by Tim Moon
Strength quantifies physical strength, power and carrying load.
Jaron figured that made sense, so he continued reading.
Agility quantifies the ability to easily move with speed and nimbleness.
Dexterity quantifies the ability to move, especially manual dexterity, flexibility and influences speed.
Constitution quantifies health and resistance to illnesses and poisons.
Endurance quantifies stamina, and the ability to persevere during long periods of work.
Intelligence quantifies mana, the capacity for learning, reasoning, mental acuity and mental defenses.
Wisdom quantifies willpower, the ability to discern and judge, and prudence in the application of knowledge and experience.
Perception quantifies environmental, situational, and social awareness.
Creativity quantifies the ability to transcend convention to create meaningful new ideas and expressions.
Charisma quantifies a character’s force of personality, ability to influence others, and plays a role in leadership and physical attractiveness.
Luck quantifies a force that seems to randomly influence positive or negative outcomes.
Jaron finished reading and the screen disappeared. A small prompt came up informing him that if he wanted to examine his character sheet in the future, he only needed to focus his will and it would appear. He tried it and the character sheet popped up. The sensation of focusing his will felt odd and clumsy, like speaking a new language for the first time. Still, it was rather satisfying to experience something so unique.
Would you like to examine your inventory?
Yes or No
“Yes,” Jaron said.
It came as no surprise that his inventory was empty. He noted the grid of slots available to him, which wasn’t many. In fact, he only had two inventory slots available — his hands. Not much going on there, so he inspected a tab marked “Equipment”. Of course, he only had one piece of equipment, which he wore.
Equipment: Beggar’s Loincloth
Jaron scoffed. It can’t just be a normal loincloth?
For some reason, the item had a description question mark which he focused on.
Beggar’s Loincloth: A piece of stained and tattered cloth scavenged from who knows where to cover your private parts. Be grateful you have anything at all. Attention: While wearing this item, you suffer a -1 penalty to Charisma.
Sonofabitch, he thought. Way to kick a guy while he’s down.
He dismissed the depressing screen and half expected there to be more prompts. When none were forthcoming, he turned his attention to what he should be doing. Which was…he wasn’t sure. It just felt weird to stand by the stream for no good reason.
With no quests and no idea where he was, Jaron figured it was back to the basics — food, water, and shelter.
A rumble in his stomach gave him the first thing to focus on. And much to his surprise, another prompt appeared before him.
You have received a quest: Rumbly in My Tumbly I. Acquire food and water, or another hydrating beverage. Conditions: Complete the quest in 72-hours or die of dehydration. Reward: +50% Survival skill progress, 100 XP, 5 copper coins.
Do you accept?
Yes or No
Well, that put a fine point on his predicament. Where would he put those 5 copper pieces though? Loincloths don’t have pockets. Jaron shook his head, grateful that at least he had a quest now. May as well be rewarded for doing something he planned on doing anyway. With a shrug, he accepted the quest.
The most notable thing about Rumbly In My Tumbly I was that it was numbered, which meant it was part of a quest chain. Why there was a food related quest chain and what it might progress to later eluded him, but he was eager to find out.
Jaron considered taking a drink from the stream to fulfill part of the quest. It looked clean but he knew that was deceiving. Drinking from the stream without at least boiling it was taking a leap of faith that he couldn’t afford right now. There were no hospitals or doctors, er, healers nearby if he contracted a disease. A dicey proposition at best. Jaron still had plenty of time, so he decided to risk it only if things were looking grim.
Short of boiling water, Jaron could use one of the giant purple leaves to collect rainwater. Assuming it rained, which gauging by the current conditions was not likely. Morning dew was a possibility, a tedious and time consuming possibility, but an option nonetheless.
As for food, all he had to do was catch and cook something. That should be easy enough in a lush forest like this and if it turned out he was close to a town, he could probably do simple beginner quests to earn a few coins, or a meal.
Curious if there were fish in the pool around the waterfall, Jaron walked to the edge and peered in. He thought he caught a glimpse of shimmering scales, but it happened so fast that he couldn’t tell what kind of creature it was, or if it was a fish at all. It could just as easily have been a glint of light from the sun.
“What are my chances of catching a fish?” Jaron asked himself. If he was being honest, not very good.
On top of food and water, he needed shelter before nightfall unless he found a town and earned a place under a roof. It would get cold at night and the stupid loincloth barely covered his cock and would do next to nothing to keep him warm. The idea of being stuck outside without shelter or proper clothing when it grew cold was not appealing.
Knowing he would have to make something to have any chance at catching fish, Jaron thought through his options. Crafting a net would be slow and tedious, requiring hours to get material to create enough cordage. Given his lack of skill, the result might not be strong enough to hold wildly thrashing fish. A fishing pole was possible, but that also required tough string which could take time. Making a bow without a knife was a long shot and also required stout cordage, like sinew which he obviously didn’t have.
