The Nightmare Wizard

Night fell like a heavy blanket of shadow and silence. I couldn't afford to rest until I had at least some kind of shelter. The air was damp, thick, and full of the promise of a late summer storm. Rain was coming, no doubt. And without medicine, help, or strength, even a fever could be as deadly as a sword.

I got to work. Cut down some thick branches, pulled down vines that hung like snakes, and started building a rough little shack. It wasn't pretty, not even close, but it would keep me off the wet ground. Oddly enough, there weren't many insects around. I even saw a couple deer and some rabbits darting through the underbrush. Strange—after a full day running through the woods, I was only just now spotting wildlife. Like the forest had finally accepted me.

Then my stomach growled loud. After all those bitter peaches, my body was crying out for meat. But I had no fire, no flint, nothing dry. Everything was soaked. No way to cook. So I just lay back on a pile of branches, hoping the cold wouldn't kill me before morning.

And then something weird happened.

Instead of the pain I was expecting, I felt this warm sensation spreading through my body, like invisible hands were wrapping my muscles and stitching me back together.

"Angel... what's going on with my body?"

"Analyzing... The fruits you ate are healing your muscle and tendon damage. Full recovery expected in sixty minutes," she replied, calm and robotic as ever.

"Can you tell me how?"

"The compound in the fruit is stimulating cell repair. It's about one-twentieth as strong as Earth's anabolic steroids, but with no side effects like testicular atrophy or acne."