"Ahhhh… that's the ticket…" I couldn't help but moan, letting loose a long and well deserved piss on the old cinders of the campfire after cooking the last of the bug bits for breakfast. Sure, I could technically eat some of the guts, but if last night's meal was anything to go by, something tells me that won't be quite so tolerable.

With that said, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do today. Keep walking, maybe grab some food on the way, and try not to die. Easy as one-two-three, totally no pressure.

Zipping up, I think about the sack I tried to make last night as well as the lean-to, and there's some good news at least. Attempting to make something yourself seems to at least give you a discount for whatever recipe the item itself imitates. Now I can't exactly say with confidence that I wanna make a set of armor from scratch that way, but I can at least work with it when it comes to simpler things, or things I can already make. Additionally, it seems the quality of something has an effect on this weird system. Though the sack I made did take points off of the cost for the recipe, it was at best a nice little fishnet with how loose the holes in it were. So much so, that it actually unlocked the 'Fishing Net' recipe and took points off of that. Which kinda hurt, if I'm being honest. However, as for my lean-to, I had pretty much unlocked the recipe for free. Perhaps if I could find some of these Toadmen, I could learn some tricks that could help me save on points. That's if they're friendly at least.

Other than that… yeah this system's weird. There's no way in hell all this exists naturally, not in a million years. If this system exists, then I for one consider tomfuckery at play. It's too artificial, too coded. My guess is that these… what was it my 'Patron' called it… False Vacuums? Yeah, those. I think these exist purely for the amusement of higher entities. Which kinda blows considering mine was one and probably had something looking after it, but at least now I know that there are in fact greater powers at play… and I can work with that.

I pack up what little I have into my canvas pack, still surprised at how light the whole thing is, before moving on. I march forward, grimacing at the occasional moment where the mud and marsh attempts to suck my boots under. I'm careful in my steps, making sure to avoid the actual water due to my uncertainty of what may lurk beneath, but I still have my moments where I trod across the muck.

Minutes roll into hours, and hours roll back into hot and sweltering minutes that feel like hours when the sun starts to rise. Man, it's a lot warmer than it was yesterday, and this humidity sure as shit ain't helping. I can't help but take a break under a nearby willow tree sticking out on the edge of the swamp, making way for more marshy lands. I take off my canvas jacket and relax with a bottle of water and rest. The trees were starting to grow more spread out, making way for a significantly more watery area. I fear I might be reaching near a point where I would be better off stringing a raft together.

{Recipe Unlocked! Would you like to learn 'Construct Raft'?}

Hush. While I wouldn't mind that, I'd much prefer to enjoy the moment right now. The sight of mid-day sun glistening upon surprisingly clean water couldn't help but make me sigh. The dragonflies, the fluttering birds in the sky, all the way down to a piece of driftwood floating lazily in the- wait a Goddamn minute that's not driftwood.

I can't help but get up to get a better look at what I was seeing. Floating lazily in the water was a body. A distinctly humanoid but inhuman body. I squint to get a better view, loathing the fact that I never got glasses, and saw it was very much frog-like. Or toad-like, I suppose if you want specifics. It floated there belly up, mouth just above the water.

"Hey there, you uh… you alive?! You speak my language?!" I shout out, hoping to get the thing's attention if it's still alive.

Silence greets me for almost a minute, and before I'm tempted to pack up and keep moving for the sake of not staring at a body, I hear a low and pained groan come out from the toadman. I breathe a sigh in relief, and realize that it's still alive, albeit hurt in some way. I unbuckle my pants, my shirt and hat coming off after. I'm not gonna soak my clothes, but I got no problems going commando while my boxers dry.

I wade carefully through the water, which I personally feel is stupid on account of the fact that I still don't know what's in the water, but if this person's been floating around for who knows how long, it can't be dangerous enough for a few moments. I make sure not to splash or move jerkily, hopefully to avoid the attraction of predators, and grab onto the lazily floating toadman's arm, pulling him back to shore. Jesus, this thing might be shorter than me but it sure doesn't weigh the part. I tap his cheek, or whatever a frog's equivalent is to try and get it's attention.

