Everyone was happy today. Kairen was happy to have other people present, even if they were nomads. The adults were happy to not be travelling for a while. The hunters were happy with the abundant game present. The children were happy that they had a large grassy area to play around in. They were even happier that they could fill cups of water to throw at each other as they tumbled around. They had been told in quite clear terms that they weren’t supposed to go swimming until Healer Elan decided it was safe, but that didn’t stop the more adventurous kids from approaching the edge cautiously, only to flee giggling once an adult noticed and yelled at them. Kairen suspected they were having more fun pushing the limits of the rules more than they were actually interested in swimming, given how unlikely it was that any of them would have been able to try before now.

Watching the kids wore on Kairen though, as it reminded him that if the world were fair, he would be there playing with them. He’d be a ringleader who would come up with games for the younger ones to play and would get to show off his knowledge of the area, pointing out the rare or unusual animals for them to gawk at. Instead, he was stuck as an invisible bystander. It made the experience bittersweet, and Kairen found himself wandering elsewhere, curious as to what the rest of the tribe was doing.

Even though the area of the Oasis had expanded when he upgraded the pool, Kairen found that he still couldn’t leave the Oasis. He had more grass and water to move around on, but that didn’t help him much when most of the nomadic tribe had set up camp outside the oasis on the sand. With envious eyes he watched as all manner of dishes were prepared and cooked. Delicious aromas began to fill the air and Kairen could feel his intangible stomach begin to growl. Drinking Oasis water had helped him avoid feeling hungry, and despite not eating in a week Kairen didn’t feel any weakness of body or mind, but as he watched the feast being prepared just out of reach it became harder to deny the fact that he really wanted to taste food again.

Standing at a barrier looking at food he couldn’t eat wasn’t a good idea. Kairen made his way back to the pool to drink down some water to take his mind off of things, and then found himself sitting and listening to the group of women who had marched over to the shore to do their laundry. He winced a little when the first items of clothing began dissolving. Nothing that he knew said that would happen and it looked like some of the damaged items held sentimental value to their owners. Kairen’s only consolation was that he provided more benefits than drawbacks when looking at the greater picture of things. Even then, he wanted to do something to make it up to the washerwoman. Maybe he could get a cleanliness blessing at some point?

Eventually they seemed to get a system worked out and Kairen let himself relax, closing his eyes as he let their idle conversation wash over him. The gossip about things happening in their tribe was unfamiliar in the details, but was hauntingly familiar in tone. Shayla and Tirn’s halting relationship wasn’t something he had known about before today, but the way the women discussed the seeming inevitability of their eventual marriage was something Kairen could remember hearing every time his mother had her friends over for tea. The language was inclusive, welcoming him as they shared the small secrets that made a harsh style a little bit easier to bear.

All too soon they had run out of gossip to share and laundry to wash and started packing up their supplies and organizing the clean and dry clothes into bundles to carry back. Nearby children were snatched up as additional mules and soon the procession was on its way back to the camp.

The sun had almost set and Kairen was ready to say his goodbyes for the night and go to sleep, only to be pleasantly surprised. While the nomads had set up camp outside the oasis and had let their herd animals loose to graze and drink, they were more than willing to take advantage of the comfortable seating he offered. Large rugs had been placed on the ground and were held in place by heaping trays piled down with all sorts of dishes. Dogs patrolled the edges of the picnic area, keeping the other animals away from the tasty food. A few trotted around with bones held in their teeth; early rewards for their work as sentinels.

As Kairen watched he saw one person grab a horn and start to blow it. Upon hearing the signal most of the camp started to make their way over to the feast, gathering around the edges and waiting expectantly. The reason for their delay soon became obvious as Kairen saw a group of older people slowly make their way over from the camp. The children were obviously impatient and ready to eat by the time everyone had arrived but were held in place by their parents as the oldest person made his way towards the center of the group and prepared to speak.

“We never know what tomorrow holds. Sometimes it will bring tragedy. Other times it will be unasked for blessings. A week ago we did not plan on being here today, but our honored Ade not only found this Oasis, but he managed to lead us here quickly and safely. This feast is a celebration of our good fortune, but it is also a celebration of the man, the Pathfinder, who made it all possible. Ade, the first dish is yours.” A young man made his way through the crowd, brushing his hands against his tunic as the crowd began to cheer for him. He acknowledged their gratitude with an awkward nod, before leaning down and picking up a plate of dried fruit desserts. Biting into one was the signal everyone else had been waiting for and they surged forwards to partake of the celebration.

