Cooking & Shelter [PART 1]

Alex stares at the system screen, scrutinizing the rewards for discovering fire - 1000 skill points and 1 stat point. He frowns, realizing this is likely the lowest possible reward amount, he knows this since when he went through the [SHOP] earlier, he had noticed that there was no item worth less than a thousand points. He wonders if Sophie is hoarding points…

[What?]

"This is a pathetic reward for something as monumental as discovering fire. When you look at the grand scheme of things, mastering fire is almost on the same level as reinventing the wheel if not higher. This single breakthrough should have propelled civilization forward by hundreds of years, if not more!"

[What are you talking about?] Sophie interjects, her tone laced with skepticism.

"I'm saying that I deserve way more points than this measly amount. Discovering and harnessing the power of fire is one of the most pivotal achievements in all of human history. It paved the way for warmth, cooking, forging tools and weapons - the entire backbone of technological progress!"

[But you didn't invent fire, you merely discovered its existence in this world,] Sophie counters pragmatically. [That's a key difference. Inventing something revolutionary would warrant greater rewards. Stumbling upon pre-existing knowledge, while useful, doesn't justify showering you with excessive points.]

"Oh, come on! Don't downplay the significance here. For this primitive society, fire is an utterly alien concept. I've effectively unlocked the first spark of innovation that will uplift them from the stone age. That's gotta be worth more than just a lousy thousand points and a single stat increase."

[Many cultures and societies throughout history have harnessed fire's power,] Sophie argues, unfazed. [Elemental mages and flame-wielding mystics have long since mastered its applications. Your "discovery" is relatively unimpressive in that broader context.]

Alex huffs in frustration, knowing he can't logically refute her point. He folds his arms petulantly.

"Fine, you win this round. But I'm keeping an eye on you - I get the feeling you're hoarding all the good rewards for yourself."

[Your baseless paranoia is quite amusing,] Sophie replies dryly.

Before their back-and-forth can escalate further, Lucile's sudden exclamation of pain snaps Alex's focus back to the present situation.

"It really burns, just like the elder's!" Lucile cries out, yanking her hand back from the roaring flames after curiously testing its heat.

Alex watches her reaction with a mixture of bewilderment and exasperation. Why would she even try touching the fire directly? With a sigh, he beckons her over.

"Bring the meat here so I can show you how to cook it properly," he instructs.

Lucile eyes him with palpable suspicion for a moment before Alex adds, "Trust me, it'll make the meat taste way better."

Her eyes immediately light up with enthusiasm as she eagerly retrieves the discarded slab and scurries back over.

As Alex sets about preparing the roasting spit, his eyes drift toward the steadily setting sun, a frown tugging at his lips. He didn't have any form of shelter, and going by the dense, humid vegetation around them, this appeared to be some sort of rain forest. Without proper cover, the likelihood of getting caught in a torrential downpour was extremely high - a scenario his relatively frail constitution would be ill-equipped to survive.

Watching Lucile clumsily try to position the meat over the fire, Alex comes to a sobering realization. Before the last rays of sunlight disappear completely, he needs to construct some form of rudimentary shelter, lest his plans for uplifting this society meet an extremely premature end.

With a renewed sense of urgency, his mind races as he tries to catalog the surrounding resources and figure out the most efficient way to build a basic shelter. But first...

Alex refocused his attention on the task at hand as Lucile tried handing him the slab of meat. Remembering how unbearably heavy it felt earlier, he pre-emptively held out both hands this time. Even so, the sheer heft of the massive cut of meat was staggering, threatening to pull his arms clean off.

Gingerly setting it down, Alex retrieved a sturdy stick from the fuel pile and attempted to skewer the meat, aiming to create a makeshift spit for roasting it over the fire. He had already fashioned a basic Y-shaped spit support on either side of the flames, so all he needed was to pierce the meat and hang it from the structure.

Unfortunately, his feeble strength was utterly inadequate for the task. No matter how hard he tried, he could barely make a dent in the thick, unyielding flesh. After struggling fruitlessly for several minutes, a tinge of embarrassment colored his cheeks as he reluctantly handed the meat back to Lucile.

[Need some help there?] Sophie chimed in, her tone infuriatingly smug. [I could've warned you about—]

"I don't want to hear it," Alex cut her off brusquely, keenly aware of his own physical limitations.

[You could always use that stat point to improve your strength, though I doubt it'd make a difference] she suggested reasonably.

Alex had to concede that was a valid option. However, from what he'd seen so far, avenues for earning points seemed extremely limited. If he squandered them recklessly on physical attributes, he might sorely regret it later on. Besides, brute strength was hardly his greatest asset – he needed to leverage his mind over mundane might.

His eyes flicked back towards Lucile, an idea forming. While he may be frail, his prehistoric companion was anything but weak. Perhaps her strength could complement his mental prowess in a symbiotic partnership of sorts.

"Lucile," he addressed her, catching her attention. "Stab through the meat with that stick, like this." He mimed a jabbing motion to demonstrate.

Without hesitation, Lucile mimicked the movement with remarkable force, easily skewering the mammoth slab in one fluid thrust. Alex felt a flicker of envy at her raw power, but quickly smothered it.

"Good, now do the same with the other piece," he instructed, pointing towards the untouched portion.

As Lucile set about impaling the remaining meat, Alex gathered some broad leaves from the undergrowth, doing his best to wipe off any visible grime to fashion a relatively clean surface. Once she finished skewering the second cut, he carefully lay it atop the makeshift leaf 'plate' before lifting the other spit and positioning it over the crackling flames.

He watched the thick juices sizzle and bead on the roasting meat, inhaling the rich, mouthwatering aroma. A thought occurred to him – there was no real need to cook the entire portion right away. At most, he could probably only manage to eat an eighth of it. Lucile could have the rest, and they could preserve the second piece by smoke-curing it.

It was always prudent to have backup provisions, after all. As tantalizing as the thought of freshly roasted meat was, pragmatism had to take priority in this unforgiving, prehistoric world.

With the spit securely positioned and the cooking process underway, Alex turned his attention to scoping out potential materials for constructing a basic shelter before nightfall. Every wasted second brought the looming darkness one step closer, and he had no intentions of being caught out in the open when it inevitably arrived.