Austin grabbed his spear and walked outside the ruined building to get Josh. It was already dusk at that point, and the sky turned deep orange. The light filtered through the trees, accentuating the colors, making the red and purple look even more vibrant. With the night starting to fall, Austin realized it was good that he did not wait to find Josh.
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As Austin approached where he had left Josh, he swore he could hear a growling sound. The sound came from around where Austin left Josh, and Austin realized he might be in trouble. Before he knew it, Austin was running towards Josh’s camp.
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The sight that Austin saw was Josh swinging his hatchet around at a large cat. The cat was probably twice the size of a dog, and its fur was a deep purple. It growled at Josh as it raised its hind legs, ready to pounce at any moment.
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Austin did not have time to question Josh and instantly went into a fighting stance. He pointed his spear at the cat and started to focus on his Essence. His best bet was using his Essence to make himself stronger or faster. He just was not completely sure how to do that on command.
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The cat noticed Austin and took a few steps backward to carefully watch both Josh and Austin. The cat seemed to be assessing the situation, and Austin swore he saw wisps of purplish smoke start to rise from its body. Austin could only assume that meant that the cat was able to use Essence. Dread filled Austin’s heart. The creature was already faster and stronger than Austin and Josh, and it could use the only advantage Austin thought he had.
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Before Austin could think more about it, the cat jumped into action. It pounced towards Austin, looking like a blur of purple in his vision as it did. The only thing Austin felt he could do was stab forward with his spear. The cat ran straight into the spear and broke the spear into splinters. Some of which flew into the cat’s chest as it backed away from Austin due to the pain.
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Despite the cat being damaged, it seemed to shake off the pain quickly and reset for another pounce. Without a weapon, Austin raised his hands in front of his face. He tried to imitate a boxer, but he had never done any sort of boxing in his life. That was just the only thing he could think to do.
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As Austin readied himself, he felt warmth in his chest. It was almost as if the battle was stoking the flames of his Essence. If that was the case, then maybe he just needed to direct it. He focused on the sensation and tried to imagine it running up his arm. Maybe he could at least throw a powerful punch when the cat attacked.
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As the sensation ran down Austin’s arm, he felt incredible heat run through it. It was completely different from when he fought the man earlier; during that time, he felt like the heat running through his body was almost comforting, like the feeling of being by a nice campfire. Instead, this felt like he had plunged his entire arm into flames and like his arm would burn to ash.
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As the feeling overwhelmed Austin, he tried to think of how to get rid of it. The only thought that came to him was that maybe he could focus and force the feeling out of himself. As he started to do so, the cat made another pounce at him. Austin saw the cat rushing him and tried to get out of the way, but he was too focused on getting rid of the burning sensation. He stumbled to the ground as the burning sensation ran to his hand and then finally left it. A pale blue flame shot from Austin’s hand like a flamethrower as the cat pounced on top of him.
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Suddenly, the cat let out a squeal in pain as the flames hit it. The cat was pushed back by the force of the attack and fell to the ground. Austin grabbed the hatchet on his belt and tried to capitalize on the opportunity. Something seemed to click in him, and as he swung the hatchet down, he felt the heat of Essence run through his arm. The cat let out a large squeal in pain as Austin sunk the hatchet into it. He quickly tore it free and swung it down once more. The cat could not recover from the swings, and Austin did not stop until its body went limp.
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Austin took several deep breaths as he tore the hatchet free one last time. He felt completely drained from the ordeal, but somehow his mistake with controlling his Essence gave him the advantage. He was shocked that he managed to kill the cat, especially with how fast it moved.
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“Are you okay?” Austin breathed heavily as he turned to Josh.
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“Yeah,” Josh sighed in relief. “What did you just do?”
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“Not sure, I guess it’s another thing I can do with my Essence,” Austin admitted. “It sort of happened accidentally.”
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“I wonder what all you can do,” Josh said before his eyes turned wide and he pointed at the cat’s body. “Dude, what’s going on there?”
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Austin looked over at the cat’s corpse, and it started to rise up into purple smoke. The body was disappearing as more of the smoke started to rise up. Then, without warning, the smoke surrounded Austin’s body and started to flow inside of him. It was like the smoke was being absorbed by every pore in his body.
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Austin got a feeling that he should check on his Essence as the last of the smoke flowed into him. Once he did, he noticed that the image of the flame in his chest was larger. Almost as if the flame used the purple smoke as a fuel source.
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“I guess my Essence absorbed it,” Austin hypothesized. “It seems like it grew stronger by killing the cat.”
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“New thing after new thing,” Josh sighed. “I’m going to have to get one of those fruits or something.”
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“We’ll get you one, don't worry,” Austin assured Josh.
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“I know, I trust you. I mean, you came out here and saved me a second time now,” Josh laughed. “Now I double owe you. Speaking of, why did you come back out?”
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“Right, my wife said I should trust you more,” Austin admitted. “And with that, she thinks you should stay with us, and then we can plan out tomorrow.”