Looking around at his available resources, Jaron aimed for the lowest of low-tech solutions and snapped his fingers at the obvious conclusion.
“Let’s get crafting,” he said, striding towards the forest.
3
After only a few minutes of scouring the forest, Jaron found a downed tree that didn’t appear horribly rotted. He located a branch with a long, straight section that he could craft into a spear, braced himself carefully since he was barefoot, and bent it back.
The stout branch bowed much further than expected. He was determined though and eventually the fibers begin to creak and pop under the strain. Jaron pulled the branch back another foot, his skinny green arms trembling with the effort, and thought this must be great wood for making bows when it snapped with a loud crack.
Jaron staggered back a few steps and fell back against the trunk, breathing heavily. The rough bark scratched his skin, but it was nothing compared to the relief he felt at not impaling himself on one of the many small, broken branches protruding from the once mighty tree.
Looking over the branch, he grinned in satisfaction. Once he removed all the little branches, twigs and crooked parts, the limb would give him a five or six-foot-long pole, even after he carved the tip down to a nice point.
Jaron started to snap off the smaller branches when he stopped a minute later with a better idea. Hefting the branch in one hand, Jaron began to jog back to the stream with his hair flapping wildly behind him. It was an odd sensation.
Imagining what a strange sight he must be — a half-naked green elf running through the forest with long blue hair streaming behind him — made Jaron chuckle.
Now that he thought of it, he might do quite well with the ladies. Jaron was positively beaming at that thought as he bounded through the forest. His legs and lungs burned with the effort.
Tall trees the size of California redwoods towered over him while smaller colored trees bathed in the dappled light that poked through the canopy. Lush green, golden yellow and even red moss clung in patches to tree trunks and craggy rocks. A large beetle of some sort scampered along a log, ducking out of
sight as he bounded past.
Still riding high on life, Jaron hopped over a rock and pumped his fist in the air with a whoop of joy. This place was amazing!
When he landed, the smile evaporated with a grunt of agony. The landing sent an explosion through his body thanks to some serious ball slap, and the resultant jostling from a wicked pendulum effect. The beggar’s loincloth was total shit when it came to genital support. With eyes watering, Jaron reached out to a tree for support, sucking in breath as he leaned against it.
It took several minutes to recover and when the ache subsided, he opted to casually walk to the stream.
“God damn it,” Jaron said as he wiped his sweaty forehead. That was an experience he did not want to repeat.
Fingers crossed he wouldn’t have to run from wild animals anytime soon or he’d be fucked. It was also painfully obvious that his endurance needed improvement. He barely ran a few hundred meters and was out of breath, even without counting his injury. Pathetic.
Jaron blew hair out of his face and scanned the bank of the stream until he found a suitable looking rock. He inspected it for an edge he could chop with and nodded to himself. It would do.
The edge was not sharp exactly but had enough of an angle to effectively chop off the branches and scrape off the nubs, turning the rough branch into a smooth shaft. He chuckled to himself as his mind went into the gutter.
Smooth Shaft.
“The name of your sex tape,” Jaron muttered with a smirk. The quip fell flat since he was talking to himself. In the middle of a forest. Like a fucking weirdo. With a heavy sigh and shake of his head, Jaron continued working.
Once the branch was limbed, he used the rock to slice a groove in the bark along the length of the spear. From that seam, Jaron scraped the rock at an angle to peel back the bark, just like skinning an animal. It took some work to get through the tough outer skin, but when he did, the rest became easy. Soon, he was peeling off long strips of bark. He set the tough fibers aside because they could prove useful.
Using the rock again, he began to hack at the wood to fashion a rough point at one end. When the small rock outlasted its usefulness, he tossed it aside and walked over to a large boulder to finish grinding out a point. Holding the spear in both hands, he began to scrape it against a rough section of the boulder. The stone acted like sandpaper and slowly but surely ground the wood. He turned the spear and kept working until he had flattened two sides, giving the tip a flat blade-like appearance. Jaron blew away sawdust and looked closely at it. Moving to a smooth part of the boulder, he continued sanding until he put a fine edge on the tip.
Satisfied with his weapon, Jaron surveyed his handiwork. He flinched in surprise as another prompt popped into view. He brushed hair out of his face and read the message.
Congratulations! You have made a primitive spear. Doing so unlocked the skill Crafting and the sub-skill Craft: Simple Weapons. You have progressed 10% through level 1 of Crafting and 20% through level 1 of Craft: Simple Weapons. Reward: 100 XP Note: Your sub-skill rank cannot exceed the rank of the parent skill. Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
The way this world could parse his work into both a skill and sub-skill was fascinating. The acknowledgement of his work was oddly satisfying too. Neither skill appeared to give him a specific benefit or bonus at this point, but that was probably because he just unlocked them. He was excited to see how the skill developed over time.
Curious about the weapon’s stats, Jaron opened his character sheet. He found the equipment tab and saw that the spear was equipped, so to speak. While the information was there, the stats were not impressive.
