by Blaine Hicks
He stepped down from the roof and crouched as if the short grass would hide him from his prey’s view. Stepping slowly, he stalked the animal from behind. He carefully pressed each footstep down slowly without a whisper of noise. An unexpected focus cleared Radley’s mind of everything but the hunt. As he got close, a glowing green health bar appeared above his prey. It had 22 HP.
The rabbit continued chewing on whatever it was eating, completely oblivious to the danger approaching it from behind. A flashing magnifying glass icon appeared at the edge of Radley’s vision and with a mental command he selected the prompt. Immediately, the creature’s description appeared.
White Jade Hare - 22 HP
A relatively harmless herbivore. It prefers grazing during the day and sleeping in burrows at night. It will become aggressive if attacked.
Battle consideration: This hare is level 2. You will need a battle strategy to kill it.
Radley dismissed the prompt and began moving forward again. The small herbivore was a higher level than him, but he was bigger, and one way or another this bunny was on the menu. He was crouched about three feet directly behind the animal. The rabbit still seemed unaware of his presence. He prepared to strike. His muscles coiled like tight springs of steel along his arms and legs, ready to release. When he struck, he moved with blinding speed. The small animal baulked as his hands closed around it, but he clamped tightly to the baggy scruff around its neck and lifted it off the ground.
For a brief moment it seemed like Radley was done. He stood and meant to carry the animal back to the house and eat it; but this didn’t happen. The rabbit began writhing in his grip like a rabid badger. It twisted and caught his wrist with its sharp claws and raked them downward with unexpected force. The counterattack left three deep bloody grooves along the soft scales of his inner forearm and wrist. The pain was real, not like the pins and needles he experienced in the game but the severe pain of being cut in real life. It was nearly unbearable. Unprepared for such agony, Radley instinctively let go of the feral creature.
He expected the animal to bolt away the moment it landed, but instead it rolled to its feet and turned to face him. It was covered in white fluffy fur and stood no taller than a basketball, but its mouth drew back in a vicious snarl like it was ready for battle. It squared off, snarling and displaying a row of sharp triangular teeth...and then it charged. The rabbit was fast and rather than jumping towards his midsection, it went for his leg. From two paces away it leapt onto his calf and clamped down with sharp claws. The razor hooks sank into his bare flesh and anchored the tiny beast onto him, but the rabbit didn’t stop there. It twisted its head and bit down hard, rending his scaly flesh above the knee.
“What the…” It was all Radley had time to say before the new spike of pain turn his speaking into screaming. Radley was overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught and took several steps back, but the creature hung on, biting and tearing at him with terrible ferocity. He fell backwards onto the ground like a victim in a bad zombie movie as the creature slowly climbed his leg, wreaking bloody havoc in its path.
He reached down and tried to pull the horrible little creature off, but it was stuck tight, locked on by claws and a firm resolve. Radley pummeled and slapped at it which seemed to do nothing and removed none of the creature’s HP. His own health bar was already down by a third and he began to search frantically for a new tactic. He grabbed the creature again at the nape of the neck and was finally able to stop it from biting his leg, but the claws dug in deeper and his health continued to decline. Three red drops of blood appeared as an icon at the edge of his vision. With his free hand he pushed himself back to his feet and stumbled down the hill towards the stream. Unable to think of anything else he plunged into the waist deep water. It was ice cold and a shock ran up Radley’s spine but also numbed the raw pain of his wounds. As he sank down into the water the rabbit was plunged beneath the surface too, still attached to his leg. It liked the water less than Radley and finally let go of him. It wasn’t a great swimmer and began to doggy paddle back towards the shore.
Radley watched it and realized that the water had given him an advantage. He couldn't squander it. He lunged again towards the rabbit, grabbing it by the tail just before it had reached the muddy bank. This time, he dragged it underwater. At first it struggled to swim away but then seemed to realize its mortal situation. It turned on Radley with a vengeance, this time latching on to his forearm while held below the surface. Radley refused to quit first and held the rabbit down while it shredded his arm. Red tendrils of his precious blood seeped into the water clouding it red. Despite the damage, the rabbit’s health bar was now dropping faster, and its ferocity began to subside until the animal went limp. Radley held it under until he was sure it was dead, then stumbled weakly out of the stream. He collapsed onto the bank bloodied, broken and traumatized by battle.
Red notifications and icons flickered in his peripheral vision: the blood droplets pulsed faster than before indicating significant bleeding, and a circle of stars indicated his functions were severely impaired. His health bar was also flashing with only 7 HP left. His first impulse was to ignore all of this. He just wanted to lay in the mud until the screaming nerves of his arm and leg could be consoled. Then a small piece of his mind registered an urgent need for action.
*6 HP*
He tried to focus and sat up to examine the wounds. What he saw was pretty gross. Blood was everywhere and he was still bleeding profusely. He knew he had to stop it somehow.
