Today, Sandrine wouldn't bother checking what her pets would choose to do. She wasn't the most sane of their group, she didn't have the instincts required to know where the danger was coming from, and they both were stronger than her. The only reason that she usually was taking charge, was because only she could open chests and was nimble enough to avoid traps, and also because Paquerette wouldn't bother.
Now, Sandrine couldn't even move her body, her arms were crossed on her chest and held into place by light blue splinters, same for her right ankle. What could she even do in this state ?
So she decided to completely detach herself from the situation. Paquerette was the chef now, Sandrine was just baggage for today. And maybe also the food distributor.
Since she wasn't going to bother monitoring the situation, Sandrine opened the game panel. She had a lot of private messages, so she decided to address those first.
[AlphaWolf : Bro, if you keep giving me things without taking anything back, I'll start to get angry !]
Her friend seemed to be getting a bit impatient.
[84jojo84 : Sorry, got into a situation yesterday. Things happened]
[AlphaWolf : You too ? I thought I was the only unlucky one ! Thankfully I had my axe. A good hit between the eyes did the trick]
Sandrine frowned. If she had had an axe, could she have defeated the llama monster ? Probably not. AlphaWolf must have a very high strength stat. She imagined him like a very muscular puppy, who loves to butcher things but is still very cute.
[84jojo84 : Got it pretty bad, had nothing but the pitchfork and machete, had to run for a while]
[AlphaWolf : You didn't find another weapon ? You really have bad luck in the strangest of places… I got a whole arsenal on me, but I have nothing to eat except meat. Oh, but don't send me anything, you already gave me too much ! There are other people on the trade tab, I'll trade with them]
[84jojo84 : Okay. What about the pigeons I sent yesterday ?]
[AlphaWolf : Can't eat those, I'm worried about diseases. But I did gather the feathers and cleaned them. Want some ?]
[84jojo84 : You can clean feathers ?]
[AlphaWolf : Yeah, I used to do it after a hunt. People like feathers, it sells well. Usually I freeze them to kill bugs and then I clean them gently with dish soap, but I don't have a freezer on hand here, so I used cleaning alcohol and then the dish soap. Got some in a chest while exploring, as well as other cleaning products. It's useful for my truck, so that the meat stays sanitary clean]
[84jojo84 : You really get the weirdest things, but never what you need… Anyway, I want the feathers, they might get useful later]
[AlphaWolf : Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. What if I get to make a bow ? Arrows need feathers !]
Sandrine was thinking more about using the feathers as stuffing for pillows or down jackets. AlphaWolf and her didn't have the same priorities.
[AlphaWolf : Anyway, you got me a water collector yesterday and it made my life so much easier ! It doesn't get me much, 1L of drinkable water and 5L of usable water per day, but that's enough to save me from a few headaches. As I said yesterday, I won't feel at ease until I repay you, so check out my stuff and take what you need. I also prepared a bit of easier meat to chew for the puppy, he just lost his first baby tooth, he can't be eating tough things !]
Then Sandrine received a few screenshots. As usual, AlphaWolf found a lot of miscellaneous things with no links to each other. There were a few pet products, like shampoo or nail trimmers, but those were things she already had, and it wasn't necessary to stockpile them. There were also a lot of cleaning products, just like AlphaWolf had said, but Sandrine didn't have a vehicle to clean. She also wasn't interested in the furniture, where could she even put a wardrobe ?
In the end, she chose a few aprons, a farrier one that would be useful to trim Paquerette's feet, a pet groomer one, to avoid getting wet when she cleans Gribouille, and a few cooking and cleaning ones, that could be used in any situation.
Finally, her eyes lingered on the weapons. There were a few axes and Sandrine was tempted because of AlphaWolf's story, but she didn't have the strength to pull it off.
"Still, what if I have to cut trees at some point ?"
You never know. Better to have the tool and not use it, rather than not having it when you need it. And if she only took the aprons, AlphaWolf would get angry again.
She took a few tools she didn't have as well as a big box to put them in, this would take only one space in her inventory and was more advantageous.
