feeling any better.

Even worse, Aster had come to the realization that morning that he *would* have to eventually eat the Aggoar meat. 

He spent the morning cutting the meat into tidy little thin strips and hanging them from the pelt on his back in an attempt to make some sort of jerky. It wasn't nearly hot enough for that, but despite the cold air, the climate was dry and the sun was bright.

More importantly, Aster couldn't risk trying to make a fire out here. He felt like he was constantly looking backward, checking for tails. He hadn't seen anything, but something made him feel uneasy.

So, beef jerky it was.

-

Aster ran out of provisions the next morning.

On the bright side, the jerky looks... He held up a piece in front of him, the meat had dried to a concerning purple hue. But it did have a texture that was vaguely comparable to jerky. Edible... Aster had a hard time feeling confident.

-

A shadow danced on the horizon as the sunset. It was still quite far away, but it was most definitely something alive.

Aster walked late into the night, now far too paranoid to continue meditating as he walked.

His stomach growled, but the smell of the jerky convinced it otherwise.

He had sleep for dinner before, but it didn't make for a very fulfilling meal.

-

Aster felt weak. Far weaker than he had felt before. The lack of food and sleep had compounded, and Aster was worried that his elbow might be infected.

He continued to walk. 

That morning, he spotted the shadow in the distance again. They were much closer than before.

-

Aster toyed with a piece of jerky as he walked. Every once in a while, he would hold it up to his mouth, willing himself to take a bite.

The beast was now close enough to make out it's shape. Aster's heart sank. The beast was actually beasts, three Aggoars to be exact.

More than ample motivation to choke down a piece of the jerky.

Aster nibbled at it slightly, and he blanched. It wasn't the worst thing he had ever tasted, but it was incredibly tough and gamey, with a slight off-taste that Aster suspected came from its poor prep. Not the poison... He hoped.

He continued to pick away at them as he walked.

-

Something was up with the ground ahead of him. There was some sort of ridge that obscured whatever was past it.

It was far less than promising, but with the distance between the aggoars and him growing smaller every hour, it was his only chance.

In the days prior, Aster had meditated as he walked. It kept his mind from wandering, and the less he thought about the desperate reality of his situation, the better.

Now, he walked paranoid. Nary a minute went by where Aster didn't take a look behind him. The reality of the situation had long sunk in.

This might not be something he could win.

Aster shook away the thought.

Whatever was over that ridge, he would just have to hope it would be enough.