*5 HP*
He tried to put pressure on the wounds, but he was weak from the loss of blood and only had one good hand. He couldn't help the wounds on both his arm and leg at the same time. The leg was worse, so he pressed his palm against the rent scales and immediately the pulsing of the icon slowed but it didn’t stop.
*4 HP*
He became lightheaded and a feeling of euphoria began to dull the pain of his injuries. His lightheadedness became dizziness and his vision reduced into long black tunnels. He fell backwards into the soft mud, his hand falling free of the bleeding wound.
*3 HP*
His strength had failed him and with a sob of despair he gave up the fight. Death by rabbit, he thought. How pathetic. Everything felt so cold.
*2 HP*
All he could do was lie on his back and stare at the dreary grey sky. This rabbit was not prey, it was a monster and he was not cut out for battle. Maybe dying would solve his problems or maybe this was a dream and he would wake up when his HP hit 0.
*1 HP*
His last thought before death consumed him was “One way or another, at least this insanity will be over.”
“YOU HAVE DIED”
The glowing golden message hung in the air in front of Radley as the scenery around him faded from view. He was no longer in pain, or bleeding; just sort of floating. Then the text faded too, leaving him suspended in complete blackness. Such darkness normally would have terrified him, but the serenity of the moment contrasted so greatly with the pain and chaos of his death that he could only savor it. After a moment, a smaller selectable text appeared: Respawn. Not knowing what else to do, Radley slowly reached out and pressed the text box and the darkness consumed him again.
CH. 12 Not Dead Yet
Radley felt himself lying in his bed again and briefly hoped that his life had returned to normal. It hadn’t. He opened his eyes to darkness and found he was again bound tightly from head to toe in the shrink wrapping. It took all his strength and considerable time to work himself free of the confinement. Although, he managed to wriggle out of it this time without falling off the bed. He found that getting one arm free was the key to getting everything else out. When he finally sat up, he looked at the wrapping that had held him. His first escape had been in the middle of the night. With only pale moonlight to see by, hadn’t seen the wrapping very well and he’d never examine it later. In the light of day, he could see things more clearly. The wrapping wasn’t shrink-wrap like he’d thought, it
was snakeskin; his snakeskin. It was a tan color with a light and dark mottled diamond pattern that repeated down its length. He didn’t like waking up inside that thing, but he supposed it was better than not waking up at all.
Radley’s fingers traced the grooves of the skin’s thick scales while he pondered his new existence. The experience of dying and returning to life was so dramatic and surreal that he felt a little broken inside. He sat in a daze for several long minutes just caressing the skin. Eventually, his mind returned, and he sucked in a long deep breath of air and held it, then released it with a slow hiss that sounded more like a snake than he had intended. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and checked himself for injuries. He found none. Somehow his arms and legs were perfect, without even a scar. He processed the implications of this. If he could respawn in this world like in a game, he was effectively immortal. He wasn’t planning to test the theory. Dying hurt a lot and he didn’t know if there was a limit to the number of respawns. He needed to use his lives wisely and dying to a Level 2 bunny did not qualify as wise. To make things worse, he was still alone, afraid, hungry, and had no supplies besides the unwanted junk left to rot in a ransacked house. He needed to find a way to take care of himself. He needed to get stronger.
Before Radley could think about this any longer, his stomach contracted, and he doubled over from a pang of hunger. The drumstick icon was now flashing red on the edge of his vision. He needed to eat soon, or he would probably find himself too weak to do anything. When the pain passed, he was left feeling dizzy, but he was able to get to his feet. He had to find some food soon, even if it was just scrounging up some berries or nuts or something small.
He approached the open window and noticed the sun had moved to a new spot in the sky. It was setting not rising. Obviously, some time had passed...meaning the respawn hadn’t been instantaneous. Before he could think about this more, a new scent met his nose that hadn’t been there before. It smelled like food, good food. Like walking past a restaurant full of cooking meat but without the smoke aroma. Radley flicked his tongue and instantly found an invisible trail of scent and a clear direction to its origin. He began to track it, out through the window and over to the lip of the roof. It was coming from near the forest’s edge. He stayed clear of the remaining psycho rabbit creatures and followed the aroma to the stream. As he got close, he was distracted briefly by some dark black birds circling in the sky above the forest, and he didn't realize his destination until he was standing over the corpse of the freshly drowned rabbit. Its limp carcass bobbed slowly against the bank. The shore was still tinted red with Radley’s blood, but his own corpse was gone. He looked around thinking that there must be something else to eat but there was just the rabbit corpse.
His primal senses were screaming at him to eat but his mind revolted as he looked at the dead creature. He lifted the waterlogged carcass, watching as the water drain from the soggy fur like a wet sponge.
It smells sooo good! he thought to himself in disbelief.