AlphaWolf also sent her a lot of meat ! He wasn't an extraordinary cook and it showed, but at the very least he knew how to cook meat until tender. He also sent a few more marrow bones, but those were very rich in fat, so Gribouille couldn't eat them everyday. Still, with his rising constitution, he could have a taste of them once in a while.
Their trades were done, but Sandrine still had more time on hand. She had closed her game screen for a while, and noticed that she was now in the middle of an industrial complex, completely different from the historic city center she explored yesterday. Here, every area was filled with crumbling factories and old warehouses.
She guessed that Paquerette wanted to explore a bit more and find more chests, which wasn't very clever considering Sandrine's state, but the mare had good instincts and was very strong, so Sandrine wouldn't object.
Well, she was still useless anyway.
With nothing better to do, Sandrine reopened the chat.
[84jojo84 : What are you doing right now ?]
[AlphaWolf : Preparing more meat. I found a spice set yesterday, with salt, black pepper and Provence herbs. That's just what I needed to make coppa !]
[84jojo84 : You can actually make coppa in this survival set up ? Don't you need machines and stuff ?]
[AlphaWolf : No, you can easily do it as long as you have a cellar or some type of dry and cold place. My truck is pretty big, so I managed to create a drying corner, that's all I needed. By the way, see those sausages and saucissons I made ? Don't you find it strange ?]
Sandrine frowned. Now that she thought about it, it was weird that she could eat saucissons, which are basically dried sausages. Drying meat takes a while, right ? It was only the 5th day !
[84jojo84 : How ?]
[AlphaWolf : Oh, you noticed ? Bro you're so clever ! Well, you see, it's strange that we have physical stats and stuff, we heal faster than we should and when we heal we don't get scars, as if when you reach 100 health, you immediately are the perfect version of yourself, healthy and all that. So I thought 'We're basically in a video game, what else could be different from reality ?' and I'll tell you what : Drying time. No, not just drying time, everything that requires a waiting time is shortened]
[84jojo84 : Even plant growth ?]
[AlphaWolf : Yeah ! I asked another guy I trade with, he planted some stuff a while ago, and he said that things that should take a month to grow only take a few days. It's weird, right ? Even a broken arm should take two months to heal, but for someone with average constitution it only takes a week. If you have above 8 constitution it takes 3 to 4 days. Isn't that completely nuts ?????]
Indeed, it was absolutely ridiculous. Healing a broken arm in 3 days was completely unreasonable. But this was very valuable information. If plant growth was shortened, soon she would be able to see the first fruits and vegetables grown by players pop up in the trading tab. As time passed, basic needs wouldn't become a problem anymore, every player would be able to eat.
But this was only the first phase of the death game, the very beginning. Being hungry was a danger that could only last for so long. When everyone would be able to eat, the game's difficulty would go higher.
This wasn't a 'Deserted island Survival', this was a 'Road Survival'. The danger was on the road.
Anyway, if someone with 8 constitution could heal a broken arm in a day, Sandrine with 9 and the evolved splinters should be able to heal her arms in a day, right ? It was possible that tonight she would be able to move again.
Great !
Oh, now that she thought about it…
[84jojo84 : Don't you need pork to make coppa ?]
[AlphaWolf : Yeah, that's why I use the boars that come out of the chests. I don't have a lot since there's a higher possibility to find other things]
[84jojo84 : You have boars ?]
[AlphaWolf : Wait, you don't ? You seem strong, though… Or maybe you're specialized in speed ? Anyway, the dangers in the chests seem adapted to everyone, that's why people on the server often have rats and stuff like that, because they aren't very strong]
That was another piece of information that Sandrine had missed. But this was still incredibly useful. And it also made sense. The survival game didn't intend on killing them from the start, or they wouldn't even be given vehicles in the first place. But it also wouldn't give anyone an advantage, so it was logical that people that could fight have more difficult trials than weak people. If she got the same enemy as AlphaWolf, either it would be too easy for him, or she would die. None were in accordance with the game's spirit.
AlphaWolf really had spoiled her today, offering very useful intel. She couldn't let this puppy guy take a loss.
