While I did ask Nubi to tell me more about the world, I didn't expect for it to turn into an entire information dump. They were a well of information and was more than happy to share it with me but I couldn't stay focused to save my life. As they launched from one topic to another, my mind began to wander and I settled for walking with my hands tucked in my pockets. It was a familiar gesture and almost comforting although, for the life of me, I couldn't remember how or why. More of my memories were coming back but some were a little spotty or huge blanks that I couldn't fill in no matter how hard I thought on them.

Maybe they'd come back in due time or maybe the more I explored this world, the more pieces of me I'd find. If I fell here then maybe there were other parts of me that disappeared elsewhere or shook loose when I banged my head against that tree. Speaking of which, I didn't feel any pain in the back of my head even though I hit hard enough to shake a few leaves loose. Experimentally, I ran my fingers through my hair and pressed it to the back of my head, searching for sore spots and finding none.

That's weird. 

Pulling my hand away, I checked my fingers and there was no blood or anything. It could be possible that it was washed away from my time in the river but I highly doubted it, I'd have noticed the water turn different colors. Oh well, better than having a headache, I guess. Deciding not to think too hard about it, I shoved my hands in my pockets and let Nubi's voice exist as background noise while I observed our surroundings. Even if this place was trying its best to kill me, it was really beautiful. 

The path Nubi led me on was lined on either side by tall trees that seemed to stretch into the sky. Leaves greener than anything I'd ever seen before, wide tree bark, some with holes that with a closer look had nests inside or animals that peeked out to watch us as we passed. Bushes with flowers and berries, gnarled roots that I almost tripped over when I was too busy walking with my head tilted all the way back. Although could you blame me?

What little I could see of the sky was a bright blue with wisps of clouds floating by, and the sunlight that came through the leaves was drying my clothes. Every so often, a breeze would pick up and I'd stop to let it run over me, tilting my head to embrace the wind's flow. The air smelled so nice and clean and it was warm around me almost like a hug from a friend or a loved one. Weird, did I have any of those before?

"Air, are you even listening?"

I opened my eyes. When did I close them? Oh, was I daydreaming again? That's not good because Nubi was—

"You weren't listening at all, were you?!"

Sheepishly smiling, I raised my hands in defense and took a half-step backward.

"I was..." My voice trailed off and I sighed, dropping my hands. "Not."

Nubi glowered and placed their hands on their hips, staring me down as I bowed my head and mumbled an apology. Being scolded by someone so much smaller than me was definitely embarrassing. However, the silence between us didn't last long when the roar of my stomach broke it. I pressed a hand to my stomach and stared at it in surprise. That's weird, I didn't feel as sleepy as I did last time Nubi told me that I was hungry.

"I swear, all you think about is your stomach," Nubi grumbled and I quirked a grin then patted my belly.

"If I don't eat, I'll pass out, right?"

Nubi sighed, looking away and folding their arms across their chest. "If you had a knife, you might've been able to skin that prickleboar and cook it," they said matter-of-factly.

"You can cook in this game?"

The look they gave me was downright venomous and I immediately regretted my words, holding my hands up in defense, my stomach growling in protest. Nubi sighed, head drooping and arms hanging limply.

"We passed by some bushes with berries and I think that I saw some birds nests, maybe I can make a meal out of berries and eggs," I offered, hoping to alleviate this cloud of aggravation that overwhelmed the conversation. Maybe I really was playing into being the idiot. "I'll go and see."

I hurried back the way we came and heard Nubi's grumbling and murmuring following after me. Sighing, I looked around for one of the bushes and found one with red berries and another with blueberries. I stood in front of them and looked between them with a curious hum. Now, I was never a wilderness expert and I wouldn't pretend to be but I knew that in the world I came from, there were things that were poisonous even if they looked good. It wouldn't do me any good to just stick anything in my mouth.

But with the way my stomach was growling, I at least needed something. I crouched down and began picking red berries, making a holder with my shirt and tossing them inside before picking some of the blueberries. As I picked them, I heard a soft ping and glanced up.

