Planning time.

Time ticked by, and John's patience wore thinner and thinner. Erica was stable now... but it'd become clear that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, and he was uncomfortable with shaking his patient into consciousness. He'd put it off long enough; it was time to level up Planning. He navigated to the skill window and hovered a finger over the plus sign in the lower right-hand corner. Hopefully this wouldn't incapacitate him... John pressed the icon.

Skill Rank Increase Error: Wisdom requirement not met. [50]

John let out a sigh, uncertain if it was one of relief or frustration. Of course the glitched skill would have a problem; at this point he was more surprised when things worked properly. Time for plan B.... which was what exactly? His first idea hadn't even been fully formed, no thanks to his useless skills, and he needed another way out. There was Hearth...

He looked down at Erica.

No.

No matter the dangers it posed to him, he just couldn't leave her here... and bringing back help would take who-knows how long. Just in case, he tried putting the **** girl in his Inventory. It didn't work, probably for the best. Nix on that plan then.

For the time being, he held onto the remaining skill points and would try to get them both to somewhere safe. Sitting out in the open with a wounded girl was just asking for another predator to come along and finish them off. It would also be a good idea to treat his own injuries... as non-physical as they were. His health was perilously low, and there had to be something he could do with Paramedic to help with that. Then there was the matter of food and water, the latter of which would quickly become a need...

John took his damaged t-shirt and folded it, along with his uniform pants, into a pillow that he placed under Erica's head. It was important that her head remained comfortably elevated, but he needed to be able to move around. Once he was certain she was settled, John surveyed his surroundings. The clearing they'd baited the hydra to was sizable, maybe fifty feet across, and dominated in the center by the glimmering pillar of gemstones. It was a tempting bounty; John wondered how much some of the gems would sell for back home... it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

The pillar glowed softly, not to the degree of the sparkling stalactites above but with a soothingly beautiful rainbow that cast a wave of colors across the ground. He rubbed a thumb over one; they were set into the stone itself and likely wouldn't come free without a pickaxe or tool. Excepting one, an emerald that was on the verge of breaking free and falling. John grabbed it and snapped it free of the pillar with ease. It had a teardrop shape and, as he held it, the remaining stone crumbled to dust and blew away. The shimmering gleam reminded him of a star.

Starstone Emerald
A gemstone discovered by the Gamer; properties unknown.

He sighed, at least it was pretty.

Tossing the gem in his inventory reminded John about loot, so he looked around for more useful goods. Unlike the spirit he'd fought the day before, there were no silver baubles or anything else shiny in the... massive... hydra... corpse. He stifled the urge to vomit and looked away from the creature that lay maybe two dozen feet away. Unfortunately, his knife and whip were still stuck in or tangled around one of the beast's heads. John gritted his teeth and began scavenging his gear.

Erica's axe had returned to smoke the moment she passed out, so all he needed to do was roll over the monster's head and pull his stuff free. Both weapons were liberally coated in hydra blood, so he wiped them off as best he could before putting them back in his inventory. It dawned on John, with his new medical knowledge, that both he and Erica should probably try and wash the stuff off. Another thing to add to the growing list of concerns... but less important than 'get the fuck out of here'.

He'd knelt to examine the hydra's fangs, wondering if it would be worth prying a few free, when a popup appeared.

Disassemble for Loot?
Yes / No

Perhaps biological creatures had a different... process for getting materials. A few gruesome ideas came to John's mind, and he hesitated to press 'yes', but curiosity overcame concern. Instead of having to carve it up, the hydra started to disintegrate into particles and a rapidly growing list of items were added to John's inventory.

Loot Retrieved (Jungle Hydra):
Hydra Fang x200
Hydra Scale x350
Hydra Scale x350
Hydra Scale x350
Hydra Bone x75
Hydra Skull x5
...
Inventory capacity reached!

Achievement Unlocked - "Beast of Burden"
Completely fill your inventory in one pickup.
+1 Strength

John browsed his inventory, discovering that he'd basically stored the entire monster in build-a-beast form. Some items he immediately dumped in the nearest bushes, like intestines and brains. The idea of carrying them around made his stomach turn, but he grudgingly kept the meat. If they had to, then he could probably try cooking some; another idea that didn't enthuse him. At least he could assemble the coolest skeleton diorama of all time, maybe Mrs. Wentworth would want another for her office...

John looked back at Erica, who had curled up slightly. With Planning a bust, ensuring her recovery was his highest priority. What she needed right now was rest and shelter. He walked back to her and checked her bandages. They were starting to turn red, but would last for a while longer, and he had the rest of his shirt to make more. It'd probably be safe to move her... if he could.

He'd never been a champion weight-lifter, and though Erica wasn't a heavy-set girl, she was tall. There was no way around it; John opened his stat sheet and plugged all six points into Strength, then knelt to pick up the girl. He strained to lift her, nearly buckling under her weight as he slung Erica over his shoulder. Once he had her in a fireman's carry, his shaking legs stabilized, and John started off into the jungle.

