The Unending Forest II (Scenario 1) - Polluted Waters

Even though it is a forest, one can hardly find water in there, but there are times where one would find a small lake to rejuvenate the body. During my travel, I have found many of these lakes. Quite unexpectedly, all these lakes are salted in varying degrees, none are fresh water. These lakes initially made me want for more, and I would take large sips of it, but after so many mouthfuls, I realized that no matter how much I drank, the thirst would remain. I would become dehydrated, so bad sometimes that my skin and my head seem to have been thrown into the crucible of eternal fire. A small number of these lakes however, are contaminated with sulphor, and I became gravely ill each time when I unsuspectingly drank from one.

The dehydration had probably burned much of my brains and body. Once I had looked at myself in a lake, I saw a wrinkled and wasted man, sunken eyes, dark rings under my eyes...resembling that of a cadaver. Sometimes, amid the illnesses, sorrow and death overwhelms me that an end would truly put an end to all things. But somehow, the heavens would bring me comfort and warmth to my heart.

There are no rivers, no volcanoes, I could find no reason, nor could I find the logic behind the salt and the sulphor. The only reason I could think of, is that there had been people who have walked this forest. Some became disorientated, some went insane, some pulled the plug on themselves, some were very angry... some in their frustrations, did all they could to poison the waters, so the future travellers would suffer more than they did.

The only thing I could do about my thirst was to eat leaves, but I had become so weak that the fibers would cut thru my insides. That however, was the only way my thirst could be satisfied. All I wanted, was the find my way out. May the gods have mercy on me.