   You have learned「 FORAGING 」!

「RED BERRIES 」 HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED!

「 BLUEBERRIES 」 HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED!

I stared at the text window and rolled back onto my butt, crossing my legs and picking up one of the berries that I'd picked. That window aside, I had to learn whether these were poisonous or not. 

"Hey Nubi, are you feeling hungry?"

Lazily floating in the air and seemingly ignoring my shenanigans, Nubi perked up at the question then stubbornly turned their head away. I sat and waited for a minute, watching as they floated closer then held out one hand to me. Call it underhanded or a little mean but Nubi was an AI, I'm sure that whatever happened, they would be okay. However, a part of me really didn't want to take a chance on that. 

I carefully broke one of the red berries in half and handed Nubi half, taking the other for myself. Nubi bit into theirs with gusto and let out a hum of delight while I popped mine in my mouth and chewed. That's weird, it had the same taste like the thing that Nubi threw in my mouth before the fight with the boar. I smiled faintly and glanced at Nubi as they continued eating. They were a little mouthy and sassy and seemed way too hung up on this hero thing but they meant well.

"Alright, let's try this again," I said after popping another berry in my mouth, chewing slowly. "So, are the blue ones poisonous?"

Nubi stopped in mid-chew and turned towards me, blinking then shaking their head, swallowing and wiping off the berry juice around their mouth. 

"Neither of them are poisonous unless you mix them," they pointed out, gesturing to the red berries then the blue. "They have different properties, so if you mix them together, you'll end up with something that'll really hurt your stomach."

I grimaced and decided to separate the berries on either side of my shirt. 

Nubi returned to eating and I opened up my inventory, holding up one of the red berries to the open window and jerking my hand back when it disappeared inside of it. A smaller window opened up below, reading:

「 HOW MANY WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE? 」

「 HERO OF AIR

The Hero of Air, also known as the Windwalker, an incarnation of one of the heroes of legend that has been blessed by the Elios. Faithful to the Goddess, the Hero of Air gains the abilities of their forebearers to exact the Goddess' will and maintain peace in Gaia. 」

Elios?

Goddess?

Gaia?

I was starting to think that I should have listened to Nubi's entire spiel the first time. With everything that I read, it seemed like a lot of responsibility to foster off onto someone. Especially without any prior knowledge of this world and how it was meant to go. Dismissing the window, I pulled the skill tree to one side and found another icon that was listed and lit with the colorful picture of a hand picking berries. I quirked a smile and tapped it.

「 FORAGING

A Forager harvests resources from the flora and fauna of Gaia. With this  skill, you may gather raw materials for cooking or consumption.」

Well, that explained that. Closing out the window, I pressed accept then settled back on my hands and let the berry juice on my tongue chase out the bitterness that lingered. I had a few burning questions for this Goddess but none of them seemed to come out right. For one, I was curious on why I didn't even have a mini-map to find my way out of this forest. Then again, maybe I just had to summon it.

"Map!"

I waited and waited but nothing came. Glancing around confused, I turned to Nubi who was currently licking the berry juice from their fingers.

"Hey Nubi, aren't I supposed to have a mini-map or something?"

They looked towards me, blinking owlishly.

"A mini map..?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, sitting up and resting my hands in my lap. "Like a guide.."

Nubi pouted, seeming astonished and insulted, "I'm your guide."

I stared at them blankly. While I didn't doubt Nubi's knowledge of this world, it seemed highly irresponsible to just drop someone in the middle of a world without any means of finding their way. And for that matter, Nubi didn't even appear until after I asked for help.

"Wouldn't it be easier to have an actual map of the world?"

Nubi laughed, rolling backward then rocking forward. "Are you serious? The only world maps are found in libraries or in the hands of the aristocracy."

"Wait," I said, raising my hand before they could break out into another peal of laughter. "So most people don't have a map of the world?"

Forget about lazy. That was dangerous. Withholding information from most of the world was what most governments did if I was being honest, but I'd at least expect a game world to show a little inclusivity to players at least.