Birds fluttered through the vines overhead, and John ducked under a low hanging branch. He'd been walking for almost thirty minutes, and his entire body burned with effort. His legs screamed with each step, his lungs burned with exertion... but Erica's soft breathing pushed him to keep going. So far, she'd remained stable and even recovered a bit of health, but John had also needed to change her bandages once. At this rate, he'd run out of shirt before long. He focused on the immediate need, water... and ignored the metaphysical weight on his shoulders. Health first, escape later.

Around five minutes back, he'd heard the roar of a waterfall and changed direction towards the noise. He was getting close, based on the volume and scent of water in the air. Sure enough, within another five minutes, he cleared the edge of the jungle.

Beyond was a lake so vast that John felt he lacked the words to properly describe it. Huge, enormous, immense, they all failed to capture the sheer size of what felt like an ocean. The waters were fed by dozens of waterfalls in the distance, towering columns of water pouring out of the cave wall into the sparkling surface of the lake. Forty or so feet of white sand formed a beach between the jungle and the shoreline. John cautiously crossed it.

The water was pristine and clear, so pure that when he looked down he could see minnows swimming along the rocky shallows. It seemed clean, so he experimentally cupped some and drank.

John hadn't realized how thirsty he was. He almost dove for the water before he remembered the girl he was carrying. Unslinging Erica from his shoulder, he searched around in his inventory for the empty potions. The flasks they'd come in would make good water carriers, so he quickly filled both, then drank one and refilled it. Cool and refreshing, the taste of the lake water was enough to soothe his raw muscles and let him relax for the first time since the fight.

He administered the water to Erica the same way he'd the potion, then set about using some to clean her injury. It was a relief to wash free the dried blood and see the wound had begun to close. She healed fast. Replacing the bandages with new ones and rinsing the old ones in the lake, he considered cleaning their armor. Grime, dirt and blood caked the torn leather, making it uncomfortable to wear. Still... having Erica wake up to him naked, or worse, him stripping her down would be bad... but it was a risk he'd take.

John unequipped his gear and pulled it out of his inventory, soaking it in the lake then wiping it down with his pants. Next, he used the last clean strips of his shirt to wipe down his own body. The water was a bit cold against his skin, but it was worth it to feel clean. Once done, he equipped his boxers and put the rest of his armor on the sand to dry. Hopefully he wouldn't be digging grains out of it for hours.

Having seen to himself, John glanced uncomfortably at Erica. He started by wiping her body down with the cloth, cleaning dirt and blood off her tattoos. Washing her hair was a bit more difficult, he had to unbraid it, which was surprisingly complicated. He'd expected it to just... unravel the moment he undid the hair tie at the base but instead found his fingers constantly tangled in one lock or another. It took several minutes to work each bit free, pouring one of the flasks over the strands he managed to separate. Once he was done... he turned his attention to her armor. This was the moment of truth. Was he doing the right thing... or just taking advantage of her while she was ****?

Conflicting emotions fought within him and were silenced when he worked her out of the chainmail and the sports bra beneath it. Holy shit, she was stacked!

Erica's breasts were even bigger than he'd thought, at least a D-cup. They were well shaped for their size and rested gently on her chest, spread slightly by their weight. Her tattoos extended to her chest, a ring of runes surrounding each areola. It was a mesmerizing sight, and John had to fight the urge to sink his fingers into them... for medical reasons, of course.

He gently wiped them with the wet cloth and gave one a slight squeeze, eliciting a little noise from his patient. They were soft, though not marshmallow soft due to their perkiness, and John couldn't resist touching them directly. His hands hefted both, feeling their weight, and a thumb brushed one of her hard nipples. That brought out a bit more of a reaction from Erica. She twitched and moaned very softly. John froze. What if she woke up?

John stared at her breasts for two or three long minutes, his fingers practically stuck to them, but frozen still. His crotch strained against the boxers. More than water, he hungered to taste her... but every thought his sane mind could throw at him fought back those urges.

Not now, not here.

Reluctantly, he washed her chainmail and put her bra back on, silently thanking the Developer that she stayed asleep throughout.

Time, maybe an hour... maybe only half that... maybe double, passed. John had checked his phone at first, only to find the clock seemingly stuck at the point they'd entered the barrier. He had no cellular connection either, unsurprisingly. With no sun overhead to base an estimate on, he eventually started tracking things based on how much health he regenerated.

After their armor had dried, he'd changed Erica's bandages and made her a bed against one of the trees at the edge of the jungle using leaves and other foliage. She continued to sleep comfortably, healing far more slowly than he did, and John dedicated himself to ensuring nothing threatened her rest. It was tense at first, keeping an eye trained on the jungle as though anything could come running out of it. When something did, he was prepared.