Kairen also made his way forwards to get at the food, only to stumble across a small problem. He had no guilt about trying to eat the food, even if he was not technically invited to share it. There wouldn’t be a feast without him, after all, so social mores didn’t hold him back. His problem was more practical. How exactly was he supposed to eat if he couldn’t pick up any of the food? Leaning over to drink water straight from the source was one thing, something anyone would do, but eating food off of the ground using only his mouth felt demeaning. Animals ate like that, and Kairen still had a shred of his dignity left that kept him from simply kneeling down and going at it. For a good minute he simply stood there as people moved around and through him to grab at their favorite dishes.

It wasn’t a perfect solution, but he managed to find a method of eating that let him hold onto most of his dignity. He might not be able to pick up any of the food, but everyone around him was, lifting it off the ground to a level that was more reasonable to eat at. Most of the time they were grabbing small pieces with their hands and transferring it directly to their mouths, a process that was too quick and intimate for Kairen to try and take advantage of. Instead, he focused on the mothers or fathers that grabbed a whole dish to take with them and feed their family from. Eating while walking was tricky, but the same intangibility that was the source of so many problems helped with this task. With no need to worry about dropping the dish or hitting the plate or running into anyone or anything, Kairen could simply put his head into the space the dish was held at and eat. And eat he did, dashing from plate to plate as he tried the local cuisine.

The experience wasn’t quite as fulfilling as drinking spring water had been. Perhaps it was because the water had been his in some mystical sense, or perhaps it was due to a different set of rules involved for food instead of drinks. Whatever the cause, Kairen quickly discovered that eating food in his current state left him with nothing to chew. The flavors from each bite he took were replicated fully, and after a week of involuntary fasting he reveled in the flavors of meats, vegetables and spices as they mixed on his tongue. There wasn’t any physical object in his mouth for him to chew or mash, while Kairen could get a feeling of texture he was unable to interact with it. Much like the flavor it was simply there, constant in its presence, and was something he was aware of until he swallowed the ghostly mouthful down.

This meant that when Kairen took a bite out of a dish with far too many peppers in it the taste stayed in his mouth far longer than he wanted it to. Swallowing it was impossible as his tongue rebelled at the sudden heat and his throat closed up. The lack of anything tangible in his mouth made it feel like he already had eaten the cursed dish and was simply left with the burning aftertaste. It was only when the taste refused to diminish and continued to burn away that Kairen realized his problem and ran towards the water to drink away the pain. Fortunately, the flavor vanished as quickly as it came and Kain made his way back to the party only a few moments later.

After that incident he was a bit more careful with what dishes he chose to eat from. He had already sampled the foods he could recognize by sight, and overheard conversation made it clear that the unknown recipes needed ingredients that hadn’t been available in his home village. Out of the mystery dishes he decided to focus on enjoying the dessert dishes. Not only could he eat as much as he wanted without depleting the plate, but there was no one around who could scold him for his greed. That they were the dishes least likely to surprise him with more spice also played a part in his choice of food.

Night fell and the party continued, lit up by torches and a few small pieces of light magic that floated in the air. Soon everyone had eaten their fill, even Kairen, who was busy considering the drawbacks of metaphysical stomach aches. The younger children began to drift off and were taken back to the camp, while the older children were entertained by a grandmother who had taken on the role of a storyteller for the evening. She had obviously had a good deal of practice at it, and her voice rose and fell, changing timbre and pitch as she played various parts with a quiet energy that drew her audience in.

Kairen groggily dragged himself to his feet and began to make his way over to join them when a sixth sense made him stop and pull up his status screen. It took him a second to identify the cause, and even longer to believe it. His resource pool was completely full. He’d been stockpiling in order to purchase another upgrade, but he hadn’t been expecting to be able to purchase it until the next morning. Somehow, he had completely shot past his goal of 150 points to spend and had gone all the way up to 250, his new maximum after purchasing his latest upgrade to the pond. It still hadn’t been enough to unlock the second tier of upgrades, and Kairen had mostly ignored it, given he had expected that he would be spending his resources before reaching even his old limit. Now he was grateful for the increase, as it let him stockpile more for after his next upgrade, something Kairen felt he would have to do soon.

Even though he had hit the maximum the screen said he could have of the mysterious resource, more was still pouring in. While the amount shown wasn’t changing Kairen could feel a strange pressure building up inside him, similar to but different from the stomach ache that was slowly fading. It wasn’t physically painful, but it was a pressure that demanded action. Further confirming this feeling was the fact that the two upgrades available to him had started to pulse, slowly at first but picking up speed. They weren’t pulsing together but were alternating, first one growing brighter than the other, as if the screen itself was trying to pick for him, and would if he delayed too long.

Kairen didn’t feel ready for this. His last upgrade had unintentionally drowned a host of small animals, and while the monster repelling shield and the fertility upgrade were more subtle, Kairen couldn’t know that there wouldn’t be any side effects. The last thing he wanted to do was to harm these people who had fed him and provided him with companionship, but a change would happen, whether by his hand or not. He had to choose.