20 The Power of Hope

Ziade slowly opens his eyes... he's freezing and he feels the chilling breeze coming through the forest, he knew if he was going to survive in here he needed warmth and by gutting Richez he got that warmth for a couple minutes even if it was unsightly to the eyes... but Ziade isn't so new to this, he's done it before.

Ziade is chattering his teeth ferociously and the warmth from Richez's body has long gone, Ziade goes to push him off his body...

"Arghh…" Ziade is in extreme pain even if he doesn't show it, his lung is punctured, his ribs are broken, shoulder is fractured from the impact against the tree and his face is broken...

'I'll die in under an hour if I don't do something fast... I need to heat up... and the blood on me saved me for a bit but now it's frozen against my clothes and my body... just look at my skin... fuck this is bad, really bad...'

Ziade is shivering and has hypothermia... he's drowsy and struggling to even lift Richez off himself... he's going to die if he doesn't do something fast... now.

Ziade with all his strength lifts him off and struggles to stand up but uses the tree to help him up. Ziade starts to calm himself down and think of a plan, with slow and steady breathing while leaning against the tree... Ziade starts to think straight.

'I have hypothermia... I'll die in approximately an hour without any heat source... I need to cover my fingers and toes...' Ziade goes up to the dead body next to him and pulls off the grey fur covered scarf around his neck and wraps it around his left foot then proceeds to search for others things fast.

'Scarf done... black cloak is good, his brown shirt is covered in blood... but not all of it, what about pants... no what am I doing! His socks, fuck sake keep it together and think fast.'

Ziade cuts off his cloak and wraps it around his right foot then immediately proceeds to take off Richez's black leathered boots and store them in his inventory promptly, Ziade efficiently pulls off the grey socks and slips them on his hands... he feels the warmth and cracks a small smile before coming back to reality and thinking of the next step...

Ziade realizes his breathing has become small and erratic and swiftly controls his breathing to become long and stable even if it hurts...

Ziade rubs his hands together for some heat and thinks... 'Heat... fire... shelter... I need to get out of this chilling breeze... Ziade uses his sword force but then comes to a realization that everything is clouded and he starts to close his eyes...

"NOOOO!"

Ziade screams and starts to walk around, ripping off branches and twigs and storing them in his inventory... 'Wait...'

Ziade looks back at the body he left behind and starts to think... 'Should I...? No... I didn't leave anything behind... and he's dead so if his body does get found then no one will be able to find any information on me anyways... yeh... I'm not going back.'

Ziade walks on ahead in slow steps trying to not clumsily fall over his own steps... 'Its been 10 minutes... 40 min just in case... I don't think I can hold on for that long...'

"Hahaha... arrghh... fuck..." Ziade continues to look for some kind of shelter.. like a cave or a abandoned camp... or a fallen down tree... while collecting wood, twigs, tinders and what not to save his life.

After thirty minutes of struggle and immense pain... Ziade seems to have found something in the distance...

"Where the hell did he go off to... he said he saw a boy fall from the sky... he's always off his head, always givin' me trouble... but where... surely he must of came this way."

Ziade immediately hides behind a tree and sees a man dressed very similar to Vlatti Van Richez riding on a armored horse, these two seem to be unfazed by the weather...

'What should I do... fuck... ok.. that man is obviously related in some way to Richez and is also way stronger... I can feel the energy radiate around him... he's definetely strong...'

The chilling winds pound against Ziade, his feet buried in the snow, chattering teeth which he supresses his urge to do afraid of being caught, shivering body while his back rests against the tree, Ziade is truly in deep ground right now...

'This man is heading in the direction of where his body lies... but it's most probably buried in snow right now... should I seek assissstance from my enemy... but if I get caught, I will definetely die... and what's to say he won't kill me on sight? FUCK! Fucking hell I need to become stronger so this hit doesn't happen! Fuck!'

Ziade takes a step towards the man, 'No. I won't, I'm not taking the chance...' Ziade makes his descision which could save his life or end it... he steps back behind the tree. With only twenty minutes to an hour, he struggles to even stay awake and moving... he struggles on.