"Hey there, you alive? All your parts workin'?" I ask more softly, now that I didn't have to shout across a swamp.

All it could do was moan out in pain, making me shake my head in annoyance.

"Figures, first person I see out here that ain't out to kill me and they're dyin' on me".

I notice in particular that the toadman is clutching their stomach now that they're on land, making me wonder.

"Hmm… would an {Insight Check} work…?" I mumble mostly to myself.

I place my palm on his chest, and I speak the words. Sure enough, the same old bubble greets my eyes.

{Male Toadman (Adolescent: Level 15): A species of amphibious demi-humans native to The Great Lakes region, separated into several tribes. They practice basic animal husbandry and agriculture, a step up from most demi-humans and heteromorphs of the world. Their tribes exist deep within the lake's waters, swimming and floating amidst islands and large lilypads. This specimen is suffering from the conditions 'Stomach Ache (Severe)', 'Nausea', and 'Malnutrition (Minor)'}

… Alright, I have several issues here. First of all, why in the crackerjack fuck is an Adolescent a higher level than me? That's kinda fucked up. Is this one of those situations where the kids are pretty much strong the moment they pop out, like snakes? Secondly, this kid is like up to my collar bone in rough estimates, and he's just a kid? This kid has to be a mutant or something, no ifs ands or buts. Thirdmost, his tribes are on the innermost section of the lake? I'm no scientologist but I'm pretty sure we are a pretty big distance away from any significant body of water, as I've yet to meet one, so that means he's probably pretty far from home.

Another groan cuts me off in my train of thought. I sigh in disappointment for myself, realizing I should attend to the most important matter here, and that's the kid's suffering. I spend a moment gathering what little dry kindling there is in the area and start a fire by the old willow tree. Getting to work, I use {Create Water} to summon just enough water for a pot of tea and set it to boil. In the meantime, I use my jacket as a makeshift pillow and let the poor kid rest his head on it as he makes shallow breaths through the pain.

"Easy now kid… the worst of it's almost over. Breath easy," I pat his belly gently with a closed fist, hopefully to ease the pain. An old trick I learned dealing with being a lactose intolerant cheese lover, it's kinda like burping a baby. Seemed to do the trick, as he seemed to be able to speak one single word through the pain.

"Mama…" The kid spoke, and it nearly tore my heart in two. Whatever this kid's been going through, it can't have been good, but at least he's got someone to think of through this.

"S'all right kid, we'll find her soon enough… lemme just make some tea for you" I mutter the last part more to myself, turning back to the pot. I pull the sheet of cambium out… and realize I have no clue how I'm gonna grind this stuff.

{Recipe Unlocked! Would you like to learn 'Hand Grindstones'?}

I… yeah that'd be great if it weren't for the fact that the name was self explanatory. It did give me ideas though. I looked around, and easy enough there were a couple of smooth, albeit small stones just large enough to fit in my palms. I set out my spare blanket, and get to work on grinding small cuts of the bark. Eventually, I have just enough to make a decent cup of tea, and set my tools aside to scoop the powder into a cup. I grab the boiling water pot, and pour it in. Sure enough, the water slowly steeps and changes to a more woody brown, and the scent of cinnamon greets my nose.

I give it a moment longer just to steep more thoroughly and get the most out of it, and bring it to my unexpected patient.

"Hey, I got the tea here, it's made from willow bark. It should help with the stomach aches, but I need you to drink it for it to work, okay?"

The toad boy could do nothing but groan, so I gently tilted his head up from the makeshift pillow and brought the tea close to his mouth. The steam gently wafting across his wide mouth seemed to be all the prompt he needed, as he opened his mouth to drink. I held back just enough to keep from having the whole piping hot thing from pouring down his throat.

"Ah, careful now, you may be in a lot of pain but a scalded tongue won't help. One small sip at a time".

That seemed to do it. I spent the better part of the next hour nursing him with tea, making sure he got it slowly but surely. Wasn't like I was doing much else, though I did feel myself growing a bit hungrier. Eventually, the tea was gone, and the kid's expression went from painful to peaceful, though he still seemed to be unconscious now. At the very least, he'll probably be out long enough for me to grab some grub, but won't go far on the off-chance he wakes up. After all, as much as I didn't mind helping a kid in need he is my ticket to civilization.

