Caelen woke up with grass in his mouth and regret in his spine.
"Ow. Everything hurts. Even parts that don't exist anymore."
He sat up from the floor, back cracking like a campfire, and saw Sparkfin perched on the table, already wide awake and judging him silently.
"I get it," Caelen muttered. "I said I'd make a bed yesterday. Today. Today is the bed day."
He rubbed his eyes and opened Google Brain.
Searches Remaining: 20/20
"Ohhh yeah. Woo."
Search (1/20): How to make a bed
[Answer: 3x Wood Log + 2x Animal Hide or 3x Cloth]
He frowned. "Still no cloth. Still no animal hide. And still not emotionally ready to chase anything furry."
He glanced at Sparkfin.
"No offense."
Sparkfin chirped and flapped its wings like "None taken, you soft-handed mushroom."
"Okay, plan B," Caelen said. "Improvised mattress."
Search (2/20): How to make a grass bed
[Answer: Layer dry grass on a wood frame. Optional: Add moss for cushioning. Won't fix back problems, but at least it's not dirt.]
"That's doable."
An hour later...
Caelen dragged logs to his hut, stacked and tied them together with vines like a very confused beaver, and layered it with dry grass and some moss he hoped wasn't alive.
It looked... passable.
It creaked. It wobbled.
But it was a bed.
[You have built: Basic Grass Bed. You may now sleep like a caveman in luxury.]
He stood proudly with hands on hips.
"I'm basically a....I don't know."
Sparkfin tested it by hopping on top. It didn't collapse.
Success.
But then... the stomach rumbled.
Again.
"Alright, next up—actual food. I can't live on sad berries forever."
He knelt by the campfire and tapped his temple.
Search (3/20): How to cook berries
[Answer: Heat gently in a pot or pan. Avoid direct flame unless you like charcoal jam.]
"Great. I have no pot. I have no pan. I do have rocks though."
Search (4/20): Can i cook on a rock?
[Answer: Flat stones can be used as hot plates when placed near fire. Just don't lick them.]
He found a flat stone, rinsed it off in a puddle, placed it by the fire, and tossed a few berries onto it.
They sizzled.
They smoked.
They exploded slightly.
"Okay, okay, too hot—calm down!"
After a few tries and some questionable smoke inhalation, he managed a handful of warm, squishy, semi-burned berry blobs.
He tasted one.
"...Tastes like... if jam had self-esteem issues."
Still better than raw.
Sparkfin hopped closer, pecked one off the rock, and chirped with mild approval.
Caelen sat cross-legged beside the fire, watching the forest through the doorway hole.
"I cooked. I built a bed. I didn't die."
He leaned back against the wall and sighed.
"Honestly, that's a win."
Sparkfin fluttered onto the edge of the bed and let out one last chirp before dozing off again.
Caelen smiled at the firelight.
Tomorrow, maybe he'd try fishing. Or catching something that could give him real materials. Or maybe even start building proper walls.
But tonight?
He had a fire. He had a full stomach (kind of). And he had a lumpy grass bed that didn't judge him.
This survival thing? Still hard.
But definitely getting better.
And then it happened.
His stomach made a noise.
Not a hungry noise. A dangerous noise.
Caelen froze. "Uh-oh."
The pain hit a second later. Deep, gurgling betrayal.
"No, no, no—those berries were fine! I passed the poison check! I Googled! I had backup berries!"
He clutched his gut, panicking.
Then it hit him.
There was no toilet.
No bathroom.
No anything.
He slowly turned toward the doorless doorway and whispered, "I have made a terrible mistake."
Sparkfin opened one eye, chirped once—sounding exactly like laughter—and turned away like it wanted no part of this.
Caelen stood up very slowly, knees shaky, and muttered, "Forget fire. Forget food. Tomorrow, I invent plumbing."
And with that, he ran into the dark forest with desperation in his eyes and regret in his soul.
[New Quest Added: Operation Toilet]