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  ******

  A moonless night.

  The hoot of owls followed by soft footsteps. The sound of still vegetation disturbed as a pack of giant horned rabbits arrived.

  They looked around, nervous.

  Yet, their parched throat had been begging for moisture.

  Some still had their heads up, watching sharply, but most already focused their attention elsewhere, greedily sniffing some moisture-rich vines.

  Their glowing eyes helped to identify which vines had the most water.

  A sharp wind was heard, a large wooden dart barely missed through them.

  They scattered, terrified.

  A big figure, with a pair of glowing eyes, revealed himself from behind a large bush. He walked forward with a limp using a spear as walking stick.

  He let out a grunt while retrieving the large dart.

  The rabbits, probably relieved that he missed, didn’t realize that he already had their scents.

  It took him hours with his pace to reach where the scent stopped.

  He poked around briefly and quickly spotted a large burrow just hidden under a thick vegetation.

  He sat down in front of the nest’s entrance then stared inside the nest. Even his glowing eyes could not penetrate deeply as the tunnel coiled around, barely reflecting any light.

  He stared at the spear. The spear might be useless here, but his tails were certainly not.

  But first, he needed to make a preparation.

  “Hm…” Tristia scratched her forehead.

  She had stored her urine in a waterskin.

  She hoped to filter it, but would that even make any difference? Her urine was so concentrated that she was sure it was more waste rather than water. However, if the result ended up being raw water, she could still drink that.

  After some contemplation, she decided to try it. “It’s already a waste…”

  She looked around.

  There was no sand.

  So, what could she use instead of sand?

  Then, her eyes fell on the saw dust and wood scraps.

  “That’ll work… hopefully.”

  She needed to treat the wood with fire.

  Umbra planted the spear near the burrow’s entrance.

  Then, he tied a piece of white rag on it.

  He started to walk around, occasionally tracking where the spear was. The rag made it easier for him since it stood out against the dark background. However, he still had to keep in mind not to walk too far from it.

  Soon, he spotted another entrance to the burrow.

  He searched for a long branch and planted it nearby.

  The third and forth entrance were soon discovered and marked.

  Yet, Umbra kept going. He did not stop until he was sure there were no other entrance left.

  Then, he started to gather some branches and sharpened them.

  Tristia tore open another waterskin.

  She started to fill it with some clothes, placing it near the mouthpiece from the inside.

  She made sure it was thick enough that any liquid would not just slosh down.

  Then, she filled it with pulverized charcoal from the fireplace.

  For the next layer, she used some darkened saw dust which she had been treated with fire, resembling a sand. Then she followed with a layer of wood scraps, which mimicked a rough sand.

  Next, she added one more layer of saw dust and wood scraps.

  Lastly, she added pebbles.

  Lots of pebbles.

  “Alright…” she hung the water filter outside the shelter.

  Now, the moment of truth.

  Umbra planted the sharpened sticks at every entrance of the burrow with the sharp end pointing inward. It was relatively quick since he had marked every spot.

  Then, he sat down in front of the entrance marked with the spear.

  He made himself comfortable and placed both his tails at the entrance of the burrow.

  His tails made its way deeper, tracing the crook and cranny of the tunnel.

  He felt a vibration going deeper into the tunnel.

  He moved his tails slower, with one stinger forward and the other primed up behind it.

  A hint of warmth appeared, followed by more vibrations.

  The warmth went hotter and hotter.

  A jaw clamped down his front stinger.

  Immediately, he struck the direction with his other stinger.

  Warmth enveloped his second stinger.

  Panic spreadt inside the burrow.

  Umbra looked up, hoping that his trap would work.

  A loud shriek from the entrance to the left.

  He could feel another loud vibration inside the burrow via his tails.

  Then, another shriek was heard from the one to the right, then immediately followed by another from the one at the front.

  He smiled thinly.

  It worked.

  “Oh… it wasn’t that bad,” Tristia collected the filtered water with her palms.

  Somehow, the filtered water turned out clear.

  She sniffed it.

  No odor.

  She let out her tongue and tasted it.

  It tasted like raw water.

  For her, raw water was good water. “Okay… this will help… this will help… okay… uh…” she plugged the mouthpiece, then quickly headed inside.

  Soon, she returned with a staff, another empty waterskin, three branches, and a hatchet.

  First, she sharpened the branches.

  “Oh… come on…” she had been used to Umbra’s serrated tails that she forgot that she needed to hone the hatchet every now and then.

  She returned to the shelter to get the honing rod, then continued working.

  Then, she started to dig under the filter and stored the dirt for another use. Tristia shaped the hole to be similar to a basin.

  She torn the waterskin near the mouth piece and covered the basin wall.

  She made sure that the waterskin would not move by hammering the three sharpened branches to the edges of the waterskin.