I stirred a pot full of boiling crawfish and tended to a pan of cabbage and a rice-like grain simmering off to the side. Judging by the looks of it too, I'd say they're done. The kid hadn't woken up yet, but an {Insight Check} had shown his condition was improving. Sure, he was probably going to need a couple more cups just to make sure that whatever's in his system doesn't stay that way, and he sure as shit needed some food, but he'd live.

I move from the small fire, and nudge the child. Now was the moment of truth, the part where he either screams and runs or gives me some answer to where I'm at other than vague descriptions I've found through things inspected across the last day and a half.

"Hey, kid, time to wake up from your little power nap. I made some grub, you look starved," I speak softly, shaking the toad boy by the shoulder. "C'mon, sun's still up…"

He stirs, and opens his eyes to greet mine. A moment of silence between the both of us, up until he twists around and kicks me square in the chest, sending me flying back to the side. I'm wheezing, trying to catch my breath, while the toad shouts at me.

"Who are you?! Where am I?! Where is my tribe?!"

I take a moment to catch my breath, but not a moment too soon, and try to answer him as best as I can. "Name's… Nolan… as for where… somewhere south… of the Great Lakes? Kinda… lost myself…"

I take another moment, and press my hand to my chest. Yup. Definitely bruised a couple ribs at least.

"What were you doing to me?! Answer me human, before I break your bones!"

I can't help but chuckle despite the pain, and honestly it made me wince in a new level of pain.

"Shit kid, I was treating you. Looked like you were going through some pretty nasty cramps there".

The toad boy squinted at me disdainfully. "Lies, you speak in lies!"

I sigh, pressing a hand to my chest as I just remembered one of the spells in my list.

"{Cure Wounds}," I spoke slowly, doing my best to not mess the spell up. The toad's eyes briefly widen at the display, and I rub my chest as I breath in deeply, glad to have proper air again.

"Then why the hell didn't I just tie you up? Better yet, why would I bother with making enough food for the both of us, or the fact that I brewed you willow tea earlier?" I said, standing up and waving my arm to himself before moving to the area around us.

His eyes glanced down at the campfire, crawfish and cabbage visible. Then they moved to the coyote pack, where my blanket was with the sheet of willow cambium and stones on top in case I needed to make more. He then turn his eyes back to me, uncertain but still untrusting.

"Y-you… you lie…" It came out weakly, as if he wasn't even sure he believed what he was saying.

I sigh, gesturing towards the fire again, food still cooking.

"Let me prove I'm not lying. I don't know what your story is, but I doubt you've got the energy to do more than kick me a few more times. Sit down with me, try some of my cookin', and we can talk. If you still ain't convinced by sundown, we'll go our separate ways the following morning. Deal?"

I held my hand out, hoping to God the poor boy would at least hear me out. He looks down at my hand, seemingly surprised by the gesture. He looks up at me, and back down, and grabs my hand firmly as he looks me in the eyes.

"It is a deal, human. See to it that you do not break it"

I smile warmly, a wave of relief washing over me. "Scout's honor".

The toad boy narrowed his eyes threateningly. "What force are you a scout for?"

I blinked, before facepalming in realization of how he misconstrued that.

"I'm not actually a scout for anyone, it's an expression in my homeland. The Scouts were a group of people, mostly children, that roughed it out in the wild for fun. They had many codes they followed, a code of honor if you will that they couldn't break. At least, that's the gist of it. I wanted to join them, but my mom never let me"

The toadman cocked his head in confusion now. "But if you are not a 'Scout', then why do you follow their supposed code of honor?"

I blinked again, and realized that he was going to be one interesting conversation partner. As much as I wanted to just wave this off again as 'just an expression of speech', I get the feeling simply brushing it off won't liken him to me.

"You don't have to be a part of a group to agree with what they believe in. I agree with the belief to help those in need, to be truthful, and to always be courteous when I can afford to be. I saw you in need floating through the waters, so I offered my aid. Just, as an example I suppose".

