The whole field situation was beginning to get out of hand. The Farm Brigade and the itsy-bitsy ants and spiders had joined forces and had entirely taken over.
At the One Eye’s prompting, I’d transformed and teleported a large pile of wooden planks to the field, which they’d then laid neatly between each row of crops. These were paths for the itsy-bitsy ants and spiders to walk along—designed as a countermeasure against my clumsy feet, no doubt.
Seriously, thanks, guys. I don’t know what I’d do if I accidentally stepped on one of them.
The Farm Brigade seemed to be getting better at their work with each passing day. Every time I surveyed the field, I spotted new, more efficient methods in use.
It’s weird, though—how are they getting new knowledge? What a mystery.
The Gremlins had also improved their skills in regards to the hides. The pelts they were producing these days were even softer and fluffier than their initial attempts. Again, I had no idea how they were doing it, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
And then there were the clothes made by the Three Eyes. They’d added overshirts to their repertoire, and the loose pants they’d made at first now instead resembled fitted cargo pants—with pockets too. They’d started laying my outfit for the day at the end of my bed, ready for me when I woke up each morning.
I feel like I haven’t seen a repeat of clothes in a while though... Ha ha, it’s gotta be my imagination... Right?
The forest exploration plan was continuing as well. Compared to when I’d first arrived, the forest was now bursting with an abundance of wild fruits and vegetables. As a result, I’d quickly run out of room in the original food storehouse, and had added three more refrigerated rooms and five more chronostasis rooms for future foraging. It was a lot of food, but I had to prepare for winter. I didn’t even know if this world had winter for certain, but there was no way I could afford to be caught unawares if it did. Being trapped in a cold cave with nothing growing outside if our stockpile ran out would mean death. So for caution’s sake I’d built the additional storerooms, which I was now in the process of filling.
It’s handy having a house I can expand at the drop of a hat—I’ll never run out of room.
Today, I’d set out in yet another new direction, with Chai and Koa at my side. One of the initial lot of baby spiders—now the size of my fist—sat atop Chai’s back.
You... You okay with that, buddy?
More spiders followed along in the trees, soaring from branch to branch. They were easily larger than my fist. Recently I’d started to notice some differences in the growth spurts of the spiders. Some were still growing rapidly, while others had slowed right down.
Maybe they’re different subspecies? It’s strange...
“Oh... Another cave, huh.”
Not seasonings, but another cave again. The first cave had wolves, the second cave had Shuri... Probably something else in here too.
Although wary of the odd darkness inside the cave, I ventured in—only to be attacked the second we passed through the entrance. Thankfully, I’d made sure our barrier was reinforced before we’d entered, so no one was injured. I glanced around for our assailants, only to find seven dogs snarling and circling our little group.
Hey, they look just like Chai!
Chai himself rushed in front of me and barked, but there was no reaction from the pack. The baby spiders made their own attempt at a threatening sound—to a similar lack of response.
I considered the scene before me. The dogs didn’t feature any sign of the black, mottled pattern that Shuri and the other ants had, but the atmosphere was similar. It was possible that these dogs were possessed too. I’d need to try an exorcism, but it would be hard with the way the dogs were moving around.
Guess I gotta try this... Sorry, doggies.
“Restrain.”
The idea of imagining them chained up somewhat upset me, so I visualized the pack being trapped inside a pen instead. Immediately, they stopped moving, much to my relief. From my new position of safety, I inspected the seven dogs. They were thin, and several seemed to be injured.
“Unbinding.”
A ring appeared around each of the creatures, followed by the familiar glowing wall and shower of light. The glow faded, and each of the dogs collapsed where they stood, one or two of them coughing up blood.
“Heal!” I frantically added. I hadn’t expected them to collapse; they must have been on the brink of death. The possession might have been the only thing keeping them upright. With gentle strokes, I reassured each of the now somewhat-healthier dogs in turn, feeling their breathing become steadier. Chai had started to bark upon seeing their sickly condition, but as the dogs calmed down, he did too. From the color of their fur, these dogs were probably the same breed as Chai—maybe they were even related. I was glad I’d been able to save them, for his sake as much as mine.
As they came to their senses, the dogs began cowering in apparent fear and confusion. Chai—through barking—must have explained the situation to them, because they gradually seemed to settle down and start inspecting their surroundings.
You’re fine. Good.
With relief came anger, anger that went from simmering within me to boiling and then to overflowing. Rage flooded me, aimed squarely at the caster of the curse. The image of lightning striking flashed across my mind.
“Divine Punishment.”
The lightning was easy enough to imagine, but since I had no idea where the curse had come from, the target was a little hazy. Just saying the words “Divine Punishment” probably wasn’t going to be enough for the spell to work, but it did make me feel better at least.