  Then, she unplugged the filter’s mouthpiece.

  Clear water started to drip again.

  Umbra pulled out the sharpened stick at one of the burrow’s entrance.

  It yanked bank and jolted out of his hand.

  A horned rabbit. impaled at it’s sharp end.

  Its legs were still kicking, trying to escape him.

  Umbra approached it quickly.

  After knowing that escaping him was futile, the rabbit tensed up its legs while pointing its head at him, possibly wanted to impale him with its horn. But, the rabbit barely even had any power to walk, let alone jump at him.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Umbra placed the serrated stinger at the rabbit’s neck.

  With a single stab to the throat, the rabbit stopped moving.

  To make carrying them easier, Umbra then tied the dead rabbits by its ears around the spear, dart, and the dart sling.

  He shredded several strands of his long hair and tied them up around the rabbit’s ears, securing it in place.

  After it was done, he got up with a grunt.

  Two more to go.

  He knew that there were still rabbits who were hiding inside the burrow. He did not care. Four was more than enough.

  Tristia was doing another inventory check to keep her mind occupied.

  Woods were plenty.

  Food were still decent.

  Waters were starting to run low, but it should still last with the current filter.

  The real problem was cloth, or any pieces of large fabric.

  She knew that every single day, she always tore through their supply with cleaning her waste. But what could she do? Ask Umbra to help her?

  Speaking of Umbra…

  She looked outside.

  The sun was already high up in the sky.

  “Where in the bloody fuck is he?”

  Umbra took a step back and crouched down.

  He placed down the spear—with four dead horned rabbits tied and secured—then swiped around the tall grass, hoping to find his footprints.

  Nothing.

  The natural padding under his feet and the thick grass erased his prints.

  He sniffed around his body.

  Also, nothing.

  He grunted, just remembering that he had no odor.

  He looked around and was positive that he had no idea where he was.

  What he found was a small and shallow hole, almost as if something heavy pressed through a small surface. It was quite small, probably barely even fit two of his fingers.

  He continued to stare at it, wondering what it might could be.

  “Hrg…” he scratched his head, unable to figure it out.

  He, then sat down, resting his tired legs and sighed. “Trish wilh… kilg… mh…”

  Tristia was walking outside, a crude sack wrapped around her body, a bone dagger tied on her body, and spear in both hands. Probably bored that Umbra took a while, so she decided to search for more resources.

  She spotted a familiar dense growth at the corner of her eyes.

  Another plants whose leaves she could eat.

  She walked towards it and began to harvest some.

  A brief rustling.

  She immediately grabbed her spear.

  She waited and waited.

  Nothing.

  She backed away slowly, keeping her eyes on the area where the rustling came. She couldn’t risk it. She shouldn’t even go out here, not at this time of the day.

  As she backed away, her eyes caught a blob that did not look right in a pile of dried leaves.

  She squinted her eyes.

  A thin forked line appeared briefly then disappeared.

  “Ah… just a snake,” she put down her spear.

  She carefully wrapped the crude sack around her left arm, making sure not to spill anything. After making sure that the makeshift shield were done, she brandished the bone dagger with her right hand.

  Umbra, on the other hand, still tried to make his way back. He carved out a line at the tree trunk to mark and let him able to return to the burrow.

  He put down the spear from his shoulder and looked around.

  The rabbits, tied to the spear, sometimes making a dull thud as their horns struck one another.

  Umbra grunted.

  Nothing. He didn’t remember setting foot in this place.

  He turned around, just barely able to spot a mark that he made earlier. He had to decide whether to mark another trunk and continue forward or return to the horned rabbit’s nest.

  With a sigh, he put the spear back on his shoulder and traced the way back to the burrow.

  His tails stabbed at the ground, alternating each time he took a step forward. He did so to substitute for the walking stick.

  On the way, he glanced at the dead horned rabbits.

  Would he be lucky to find a way back before their organs started to spoil? Or should he just gut the rabbits right now to give himself more time? Or should he even stay for the night?

  He shook his head.

  He was still a brain-damaged and limping Infernal with one arm. He should not get too comfortable in the wilderness alone. He had to go back to safety quickly.

  Back at the shelter, Tristia was gutting the snake with the hatchet.

  As usual, she discarded any organs that would taste or smell bad and smoked them over the fire to preserve them.

  “With that done… now’s that…” she stared at the raw snake’s hide.

  If only they got some ropes, she could make a bow with the right wood. Then, she could make an arm guard from the snake’s hide.

  She looked up. Would Umbra mind her taking some of his hair? Or should she just carve another dart sling? Or would another weapon be necessary? She already had a spear and a bone dagger. Would a bow be necessary for her?

  She shook her head and lay down, hoping to take it easy today.

