Chapter 16.

- Amazing !, said Nick with a wide and victorious smile.

He could not believe how great moving the Magical Flow felt, to make it dance around him to his will. This sense of total control over something outside of himself, this jubilant wave of satisfaction and serenity … he could get used to it. It also helped him relax after the last few challenges-filled days.

First, he had to begin rationing the little food he had and felt stupid about not doing it sooner. Because he was way less smart than he initially thought, and realised it little by little. Next, he forced himself into exploring, trying to find a better place and a new source of sustenance. And he did. The following day saw his luck manifest itself through a peculiar sight : a medium-size cave illuminated by all manner of mushrooms. The place was particularly humid, with wet air soaking his skin and on one side a river running from one wall to another, probably flowing through underwater holes. He suspected it to be in fact a single stream traversing the whole labyrinth and decided to follow it from then on.

But not immediately, as he still felt weak and wanted to try these mushrooms. Three times he did, tasting a firm and juicy flesh, and he never felt sick. So he stayed there a few days, spending most of it practising the Detection step of Cultivation, finding it extremely exhausting, which was its main difficulty. Hours passed, and only fleeting moments of contact were offered to him. The only way he found to actually manage in this endeavour was to picture the Flow in a detailed way, as detailed as he could. It did not matter what it actually looked like really as nobody could see it with physical eyes anyway, what mattered was that he believed he could imagine it. Then he had to stay focused on this picture and give it life, movement. It took an incredible amount of concentration and time, but he managed it often. Never for long though.

Parasitic thoughts were the bane of this practice, creeping in his head like little insects, eating at his image until it all collapsed. Perseverance was his best ally, and persevere he did, for hours on end until he could actually stay in the right state of mind, touching the Flow for multiple minutes in a row. And finally, he did it. He moved it. Only a slight budging at first, then a finger move, then a wide arm swipe, then a dance all around him. Four days. Four days it took in this moist cavern for him to manage the dance, but it was worth it to him. It was his first moment of small joy since he first woke up an eternity ago.

After this accomplishment, he went on his way, not forgetting to fill his backpack with tasty mushrooms. It would quickly become a hassle to eat them every day though. As planned he did his best to follow the river, traversing one cave after another, most containing some quantity of glowing mushrooms, adding a different and welcomed colour to the environment, from the creepy blue to a warm orange. Did the whole thing make sense ? "Hell no !", but what could be done about it ?

Travelling for some time, Nick finally found his dreaded enemy : the little monsters. They had established a small camp with tents and all, six of them on an elevated rock, in one corner of a large cave. Fortunately, they were only this few, as two more would be suicide. Because, of course, he would try his luck. He was tired of fleeing, wounded in his pride and body, anxious to right the wrongs done to him.

Nick hid his stuff behind some cover in the tight cave he came from and approached as silently as his chainmail allowed. Observing his enemy, disgust joined hatred and fear in his mind as he saw what they were about : a big fire was lighting them, actually roasting one of their own while they drooled over their chins. "Scum … will it be enough though ? They all look very skinny, even the dead one.", thought the man, curious. Furtively he came as close to them as he could while clutching his heavy spear. Ten meters, eight, five, almost there. However, of course, he produced a noise. How could it go smoothly right ?

Two of the closest monsters absentmindedly turned their heads in his direction, eager to go back to their business. Their reaction to a leaping human was quite enjoyable for Nick, as he plunged his weapon in a chest without hesitation. After a wide move using the razor-sharp tip of his spear, a throat was slit, and his next four victims finally acknowledged his presence. Momentary panic ensued, with many three-fingered hands trying to grab the bone made clubs and knives. A third fell from a violent thrust in his back, rolling on the ground in excruciating pain.

Only a few seconds had passed, yet the real confrontation began then as the last three finally turned to the intruder with their crude weapons ready. They were all standing around the fire, making it a cramped area to fight, but the little animals did not seem like the kind to really think, and charged. "Morons", thought Nick while circling the big bonfire. This way, he partially separated his enemies, making it a bit easier for himself. No complex tactic or mind-game was necessary against those little things. Only firm thrusts would do the job : they were disembowelled one by one by a delighted Nick.

It took merely ten seconds to submit the enemy. The man got out of this encounter victorious. It really felt like he won this time as he was barely injured, just a cut to his chin from a momentary lack of judgement. He misread the distances and got scarred for it, nothing great. "I'll need a good story for that. It would definitely sound stupid if I said how it really happened …".