He looks down at his feet and looks beside him... 3 pine cones, he picks them up and deposits them in his inventory. He moves on for some shelter...

'Okini... use my credits for a lottery spin now...'

'As you wish.'

'25,000 appies deducted, 8,000 appies remaining and lottery wheel is spinnng.'

'Congratulations you have won a Weapon from the weapon category.'

Ziade walks on in hope but is obviously having trouble to even stand... '...a weapon aye... just my luck...'

He looks in his inventory and sees the weapon, 'Kunai'

'...' Ziade had nothing to say.

The wind and snow is picking up and is becoming more dense... it's becoming even more harder to see into the distance for Ziade... but he continues on hoping for his survival... Ziade gives up and looks at his feet trotting in the snow... he looks up once more in defeat...

He sighs, then has one last look ahead clearly '....what is that...'

Ziade sees a tall tree seemingly standing out from the rest... it is hollowed out...

"It's hollowed out..." Ziade chuckles at himself since just the moment he accepted defeat... there lied a shining hope in near distance... Ziade pushes on with increased strentgh and smiles even with all the blood that is on him...

Ziade reaches the hollowed out tree and shoves all the snow with his feet out of his sanctuary... he leans Masamune against the tree and with the little amount of time he has left, he starts to build a fire quickly... Ziade pulls out the rocks and places them in a circle then the braches and twigs get put into a pile and left on the side, he continues to build a fire by placing some twigs and small wood pieces in the circle, Ziade builds a cone like structure with the wood he collected then places some more twigs and small branches inside. He crushes the pine cones with his hands and sprinkles the fine pieces in the middle, then rips off some fur off the scarf then finally he grabs a left over rock and pulls out his strong compass from his inventory and starts to smash the two objects together on a certain angle to light the tinder that lies just in front of him... Ziade has pure hope in his eyes...

Ziade would not have been able to make it this far without cultivating his body and without a strong mind..

Okini speaks, 'Maybe use that kunai instead Ziade.'

Ziade doesn't speak and just proceeds to store his compass and swaps with his kunai. After a couple of seconds, finally Ziade manages to light a spark... he watches it fall...

It lights. Ziade instantly grabs some small twigs from the left overs and starts to light fire to them as well... after a thirty second period, the fire has lit.

"YES."

Ziade drops his three boxes at the entrance to stop some of the small winds disrupting his fire, then Ziade picks up his longer branches and sticks them in the ground next to the boxes at the entrance. The entrance is now decently covered up. With his shivering body he takes off his protective clothing on his hands and feet and paces them like a mat on the floor. Ziade now heats up his feet and hands near the fire.

After a couple of minutes of heating himself up, Ziade now sits there relaxed and easy, eating some food and snacks...

'...Anything else... let's see... hmmm... stuff that snake, I'm too tired..'

Ziade places his spare clothing on the ground then makes sure the fire can last until he wakes up, he places all spare wood at his feet, he pulls out his pillow and futon and falls to sleep...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day.

Ziade slowly opens his eyes and boy what does he see... a small white feathered snake sleeping on his chest...

Ziade's eyes are wide open staring at the snake... 'Okini...'

'Yes.'

'Power level please...' Ziade says with a worried expression.

'Origin Combining, 2nd sub level.' Okini states.

Ziade remembers back on the words Witariji said to him... Highly Venomous, it's venom can kill Corse of Ratiocination body cultivators..... Hunting times are early January.....

'Oh no... it's early January... and it can kill... oh no... careful Ziade... careful...' Ziade speaks to himself.

'I recommend singing a nursery rhyme to keep this creature a sleep Ziade.' Okini suggests sarcastically but Ziade doesn't know...

'Okini I know no nursery rhy... wait yes I do.' Ziade replies with a relieved expression.

'Here goes nothin'.'

"Baby snake doo doo doo doo doo doo doo... mummy snake doo doo doo..."

The Bijeli abruptly opens it's eyes... clear white diamonds stare into Ziade's soul...

"Shit."