Bushes rattled, and John's whip was instantly in his hands, snapping out at... a snake. It wasn't even a particularly large one.

15 damage.

Jungle Snake slain!
Encounter complete: All enemies defeated.
+10 Experience

Nothing had appeared since, and John quickly grew bored.

Browsing his sheet for something to entertain him, Forge came to the rescue. All the parts he'd taken off the Hydra had added a variety of weapons and armor to his listing, and one stood out. Using 20 Hydra Fangs, 50 Hydra Scales, some vines and bark taken from the nearby trees, he assembled a set of throwing daggers and a holster.

Lerna's Jaws
Made from the fangs of a vicious hydra, these daggers emulate their progenitor's vicious bite.
Base Damage: 6 bleed
Attribute Focus: Equivalent
[Set of Twenty]

Each of the fifteen remaining knives curved slightly due to their origins, and resembled 'tribal' weaponry from his games: polished bone wrapped with leathery vine. They slotted neatly into a thigh-mounted holster, and John was able to summon them from it to his hands at will.

He spun one between his fingers, then threw it straight into the nearest tree. The knife whipped through the air, arcing like a homing missile and embedding itself into the bark. He followed it up with a second, then a third. They landed near each other, but not quite as closely as John would have liked. He walked up to the tree and brushed his fingers across each one, teleporting them back to the holster.

Practice had added Daggers (Throwing) to his Gamer's Arsenal and made up for the five he'd lost in his first clumsy attempts. Several others were chipped or cracked from his efforts, but didn't display any status issues in comparison to the pristine ones. Hopefully, they wouldn't do any less damage.

John returned to Erica's side and leaned against the tree she slept under. She still hadn't woken up, and he was loathe to disrupt her recovery... but the sooner she woke up the sooner they could get moving. The beach wasn't threatening, apparently no hydras or beasts wandered it... but it was out in the open, and John wasn't sure what things roamed the cave. He inspected her with Observe.

Erica Carpenter
210/500 hp
145/145 mp
Status Effects: ****

The bleeding had completely stopped, at last. John inspected her bandages, switching one and taking it to the lake to wash the cloth clean. He'd only just dipped the blood-soaked cloth in when it happened. Perhaps the lack of birdsong should've warned John, a silence that had gone eerily unnoticed until now. Perhaps the lack of fish in the clear water should have been warning enough...

The earth beneath his feet shook, and he looked up to see a flood of ichor pour down of one of the waterfalls. Something, a black mass that was darker than anything he'd ever seen, that ate light rather than simply rejecting it, fell in as well and impacted with a large splash. John dropped the cloth in the water in surprise, leaning forward to reach in to get it when the surface rippled. Several hundred feet out a huge animal breached the surface of the lake, a finned crocodile-like dinosaur. A liopleurodon, if his memory was correct. John recoiled, the lake was way more dangerous than he thought!

He stared in a mixture of fascination and fear at the creature, but something tugged at his thoughts. The dinosaur hadn't leapt from the surface to snap at a bird, in fact... every motion in its body echoed the way John himself felt. It was as though... it was running from something.

Erupting from the surface of the lake behind its prey was a monster nearly indescribable. Its body a deformed mixture of squid and shark, with hundreds of eyes along one sides and a jawline that reached almost to its tendril-like fins. Every inch of the thing's scales was that deep, horrible black, and the water that dripped from it was visibly stained in its color. Soaring through the air in a way that its body should not allow, the abomination snapped its serrated mouth shut on the liopeurodon and landed back in the lake with a cacophonous boom. The wave that rippled towards John bore the ink of the creature's passing, and he backed away as it crashed only inches from his feet.

Fuck. That.

John sprinted up the sand to Erica and shook her awake roughly. No time.

"Ow... ow! What the hell... dude?" she asked, in a mixture of dazed confusion and uncertainty.

"We need to go, now!" he shouted, pulling the girl to her feet and ignoring the grunt of pain she made.

She protested, but limped along behind him as John half-ran through the brush until the lake was out of sight and mind. Only then did he stop to breathe... ignoring his companion's confused questioning. Just thinking about the liquid void and horrid beast sent a shiver down his spine, and Erica stopped asking at the look on his face. She could tell that whatever had happened while she was out... John wasn't willing to say.

Erica's leg was bleeding again, wounds reopened by their flight, and John set about redressing the wound with the last of his shirt. His patient expressed a bit of surprise at his skills, which turned to exasperated admiration as he recounted the aftermath of the fight.

"You really can do anything, can't you?" she complained, but smiled at him nevertheless, "Thanks."

John shrugged, "Maybe. I really don't know, but the more I learn about what I can do, the more confusing it gets." He thought of the Paragon window and brought the interface up to check on it. Still loading... "Alright, you should be good to walk... let's keep moving."

"Wait, where are we going?"

John looked back in the direction of the lake and shivered.

As far away from that... thing as possible.