Venerable Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Fire

Read chapter 5 of Venerable by Jade_White on NovelPedia.

By the time Dustin finally opened his eyes it was already afternoon. He lay flat on his back against the wooden floor. Grrrrr. The sound came from deep within his own stomach. The hunger was intense and sharp. He had not eaten anything since the stale pizza the day before. His efficient energy management philosophy relied heavily on staying horizontal but a starving body eventually forced movement. He sat up and stretched his shoulders. "Now I have to get something to eat first," Dustin muttered to himself. He crawled over and looked down at the dark forest floor below. Going down would be significantly easier than climbing up but it still required effort. He swung his bare legs over the edge and carefully found his first foothold. He descend took few minutes. His perception bubble flared to life. He mapped the immediate area and confirmed there were no giant armored centipedes or snake tailed insects waiting to ambush him. He pulled the dagger from the waistband and began walking. Strange bioluminescent plants were beginning to cast faint blue and green glows across the rotting logs. Dustin moved slowly through the thick ferns and paid close attention to the local flora. He spotted a cluster of bright orange mushrooms growing near a twisted root. He focused his eyes on the fungi and waited for the system to provide relevant data. A small blue text box flickered into existence. [ Rot Spore Mushroom ] [ Highly Toxic - Consumption will lead to rapid internal bleeding. ] Dustin stepped carefully around the dangerous root. Further down the path he found a bush covered in small glowing red berries. He stared at the fruit but the system provided zero information. The screen remained blank. 'If the system refuses to identify it then eating it is a massive gamble,' Dustin reasoned internally. 'Getting violently sick out here means vomiting. I am not eating mystery berries.' He kept walking through the woods. He altered his path and pushed his way through a thick curtain of hanging vines. He found a wide and fast moving river cutting directly through the dense vegetation. The water was crystal clear and looked incredibly refreshing. However the muddy banks of the river were swarming with local wildlife. Dustin crouched behind a large mossy rock and observed the creatures from the safety of his perception bubble. A large amphibian with six sprawling legs and skin that resembled wet grey clay was dragging itself out of the water. The system identified it as a Level 3 Mud Crawler. A few meters away a long fish with jagged protruding teeth and dark black scales was thrashing violently in the shallows. The system tagged it as a Level 5 Spine Fin. The creatures were grotesque and covered in thick layers of foul smelling slime. 'They look disgusting,' Dustin concluded with a grimace. 'I am definitely not eating those things. I still have basic dietary standards.' He backed away from the river bank and continued his search parallel to the running water. He needed to find something that looked vaguely terrestrial and less like a sewer monster. A small lifeform was resting in a patch of tall silver grass just few meters ahead. Dustin stopped moving. He peered through the thick stalks and spotted the target. It was a rabbit. The creature possessed snow white fur but its fluffy tail was a vibrant shade of bright yellow. As the animal turned its head to chew on a thick blade of grass Dustin noticed that its large eyes were constantly shifting through a vibrant spectrum of rainbow colors. He focused his gaze and brought up the system information. [ White Fur Rabbit ] [ Level 1 ] [ A passive herbivore. Its meat is considered highly delicious and provides a permanent one point stamina boost upon consumption. ] He stared at the floating blue text to make sure his tired eyes were not deceiving him. The creature was not just food. It was a literal stat boosting consumable item. 'Sorry buddy but you have to go in my stomach,' Dustin thought quietly. His g