He held the dead animal closer to his face and sniffed it. His tongue flicked in eager anticipation. His stomach was doing somersaults and saliva began to trickle down his chin. Driven by instinct, he closed his eyes and shoved the limp carcass into his mouth with no preparation. It tasted exactly like he expected a dead wet rabbit to taste, which is to say it didn’t taste like much at all. Without teeth he couldn’t bite or chew, so he only tasted wet fur. It was like licking a cat or dog; a bit weird, but not exactly unpleasant.
His hunger and instinct drove him to continue eating, pushing the animal into his mouth. His lower jaw seemed to understand what was happening and detached from its joints to make room. His mouth stretched around the whole animal as he slowly forced it deeper inside. He lifted his chin opening his throat to make room for the creature. Even with a loose jaw and proper posture, it took several minutes to work the meal down into his gut but he found he was still able to breathe freely even with it lodged in his throat. If he ignored his brain’s complaints, it was actually a very satisfying experience, like scratching a poison ivy rash. As the rabbit began to slide down his esophagus, his body shuddered under waves of euphoria. With one final push and a swallow, the rabbit’s hind feet disappeared down his throat and a satisfying weight settled into his stomach.
Radley was instantly sated and felt the impairment status fade away with his hunger. He hadn’t really noticed his weakness until it was gone, but when the drumstick icon disappeared, he immediately felt stronger.
He washed his hands in the stream but there was little point. Eating this way was very efficient. There was nothing left over, and no mess to clean up; almost like it had never happened. Almost.
Smiling with contentment from a full stomach, Radley laid on his back on the bank near where he had died. The grey sky didn't feel quite so gloomy even though a cold chill had settled over the meadow. His thoughts wandered as he contemplated his apparent immortality. This introspection continued until he noticed a small glowing light hovering nearby in the air like a motionless firefly. It wasn’t bright, but with the sun beginning to set behind the treeline it stood out clearly.
Radley reached out, entranced by its beauty but the moment he touched it, the light disappeared. He looked around in confusion, but it was gone. Then, his exclamation icon began to pulse, indicating a new notification had just arrived. When he selected it, he found he had several notifications waiting to be read.
*You have learned the skill “Sneak” (level 1)*
*You have learned the skill “Unarmed Combat” (level 1)*
*You have failed the agility check. You are successfully grappled by a White Jade Hare.*
*You are bleeding and require healing.*
*You have learned the skill “Aquatic Combat” (level 1)*
*You have killed a White Jade Hare for 114 experience*
*You have reached level 2 in “Battle Tactics”*
*You have failed the wisdom check. You cannot stop the bleeding.*
*The wound from a white jade hare will not stop bleeding.*
*You are incapacitated by blood loss and cannot move. You will die soon if not aided.*
*Your spirit is pulled into the void by the cold hand of death.*
*Due to your death, you have lost experience towards Level 2. This was your first death. Experience loss is typically 20% of the progress towards the next character level. As you are still level 1 with less than 20% experience progress towards level 2, you have lost all your accumulated experience points.*
*A spirit shard containing 148 XP has been placed at the location of your death. Retrieve this shard within 48 hours to retrieve your lost experience.*
Several thoughts passed through Radley’s mind as he reviewed these prompts. First, he cursed the horrid little rabbit for killing him. The weight in his stomach added some satisfaction to the situation. The second thought was a calmer epiphany that he needed to have more respect for the apparent gaming mechanics, no matter how much this felt like real life. He had stats like in a game and respawned like in a game, it was time he started playing like it was a game. That was the way to survive this new version of Earth. At level 2, the rabbit had been deadly in their head to head fight since he was only level 1 and had employed no strategy; even if his opponent looked like a small ball of fluffy fur. He would have to get stronger, equip himself, and use his head if he wanted to thrive. He returned to read his notifications.
*You have learned the skill “Track” (level 1)*
He had always assumed that rangers and rogues tracked by following footprints in mud or broken blades of grass. It was cool that following the scent of a rabbit had given him the tracking skill as well. He decided to pay more attention to the smells around him.
*You have successfully retrieved your spirit shard and restored 148 xp.*
That must have been the little firefly. Touching it was enough to restore his lost progress. It had seemed like such a small thing, but its significance was likely to be
a big deal in this world. He dismissed the prompts and looked back at the sky. Whatever this life was, he had two choices, he could wallow in misery or face this world head on. He already knew he wasn’t a quitter, but he wasn’t sure where the path forward would lead him. In the dimming evening light, he watched the slow circles of the dark black birds above him. A flashing magnifying glass icon told him he could identify them which was unexpected considering their altitude. Having nothing better to do at the moment, he selected the prompt.
Blue Crested Harpy (aggro) - 835 HP
Harpies are often called eagle maidens, but they are far from royalty. They have the head of a woman and the body of an eagle and kill with great efficiency. They delight in pain and are drawn like sharks by the scent of blood. They are usually aggressive and will kill for fun. They are obsessed with treasure. Clever prey might escape death if a better offer can be made.
Battle consideration: This harpy is level 76. If this creature catches you, it will eat your still-beating heart while you watch.