"Why would you give it to someone who won't see most of the world?" Nubi said, shrugging nonchalantly and kicking back, floating lazily through the air. "And who just has world maps laying around?"

I grimaced. They did have a point. If a world map was that important then not everyone would have one. And I felt a little bratty for thinking that I would be made an exception. There were three other heroes just like me, maybe they were going through the same thing right now. 

"...This world is super stingy," I grumbled.

Nubi fixed me with an evil eye and jabbed a finger at me, "You can just find one yourself, Air. No one is gonna do everything for you."

I groaned and threw my hands in the air.

"How do you expect me to figure out where I'm going if I don't even have a map?"

"You asked me for help, so I'm here to help you," Nubi balled their fists and zipped close to my face. "Even then, don't call this world stingy! The Goddess worked hard to create it."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "The Goddess?" 

"The One Who Connects All, the Goddess! I just told you about her, Air!"

"Have you ever met this Goddess?" I shot back, eyes narrowed. 

I knew how messed up it might've seen. Me arguing with a little fairy. But this was so irritating. First, I'm dropped into the middle of nowhere and then I'm almost killed and then I'm sent on this magical quest to nowhere and she told me that I'd —

"I was created by the Goddess and sent to aid you."

A cold shower of reality doused my anger and I blinked slowly. The Goddess sent Nubi to help me? 

I wracked my brain for any memory of it. The woman in the void, her voice, her reassurances, the smile she seemed to wear even when I couldn't see her face. She wished me luck, asked me to stay awake, and even sent Nubi to help me out. I grimaced. How much guilt was I gonna feel by the end of the day, I wondered.

Nubi stared at me and relented, breathing out slowly, "Try to understand this world, Air. It is your home after all."

I sighed through my nose and nodded quietly. I couldn't remember what my home looked like from the world I came from. So that meant this was the closest to a home I had. Somehow, that made me feel even guiltier. 

"The only one I can remember at least," I mumbled, smiling at Nubi. "And you're the only friend I've got."

I pushed to my feet and dusted off the back of my pants.

"Okay, tell me about this world again and this time, I'll listen." 

Walking over to a nearby tree, I checked the opening for any sign of the bird that might've made the nest and reached in to grab a few eggs. 

「 BIRD EGGS 」 HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED!

I tossed them up and down then showed it to Nubi with a smile, "And if we have time later, I'll make you breakfast."

"That's nice of you, Air," Nubi said, floating over to my side. We started off down the path and I tossed the egg up and down a few times before putting it into my inventory. "Although your Cooking skill will be low, so there's a chance whatever you make is going to be terrible."

Nubi floated ahead, smiling mischievously over their shoulder.

"I'll pass this time around."

"See if I make anything for you any other time," I called after them, hurrying to catch up and put as much distance between us and the nest that I took those eggs from as possible.

Something told me that the bird that laid them wouldn't be happy to see me. And it'd be much harder fighting a flying monster than one that just charged at me. Once we were in the clear and walking through a grove of trees, I turned to Nubi.

"So where are we going anyway?"

Nubi ducked beneath a low-hanging branch and glanced at me. "A village nearby, it's called Sinaba."

"Sinaba?"

"There you might be able to find a weapon and some proper clothes," Nubi said, side-eyeing me with a cursory glance then looking forward.

I wrinkled my nose and glanced down at my clothes. "What's wrong with the ones I'm wearing?"

"If a stiff wind blew through, it'd knock you over and knock you out, Air," Nubi sighed and I opened my mouth to refute but they talked over me. "You need better protection. Not every battle will be as easy as that prickleboar."

I snorted as the memory of my near death experience crossed my mind. "You called that easy?"

"Yeah! Prickleboars are only level one after all."

I winced and sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Of course they are."

Nubi nodded matter-of-factly then floated to my side, resting on my shoulder with their legs kicking back and forth. They were close enough to my ear that I could hear them but they gave it a sharp tug to have my undivided attention.

"Okay, listen up, Air because I'm only gonna do this one more time."

I sighed, preparing for the oncoming headache. "Fine, fine. I'm listening."