[84jojo84 : Did you notice that there is one very strong guy in the zone of this event ? When I beat it yesterday, I found a chest in the biggest, most central place on the map. The thing is : This chest was golden. Golden chests are different for every players, they give you what you need the most at the moment]
The reply was fast.
[AlphaWolf : For real ???? Man, I didn't know yesterday and didn't bother to check, I'm so dumb ! I killed the boss and all that but didn't take the reward, I'm so mad ! Okay, be right back, I'm gonna destroy a skull and find a chest !]
[AlphaWolf : Thanks bro, you're really a boss !]
With that, AlphaWolf was gone. Sandrine felt happy, she had learned a lot and exchanged for meat and feathers, both very useful right now.
Speaking of meat, she closed the game screen again and looked around her. She thought she had felt Paquerette run and move around for a while, and it turned out both pets were now out of breath and hidden behind a big warehouse. None seemed hurt, so that was a relief.
"Looks like you're having fun with your little adventure."
Paquerette ignored her and Gribouille looked at her as if to beg her to stay silent. It seemed they were a bit anxious.
Well, this wasn't any of Sandrine's problems. Even if they were in danger, she couldn't help. They weren't wounded for now, which meant the situation wasn't desperate, and they had chosen to come here on their own, so she wouldn't interfere.
Instead, she opened another chat.
[84jojo84 : I'm back. Sorry for yesterday, there was a situation]
[MomImThirsty : Welcome back. No problem, I figured as much. The blood on the picture was pretty telling, and I thought that you might not be in a good mental state, which would explain why you called me cute and spoke on familiar terms]
Sandrine laughed. This pup was really something else.
[84jojo84 : Can't I call my friends cute ?]
This time, the other person took a long time to respond. Sandrine even started to think she had gone too far, and was about to apologize. But just as she was typing, she received another message.
[MomImThirsty : As a matter of fact, we have known each other for only a few days, which isn't a period of time long enough to develop a friendship. Most of our conversations were filled with trading talks and impersonal banter, without trying to get to know each other better, though we seem to share a liking for small animals. But I wouldn't consider us friends]
[MomImThirsty : Also, let me remind you that I like women]
[84jojo84 : Yeah, and what about it ?]
Another silence for a while. Sandrine was having a lot of fun teasing the cute pup.
[MomImThirsty : On second thought, I realise that calling other people cute might be a normal thing to do depending on your education and culture. Maybe you do not mean anything by it, and questioning it and rejecting you because of your manner of speech is insensible and discriminatory on my part]
[MomImThirsty : If we assume that your compliment is sincere and well-meaning, then I thank you for your kind words. We haven't known each other for long, but you are taking a first step towards a friendly relationship, and I would like to mirror that by acknowledging your intentions. We have not yet reached a deep level of friendship based on trust, but at the moment I think we can agree to call each other friends]
"He's just so cute !"
Sandrine really wanted to answer this long friendship declaration, but right now she had to help her pets. The whole time she chatted with MomImThristy, Paquerette had moved like crazy. Without hands to grab the mane and prevent herself from falling, Sandrine was grateful that her agility had reached 10, the extreme limit of the human species, unlocking an incredible sense of balance and an ease in movements. Thanks to that, she could instinctively stay on the mare's back, all the while chatting with her friend.
But now they needed her to take a chest, so she paused for a while and put it in her inventory.
When she was back on Paquerette, she opened the chat again.
[84jojo84 : Sorry if I took too long, I was sincerely touched by your message. Calling people cute is indeed instinctive for me and I don't think much about what they could feel, but I'm glad you didn't misunderstand me. I'm very happy that you agreed to be my friend]
She really wanted to keep teasing the cute pup, but she had to limit herself, or he would run away.
Sandrine smiled wide. She couldn't wait for the moment she could make him flustered again.
Oh, also the pets were running around once more, and Sandrine spent the whole morning picking up chests while she was checking out the server chat, using the trade tab, or chatting with her friends. She had also the rewards for evolving her vehicle to check out, but she would rather do that in a more relaxed setting.
She had no idea what happened, but her colorless gang even picked up the golden chest ! Truly, the best pets ever. But she wondered what she had missed ?