The toad boy, whom I'm starting to grow sick of referring to him as, looks down in thoughtful concentration. "I see. I thank you for this insight".

"Don't worry about it. Now, you want some food or what?" I say, pointing a thumb at the cooking food behind me.

The boy nods, something similar to a smile crossing his wide mouth. "I would appreciate your hospitality, human".

I rolled my eyes as I move to take the pot off of the fire. "Think nothing of it. Today it was you, tomorrow it'll be me. We all have our moments, all that matters is… whether we're willing to help a stranger up on their feet…"

I narrow in concentration, faint memories rattling in my mind. I brush them off, as I've got bigger concerns at the moment. I place the pot on the ground and did the same with the searing cabbage. I laid the cabbage out first into a metal bowl, then plucked out some broiled crawfish and plopped them onto the cabbage bed.

"I know it ain't much, but it'll keep you fed," I say as I hand him the bowl. He looks down at it with wide eyes again, and gives a brief nod before immediately tilting his head back with his mouth wide open, the whole contents of the plate falling in.

"Hey look, I know you're hungry and all, but those crawfish still had their-"

Ckckcrunch!

"... Okay, well nevermind I guess…"

The boy closed his eyes hard, and I gotta admit seeing a toadman swallow like a toad probably wasn't on my list of things to see before I die, but at least I'll rest easy knowing how they do it. The boy blinks a couple of times, before looking back at me.

"Apologies human, you were saying something?"

"Eh, don't worry about it. So uh, as uncomfortable as it is having you call me human, I realized I never got your name. I kinda don't wanna just call you 'Toad boy' after all".

The boy looks at me, seemingly thinking, before he nods. "Very well. I am Todone, son of Kodrotti. I believe you say your name was 'Nolan Potts'?"

I nod back. "Yup, but just Nolan works fine".

I turn back to the remaining crawfish, and plop what was left on the pot of cabbage. As I take my time cracking the shells, I figured I'd get to the meat of our predicament.

"So, whaddya wanna do next?" I ask.

Todone tilts his head slowly. "What do you mean, human?"

I scoff. "You and me both are lost in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere. Way I see it, we gotta keep ourselves busy and keep an eye out for each other. We can hunt, we can keep moving wherever you think is best to get you back to your folks, or we can just relax for today and leave all that stuff for tomorrow".

The boy narrowed his eyes at me again, but I think they weren't meant in a threatening manner this time. "You have already helped me enough, yet you would help me further? What do you have to gain out of this?"

"Directions out of this swamp, and maybe some nice folks to talk to," I begin, before chuckling at a certain thought. "Heh, who knows, maybe there's a pretty toad girl in your village that'll tie me down".

Todone's eyes bulged at that. "You would speak of partnering outside of your species so openly?!"

I blinked, gears in my head turning as I realized I still need to be somewhat careful about what I say. "I… mostly meant it as a joke if I'm being honest, but I'm not… opposed… to it either. Life's full of surprises after all".

The boy seemed to be distracted by this, I could see the gears turning in his head, but about what I wasn't certain. I sigh, shaking my head.

"Tell you what, we got time, and I'll let you think it over, alright?"

Todone nods, though I can see it was half-hearted. I turn back to my crawfish and suck the meat right out. Good god is this a step up from that Green Spaghetti shit I made last night.

Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: +40 [Neutral]) [13/15 Spell slots used]

Classes: Brawler (4), Ranger (3), Druid (2), Clothier (2). Total Level (11).

Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth

Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike

Gear: Canvas Clothes (Sturdy, Weathered), Oak-Handled Brush-hook, Canvas Coyote Pack of Holding, Bundles of Herbs (Medicinal),

Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}.

Party Members are as follows...

Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -30 [Neutral])

Classes: Toadman Warrior (8), Spearman (7), Total Level (15).

AN: Had to scratch my head for a sec on this one. While I am doing this for fun, I haven't been able to find many references to something like a map for the New World, so most of my geography here is based on guesswork from my Wiki skimming.