Just grinding and breakfast before we're off again.

Hoping for something that would be easier to feed to others, I keep attempting with Fruiting Body. It's a testament to how hard these things are that I actually level Panty Ripper first from breaking them open before chucking them away. Nevertheless, I did eventually manage that level. Another activation to check how it changed...

And got about what I would expect. Still would need a tool or immense strength to open it, put it's easier to eat once you've done that. Finally has something on the inside one could eat straight-as well as a tiny pool of liquid in the middle you could drink. Kinda like a 'coconut-lite'. Not as big or meaty as the real thing, but a definite step up.

Thinking along that line gave me an idea-perhaps Nanase could be more inclined to chat if I plied her with food. The way to the heart is through the stomach, and all that. While, regrettably, my tendrils weren't quite fine enough to make a fire to get any real cooking going, I could stil; get something. Picking up a nearby rock, I made a new fruit-this time, concentrating for an Energy Mixture in it. Then, I picked it up, and used the stone to carve away at one side of it, until I had a little opening one could drink from. Then, got my mixology on as I injected more chemicals from my body into the flesh of the fruit-more energy mix, a small amount of lust draft, and a drop of mana as an enhancer. Then, I poked a stick through the hole, and swirl it around to shred up the flesh until it floated in the liquids inside.

With the sun slowly coming up, both of those I'd taken to sharing the road with begin to stir. I hold the prepared fruit up to Nanase. "Here you go. Thought you might use this." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before giving it a suspicious stare. So, I moved, pouring a bit into Ichika's mouth to demonstrate it's safety while chiding her. "If I wanted your dead, I'd have plenty of time to do so already. This is a drink somewhat similar to one where I'm from ,a wake-me-up called Scarlet Minotaur." Sure enough, as the former bandit reflexively swallowed, her eyes flung open, and she tried to sit up amidsts by vines-only to fail and end up back lying down from her new center of gravity.

I hand the fruit back to the assassin before she began sipping it down, her face turning into a mild grimace. "Yeah-it's more dranken for its effect that the taste. Could have done something about that-but I'm not exactly brimming with supplies, here. Ready to go?" She wordlessly bolted to her feet and packed the sleeping roll back into her pouch before starting to walk off-a sense of alacrity she hadn't had since we fought as I lag behind a bit, having to uproot myself to follow her. "So, how much longer till we get there? We seem to be completely in the middle of the sticks." I can't imagine that the grand general I was to report to would be in anything less than some kind of grand capital-which I had a hard time imagining would be located in our current illustrious middle-of-nowhere.

"By horse? Somewhere between a week and a fortnight. By foot? The better part of a month." Nanase replied. I miserably failed to suppress the sounds of my displeasure-a groaning sound of my plates pressing against each other. I swear I saw the slightest hint of a smile as she let that thought hang a moment before explaining. "Fortunately, we will have something faster than both available in the next town-which should be by early afternoon."