  Yet, her mind kept circling to Umbra.

  She got up and walked outside.

  No sign of him.

  She knew that a hunt could last for days. However, in his condition? Could he even track his way back? Could he carry the hunt? What if he went another reset?

  “This is a bloody arse life…” she sighed, just realized that this would be her life if her husband survived.

  “Grh…” Umbra growled in frustration.

  Mentally exhausted, he lay down his head near the planted spear and closed his eyes.

  He had not been making any progress for hours. The only saving grace was him marking his way back to the burrow. If not, he might get lost even further.

  Slowly, he calmed his breathing, then opened his eyes.

  The sun, which was high at the sky, greeted him with a blinding light.

  He quickly averted his gaze to the side.

  His horn struck the spear, making it tipped away.

  Umbra shot out his left arm to catch it, but he wasn’t fast enough and the spear fell over.

  “Rgh…” he got up, then paused.

  The hole left behind by the spear was familiar.

  He grabbed the spear and brushed around the grass for the odd hole that he found hours ago.

  There it was.

  He tried inserting the base of the spear.

  A perfect match.

  He might have found a way back.

  It was slow. But it was his only lead.

  Umbra had to search for a small point of destroyed grass every several steps, making sure that he was still on the right track.

  Sometimes, he had to look further forward if the current path was rocky. And when he couldn’t, the safe option was to go back to the last print.

  The sun started to drift away.

  Umbra took a deep breath, keeping a steady pace.

  Then, he stopped.

  The sight and scent were so familiar.

  The two large tree that were slightly too close to one another.

  Animal tracks were everywhere, mixing together on the ground.

  A tint of ashes tickled his nose.

  The large vines structure which he oddly recognized.

  Lastly, the large bush where even a creature his size could hide.

  He peeked under the bush, and there it was, a flat stone where he sat the previous night.

  He sighed in relieve.

  He decided to rest for a while before continuing his journey. But, he stopped when his eyes noticed a damp patch of soil.

  “Grh…” he stopped himself from laying down.

  At first, he thought that it was animal’s urine and decided to leave immediately. But, then he stopped and thought to himself. Why did the area not smell like urine?

  He crouched nearby, then noticed a chewed low-hanging vines that seemed sticky.

  He remembered that the rabbits were eating those vines the previous night. Perhaps, he or Tristia could eat these vines as well?

  He proceeded to cut a small piece and held it on his palm.

  How surprised he was to find that the vine started to drip clear odorless liquid.

  He stared at the cut vine on his palm which also oozed out the same clear liquid.

  The vine felt dense and oddly heavy for the size. The outer layer is thick and tough, almost like a rubber and smelt like grass. The inside was a kin to white sponge and has a milder grass scent.

  He tasted the liquid oozed out from the vine.

  He could not believe it.

  It was indeed water, a respectable amount of water.

  He put it in his jaws then bit into the vines. As the sponges inside were crushed, more water came out. It emitted a sharp grassy scent. The outside was chewy and tough, while the inside was more similar to a spongy fruit. It was bland, grassy and wasn’t exactly pleasant to chew at. Most would spit it out after the water content was gone. However, due to his sharp teeth, Umbra could grind the fiber down before swallowing it.

  He had to show this to Tristia.

  Tristia hummed, flipping over the snake’s hide and re-attached it to the side of the wall near the fire with a small sharpened stick.

  A rustling.

  She peeked to the left.

  A giant figure approached, carrying a spear over the shoulder.

  She acted like she didn’t hear him and continued to the other side where the water was still dripping from the filter.

  The figure soon got closer and closer.

  “So, just decided to crawl your arse back here?” she leaned back, looking at Umbra from below. “Already miss me or what?”

  “Gotg… losgh…”

  “Right… like hell you go—”

  He lowered the spear, showing the result of his hunt.

  “H-how…” she stared at him, then to the rabbits. “How the fuck did you get this many?!”

  “Bur… rowg…” he sat.

  “Burrow? You…” she scratched her hair. “Fuck… I was about to tease if you failed this, but…” she leaned to her left arm, tapping her finger at the rabbit’s horn.

  Next to Umbra, the horned rabbit looked quite small. But against a normal-size creature like Tristia, the horned rabbit’s skull was similar size compared to hers.

  “This would take hours to process, Umbra. Hides, sinew, meats, bones…” she stared at him. “But, you know what then? We can make a bloody damn lot with this…”

  He nodded. “I… knowh…”

  “Think you still have the energy to help me out?”

  “Eath… firsg…”

  “Go on,” she tilted her head to the shelter. “I got a snake earlier,” she then tied her hair.

  He nodded.

  She then hold him off. “Look… if you want to rest, just rest, okay? I’ll just need your tail.”