Item: Simple Wooden Spear Damage: 1-4 Condition: 20/20 Item Class: Common Quality: Average Weight: 1.3kg
With the weapon completed he stood and went through some simple moves to get a feel for the stone age weapon. It was like shadow boxing but with a spear. He twirled it in one hand, then swung the spear in a wide arc. Lunging forward, Jaron thrust the tip into an imaginary enemy. It was a clumsy move and he nearly lost his balance. Pivoting on one foot, Jaron swung and slapped away a phantom sword strike and jabbed again with the point. He twisted and brought the butt of the spear across in a head strike and then turned to stab another imaginary foe behind him.
The moves were crude, but the details flowed through Jaron naturally, as though he’d learned a similar skill before. The spear was new to him but… Pugil sticks? Yes, he had learned how to use pugil sticks, which could be adapted to spear fighting.
While it was reassuring that there was a small amount of technique behind his moves, Jaron didn’t like having knowledge locked away inside his brain. When had he learned pugil sticks? And why? Frowning in frustration, Jaron stopped to catch his breath. Having whole sections of his mind lost in thick fog left him feeling adrift on a boat, bumping into things as they suddenly emerged from the mist.
On the plus side, his past experience and shadow fighting paid off in a tangible way.
Congratulations! You have trained with a spear and learned the basics — stick ’em with the pointy end. Doing so unlocked the skill Spear. You have progressed 10% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
Well, that was awesome! His first combat skill. He brushed hair out of his face and thought for a second. After catching his breath, Jaron set aside his spear and began shadow boxing. Jab, cross, hook, jab, uppercut — all flew in rapid succession as he bobbed, weaved, and pivoted to work the angles. Jaron mixed in a few knees, elbows and kicks too. He was rewarded with another notification.
Congratulations! You have trained in unarmed combat. Embrace the art of 8 limbs, because swords and bows are just tools —YOU are the weapon. Training has unlocked the skill Unarmed Combat. You have progressed 10% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
Every time he received a new congratulatory notification, Jaron smiled at the familiar rush of excitement that came with RPG gaming. No other game, be it action-adventure or first-person shooter, gave him such a rush. It felt so real, because in a way it was real. After all, if you sensed it then you have experienced it, and even if it was only in your mind, it was real.
Or some such jibber-jabber. Jaron had heard something like that about the experience of reading books and how it impacts a persons social and emotional IQ.
The breeze blew hair into his face again. Jaron spit out a mouthful of blue strands. Frustration boiled up and he nearly lost it. He tucked the hair behind his ears and pulled the rest back. Of course, as soon as he let go, his hair blew all over the place again. He could understand why girls used hair ties or scrunchies, whatever they were called.
“Fuck,” Jaron groaned. Did I really just think that?
He sucked in a deep breath and fished through his foggy memories. The breath left his lungs in a whoosh when he remembered that Thor and Viking raiders had sported long hair.
Satisfied that he had retained his masculinity, Jaron looked at the bark he peeled off the spear and grinned, suddenly grateful he saved the material. With several long pieces in hand, he began to separate the crusty outer surface from the fibrous layer underneath that held it to the branch. He took the longest ones and peeled the fibers apart lengthwise, turning the wide strips into thin strands. When that was done, Jaron placed them on the flat rock he had been sitting on while he worked on making more. Eventually he had a sizable pile to work from.
Gathering up a small clump of nearly foot long strands, Jaron evened them out and folded them in half. Holding the strand at the folded midpoint, he rolled the bundle of fibers against his thigh, so the two halves began to twist. After a few rolls, the tension caused the two halves to twist together. Jaron continued to twist until it was tight, and a kink formed. That’s when he loosened the twist a little and carefully tied off the end and just like that, he had a length of cord. It wouldn’t be super strong, but it was enough.
Jaron pulled h
is hair into a ponytail and tied it off. With a shake of his head to test the tie he was pleased to see that none of his hair flew into his face. The weight of it pulling back on his head was odd, but it kept the mess out of his face, so he took it as a win. Jaron tucked the spare fibers into the waistband of his loincloth in case he needed them for another project.
He was also rewarded by another prompt.
Congratulations! You have made cordage from raw material. Doing so unlocked the skill Survival. You have progressed 10% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
Armed with a decent weapon and his hair out of the way, Jaron felt a boost of confidence as he waded into the cool water to try spearfishing.
He found a nice smooth place to plant his feet and wait. He stood with the spear in the water at roughly knee level, poised to strike. Then he waited. And waited. And waited some more.
When curious fish came to investigate this new feature in its domain, Jaron could hardly wait. He struck with the aim and speed of a diving eagle. Or so he thought.
What actually happened was he missed, and the wild thrust made him lean forward enough to throw off his balance. His feet slipped in the soft mud and small rocks at the bottom of the pool and he found himself faceplanting in the water.