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“After this whole incident, I’ll definitely take you up on that,” Josh laughed as he grabbed his pack.
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The two started to walk back to Austin’s camp, and while they did, Austin asked, “So what happened? How did that cat attack you?”
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“I was just setting up camp and it came across me,” Josh said. “It must have thought I was a threat to its territory.”
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“I could see that,” Austin nodded. “I wonder if the animals stay away from the ruined buildings for some reason. My wife hasn’t told me of anything happening to her, and she and my son have been staying there since yesterday.”
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“That could be possible,” Josh agreed. “Maybe they see it as part of civilization still and stay away from it?”
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“That could be it. Whatever the reason, I am grateful they stay away,” Austin said. “I’ve been worried about their safety since we arrived. If that keeps away one threat, then I’ll consider myself lucky.”
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As Josh and Austin arrived back at camp, Maya welcomed Josh. “Make yourself comfy. We have room. My name is Maya, and this sleeping cutie is Elliot. I think Austin said your name is Josh?”
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“Yes, it is,” Josh shook Maya’s hand. “Thank you for welcoming me into your camp.”
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“It was no problem at all. Sometimes Austin needs to be reminded it’s okay to trust people,” Maya laughed.
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“I mean, I get your point, but I can’t really blame him,” Josh said. “Especially after the crazy guy we encountered earlier.”
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“He still should be more trustworthy,” Maya said. “I think it is better to extend a helping hand than reject others for safety.”
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“There is a reason she’s called my better half,” Austin chimed in. “She’s a much better person than I am.”
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Josh laughed nervously as if he did not want to say one way or another. He proceeded to get his sleeping bag set up in the corner of the room. As Josh did this, Sean started to arrange sticks in the fire pit before working to start a flame. As a flame got going, the three of them sat around the fire.
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“So how do we start planning this?” Josh asked. “We definitely need a plan, but I’m not sure what our approach should be.”
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“Well then, I’ll start since I was researching while you two were out,” Maya said. “There were sadly no specifics, but I could find out some info. It seems like the herbs and fruit can be found in areas of high Aether concentration. The fruit needs an especially high concentration.”
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“That doesn’t give us a lot to go off of,” Josh commented.
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“Well, actually, we may have lucked out,” Austin said. “I can sense Aether now that I am aware of my Essence. It just requires a bit of focus.”
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“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Josh replied. “You can periodically focus, and we can follow where you think it is strongest.”
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“Well, that was easy,” Austin smiled before turning to Maya. “Was there anything else that you found out?”
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“Just that trees and plants affected by Aether tend to grow much larger,” Maya said. “So maybe if you find an area that is more dense, that means you are on the right track.”
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“That’s a good tip,” Josh said. “So what are these herbs you mentioned? I know about the fruit, but Austin didn't mention herbs.”
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“Our main focus was the fruit, but the herbs are another option,” Maya explained. “There are also herbs that can be made into elixirs that can make someone aware of their Essence. It just requires gathering a combination of herbs and then making the elixir with a recipe. Also, we don’t have any of the supplies to do that.”
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“Oh, makes sense why you guys were more interested in the fruit then,” Josh said. “But maybe we can find an alternate method to combine them. I think it’s worth at least trying to collect herbs.”
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“If you think so,” Maya said. “I can show you pictures of them, and you can keep an eye out.”
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“That sounds like a great idea,” Josh replied with a smile.
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“Is there any info on how to use Essence or the breathing techniques?” Austin chimed in to ask.
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“Oh yeah, there is,” Maya said. “Probably a good idea for you to look at that.”
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Maya walked over to the side of the room where she kept the books stacked. The stack was somewhat disorganized, probably from her reading a bunch of different books and then just placing them back on the stack. She used her finger to scan the various books until she found the two she was looking for. Once she did, she removed them carefully so the stack did not fall. She then handed a book to each Austin and Josh.
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“Now it’s your guys’ turn to study,” Maya said. “Maybe then you won’t ask me so many questions.”
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“That’s not fair, I was out all day,” Austin protested.
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“I know, just messing with you,” Maya laughed. “I have been enjoying the research, honestly.”
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“Once we get these fruits, you’ll be good to go with all the knowledge you have,” Austin smiled.
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“About time there was something I was smarter than you at,” Maya said.
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Austin rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Maya. “You know, there are plenty of things that you are better at than me.”
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Maya smiled gently as Austin wrapped his arms around her. “You’re just saying that.”
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“Not at all,” Austin smiled. “I truly believe that.”
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“I’m just gonna go over here,” Josh awkwardly said as he walked away from the flame to his sleeping bag.
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The pair ignored Josh as he walked away. Instead, they just enjoyed each other’s presence. The last two days had been hard on both of them, and having each other brought them both comfort. The Survival Game kept them both on edge, especially when they were separated. So when they were together, for at least a moment, they could forget about the stress of it all.
