Zane got up off of the ground, dusting off his pants with his hands. He looked around the clearing, wondering where he should set up his camp. The few times he had gone camping back on Earth had been at designated campgrounds and everything had been arranged to go in specific places. Here he had to decide where to set up his tent and where to build his fire. Speaking of which, he didn't have a tent. He looked at his pack and studied it for a moment. He had a pad and a large piece of canvas fabric. Was that fabric a blanket? He detached the roll from his pack and spread it out on the ground.
It seems awfully big to be a blanket. You could fit two or three people under that. As he stared at it, he noticed a seam down the middle where the fabric was folded before being roll up. He bent down and picked up the fabric by the seam. As he stood, the fabric lifted up, creating a triangular opening. Zane chuckled, letting the fabric dropped back to the ground. This was his tent; he just needed to find some poles.
He went back into the forest and searched for two long branches that could serve as his tent poles. Using the rope from this pack, he set up his tent and decided to have his fire a few feet in front of it. Using the knife in his pack, he dug out a small hole to serve as a fire pit. He noted that he would need to get a small shovel to add to his pack. Now, if he wanted to have a fire, he would need to gather some wood. Grabbing his hatchet, he went back into the forest. Not far off he found a dead tree that had fallen over and began to chop it into pieces, focusing on the branches. He didn't need to gather too much, as he wouldn't be staying too long in this area. He stacked what he had gathered by his tent, not building the fire yet. He had also grabbed some dead grass to help him start the fire.
He looked at the sun, still just above the trees. That would mean that way was west. North would be to his right and south to his left with east behind him. Once he had the map, it would be important to be mindful of which direction he was pointed.
He shifted as the sword hilt dug into his side. He reached down and untied the strings that kept the blade against his leg, lifting the shoulder strap over his head. The sword was uncomfortable, but he was glad to have it in case he needed to defend himself. As he held the sword, he realized some that was missing from the sounds around him. He hadn't heard anything that was alive. No animal or bird noises, just the wind rushing through the trees. It was a little weird. He hoped it wasn't a bad thing.
With that thought, Zane pulled the sword from its sheath, wondering if he could really even use it. While he had taken martial arts for several years, he had never learned anything about swords. Didn't his skills having something to do with weapons. "Skills."
Skills
Martial arts (basic), Weapon training (basic), Parkour (Intermediate), Cooking (basic), Monster Knowledge (basic), Life sense (basic), Summon Truck-Kun (Basic, restricted)
Basic weapon training was listed as a skill. He began to swing the weapon around him. It didn't feel awkward at all and he didn't feel he was straining his muscles. It did feel odd that he didn't have anything in his other hand. He grabbed the shield and now he felt like he was ready to fight. He jumped forward, swinging the sword in controlled slashes and then thrusting it forward. He moved forward, attacking the imagined enemy in front of him, deflecting incoming strikes with the shield and punching out with it as opportunity presented itself.
He stopped, his breathing heavy, a few drops of sweat running down his face. He really did have basic understanding of how to use this weapon. He could tell it was basic as all the attacks he had were very straight forward. He was just glad he wasn't flaying around like a lunatic. He was sure that would have been the death of him.
He put his sword and shield away, noticing that the shadows from the forest almost covered everything, the top of the sun just visible above the trees. He moved some of the wood he had gathered next to the fire pit. One of the best things about a camping trip was the fire. It was amazing how something so destructive could be so calming. Sitting and watching the flames of a fire flicker in the darkness was so soothing. Considering he was supposed to process his death tonight, he might need that.
Using the log cabin fire method, Zane prepared the fire pit, putting the dried, dead grass under and around the small wood structure. Part of him didn't want to light the fire yet, but it had been a while since he had started a fire with flint and steel and he didn't want to do it in complete darkness. Luckily, the dead grass caught fire quickly and he soon had his fire going. Right now, he wished he had something to cook over the flames. He especially could go for a smore. A gooey marshmallow and warm chocolate bar would be so nice.
He shook his head as he pulled out his dinner of dried rations. He wondered if chocolate even existed in this world. He hoped so, as a world without chocolate was a dreary thing indeed. The sun retreated to its resting place as he ate his bland meal. The fire lit up the area right around it. After a staring at the flames for a while, Zane got some more wood, placing it in the flames and then blowing into the bottom of the fire pit, exciting the embers that smoldered at the bottom. He looked up as he stretched and smiled.
He walked a little way away from the fire, getting out of the lighted area. He looked up at the sky. It was filled with stars, the tiny dots practically covering the darkness. This was a rare sight back on Earth. There was too much light pollution. "I wonder which star has Earth going around it. Not that it matters. I'll never go back there." He walked back to his camp and sat down to stare at the fire, putting another piece of wood on the flames. "I suppose its time to start processing my death. I'm not sure how much I need to process. I died and now I'm alive again. I get another chance, which is awesome. I feel quite at peace right now. I really don't know what Gzi'om was worried about."