  He nodded

  “Good…”

  “Trisgh…” he handed her the vines. “Wag… terh…”

  Both end had already dried up, but it should still contain some water at the middle.

  “Water?” she accepted it.

  Umbra headed inside the shelter. “Eath…”

  “Yeah… go ahead. Ho… it’s heavy,” she weighted it with her arms. She peeked inside. “Help me out with—”

  Umbra already chewed on the snake’s meat.

  “Nevermind,” she then hammered two sharpened stick at the mud wall and hung the vines. “O… kay… fuck… really heavy… and yeah…” she struggled to raise them up on her own.

  After it was hung, she made a small scratch at the outer layer.

  Sure enough, clear liquid started to drip down from it.

  She tasted it and paused. “It’s water… it’s clear fuckin’ water… what the… how the fuck…” she turned to Umbra who already devoured half of the snake, alongside the bones. “HEY! Slow down, you fuckin’ pig… I just finished hanging this and you just inhaled half a bloody snake!”

  “Hung… ngryh…” he grunted. “Eath… lasth… time… last… nigh…”

  She opened her mouth, then paused, realizing that he was indeed had not yet eaten. “Fine. You’re lucky you brought back a lot more food…” she rolled her eyes then looked at the vines again. “But, how in the bloody hell did you find it?”

  “Ragb… bith… chewhg…” he came out of the shelter while wiping his mouth.

  “Well, this is way cleaner than that…” she pointed to the filter. “If I know that you’ll find this… I wouldn’t even bother.”

  “Wat… terhs… from…. y-yourh… pee…?”

  “Aye… thought we need to wait till it’s raining or we find a river or something. But… I guess not, eh?” she stared at the vines. “When you find this vines… there a lot of ‘em?”

  He nodded.

  “Good… good. Now with this…” she turned her attention to the horned rabbits, “why should I make first, huh? Ho boy…” she clasped her hands in excitement. “Let’s just process them first… shall we?”

  “Bowh…?”

  “I did plan to… but seemed like you can’t hit shit, huh?” she noticed that the long dart’s tip was not covered in blood.

  He nodded. “Hardh… aim…”

  “Well, it’s alright. So, wanna help me out or not?”

  “Yesh… help…”

  ******

  Research Log 11.

  Agent: Creep. Class: [REDACTED]

  We have another new fauna, Horned Rabbit.

  Rough description from what’s shown.

  Herbivore. Each are around the size of a medium-sized dog.

  As the name implied, they have a horn that is used to ram others… which should be devastating since they are rabbits or rather, giant rabbits…

  They are cowardly and only attack in last resort.

  Live in a colony underground, unknown number but at the very least, six.

  Unknown sexual capabilities, but quite a fast runner. Possibly, they are at the lower end of the food chains as well.

  All-in-all, they are very similar to modern rabbit.

  Moving on to the water vines…

  I really have a lot of questions about this.

  Is it like a type of liana, then?

  Is it parasitic? Or is it just competitive like liana?

  Just from my perspective alone, it is way more similar to a hose rather than a plant… which by itself is fine, but if you remove the sponges and keep the outer layer… it is basically like a hose. Doesn’t it seem a bit convenient—…

  (Sigh)

  No… no… there is this plant called bamboo which has natural segments that can be used as container… very useful for humans. While it is explained why bamboo can grow fast that way… I still find bamboo really odd… like why? I can understand deep sea creatures and why they bloat once you bring them to land… But plants that almost feel like specifically made for humans needs? Sure, it helps bamboo grow faster but… like how? If I never see this plant, I would think it would be a man-made plant. It is simply that useful...

  (Sigh)

  Mother nature is one hell of freak show…

  Fuck, who am I pointing finger at? Look at the fuckin' mirror, [REDACTED]

  (Cough)

  Sorry for my rambling…

  I really doubt they allow me to cut that...

  (Drinking coffee)

  Anyway, back to the matter at hand... I must say that there is a lot to be studied in this session.

  Okay…

  To the Subjects…

  Nothing major happened.

  Subject 0 missed his mark and got lost, then forgot that the walking stick made a print. The fact that he doesn’t leave any prints is already noted. This also reinforces [REDACTED]'s idea that Subject 0 was descendant of bio-engineered creature.

  Subject 1, too, still continues to be the brain. She is still as resourceful as always… using burnt woods shaving and scrap, since sand is unavailable there.

  Hopefully… the simulator will not forget about mold.

  One more thing.

  ‘Tris will kill me’ joke by Subject 0.

  So far, the joke is very similar to modern era's joke, except for a few factions, if our understanding of Session 4 about Old Order is correct.

  Which is interesting for Subject 0, since that also means that he has spent a lot of time outside the Holy Empire so much as that it sounds more natural to make this joke… or it is just his gigolo past joking again?

  But once again, just my hypothesis.