by Adam Myhr
My life had become killing unusually large rats and eating raw vegetables. I guess there were worse things that could happen to a person.
Frank: Average Human
Str:6
Dex:5
Con:5
Int:6
Wis:5
Luck:5
HP:10 (10)
SP:0 (0)
Food:100% (37/50)
Turn:797
Exp:33
Lvl:0
Weapon:
Dull Old Rusty Ax
Slow, 5-8
Armor:
Dirty Farmer’s Overalls
0
Equipment:
2 carrots, 2 cucumbers, 1 head of lettuce, 3 ears of corn, flint & steel, 3 torches, 1 turtle, kindling, 1 firewood bundle
Silver: 0
Skills:
Ax Wielding (1)
Firestarter (1)
Magic:
Five
The forest started to change as I continued along my way. The greens got deeper, signs of fall fading as I walked. I started to hear fewer noises around me. I hadn’t even realized the sounds of a forest surrounded me until they didn’t. I paused and looked around, then examined my surroundings in hopes of getting an idea what was going on.
The birds were definitely gone. There was an occasional rustling in the underbrush. The smell of smoke was faint in the air. I was getting closer to something. I continued forward, more cautiously now. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to respond to whatever the world decided to throw at me.
The smell of smoke became stronger as I crept further along the path. It smelled more like a cooking fire than a forest fire. Rounding a curve, I saw the forest start to thin ahead. I was approaching a clearing and could see a thin column of smoke rising from it. The path snaked its way to the clearing, preventing me from getting a clear view. I tried to penetrate the underbrush, to sneak up on the clearing through the trees, but much like the hillside, I found the game pushing me back onto the path. With a tight grip on the ax, I snuck forward.
The clearing came into view ahead of me. Part of it anyhow. I could only see a small bit of the clearing from back in the path. I would need to get closer to see what was happening. I came to within a few steps of the clearing and had a feeling of anticipation. It was the same feeling I had entering the farmstead and the forest. The clearing was a new place, and I would have to enter it to see what was happening. I wasn’t sure what kind of retreat options I would have once inside. I ate a carrot, even though it wasn’t quite time. I wanted to be as ready as possible to deal with whatever was behind that fire.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Three. I did it again. Two. One more time. One.
I opened my eyes and jumped into the clearing, turning to face the fire as I did.
You discovered a new location! +2 Exp
The fire crackling and sizzling in the middle of the clearing was the only sound. An animal hung over the fire on a tripod. Drips of melted fat fell from the animal in a distinct pattern, sizzling when they struck the fire beneath.
Behind the fire, a sleeping pad lay on the ground. What was left of it anyhow. It was torn and bloody. To the left was another animal, dead. A wild dog or wolf, I really didn’t know. I didn’t spend much time trying to figure it out either. My eyes were drawn to the right of the fire. There was another of the animals, this one alive. Its muzzle and paws were bloody. The hair on its back stood straight up, its head pointed down, and its front legs spread. Underneath it was what I assumed to be the owner of the sleeping pad, or what was left of the owner.
The beast’s eyes were locked on me, a low growl escaping from its jaw. A jaw holding part of a face and dripping blood.
I tore my eyes away and checked the rest of the clearing for more. Thankfully it was the only one left. It seemed the person who set up camp had started the fight for me, making some progress before losing. I looked back to the beast. While it was intimidating, it was wounded. I could see blood dripping from its side, and it was favoring its left leg, indicating an injury to the right. I might have a chance here.
With no idea how fast it could move, I wasn’t sure whether to advance or wait. One more glance around showed me I was in a bad spot. If it advanced on me here, I’d be trapped. Finally seeing what might be the best course of action I side-stepped to the left, moving to a spot I had more freedom of movement.
It immediately sprang at the spot I was just in, stopping just out of what would have been my ax’s reach. It landed and turned to my new location with a bark. Closer together now, I was sure I could hit it on my next move, and it would hit me.
Departing from my earlier tactics, I decided to swipe in at the thing’s side instead of down from above. It was already favoring the front leg, and if I could do even more damage to that side, maybe I would slow it down. I stepped forward, swinging into the things side as I went. The ax connected with the creature, digging a furrow into the hunch. I followed through like swinging a bat, throwing it off-balance as the ax ripped out towards its chest.
You chopped a wolf! 8 Damage
As I came to a stop, it pivoted around on its back legs, biting out a chunk of my thigh as it landed.
A wolf bit you! -6 HP (Bleeding)
I screamed in pain, but kept my balance, using my momentum to step behind the wolf. It turned to come at me from the other direction, avoiding its injured leg. The bite missed my leg as it landed mere inches away, well-positioned to pounce on me the next time it moved.
You have earned the skill Dodge.
You are now harder to hit. You fake left, you fake right, you get smacked in the face! Keep working at it and you could learn to avoid swaying trees! +5 Exp, +1 Dex
I paused to assess the situation. I didn’t know what “bleeding” meant, but it couldn’t be good. I wasn’t going to survive another hit. I had to hope it was hurt enough by the dead person that my next blow would be a killing blow. I had to do the most damage, with the least chance of missing. Its head would likely be a killing blow, what could survive a split skull after all? Unfortunately, its head was small and low to the ground right now, as it prepared to jump up and bite my face off. The front shoulders, they were the closest, and broader than the body. If I chopped down as hard as I could, putting everything into it, I might be able to take out the wolf this hit. If not, I was likely to be taken out by it.
I took a deep breath as I lifted the ax, cementing my plan. I drove it down as hard as I could, letting out a primal scream as it connected with the beasts back. The wolf jumped up at me while the ax drove into the handle. The weight of the wolf knocked me to my back as its legs hit my shoulders, it’s head ramming into mine. I hit the ground hard, the wind rushing out of my lungs as the messages appeared.
You chopped a wolf! 6 Damage
You defeated a wolf! +8 Exp
You are bleeding! -1 HP (Bleeding)
I was alive. I had a dead wolf on top of me. I was bleeding out. I was alive, for now. I had five turns before my hit points were at zero. I couldn’t get to my food with the wolf on top of me. I could eat all my vegetables and get another 14 turns, so maybe that didn’t matter. How did I stop the bleeding? I needed a slap patch like the paramedics used in the real world, but I doubted there were any here. First, I had to move. I threw the wolf off myself and sat with a grunt.
I was in pain, no doubt. I was also feeling woozy. I wonder what happens if I die while the system is malfunctioning? I looked back to the campfire. The person was still dead. The sleeping pad was still a mess. The sleeping pad. Blankets. I could use a blanket like a slap patch. Pressure, right?
I started to crawl towards the sleeping pad.
You are bleeding! -1 HP (Bleeding)
I couldn’t get up; the pain was too much. The movement was slow. I focused in on the closest strip of cloth. It was a bloody mess but looked big enough. That can’t be sterile. I kept moving forward. The only thing I could think
of was the cloth.
You are bleeding! -1 HP (Bleeding)
I made it! The world was starting to fade, blackness coming at me from all directions. I ignored it, mentally pushing it back as I wrapped the cloth around my thigh tightly as I could.
You have stopped bleeding.
You have earned the skill Medicine.
Herbs, wraps, splints. You know they exist. With practice, you may even learn how to use them! +5 Exp, +1 Con
Congratulations, you have earned a level!
You are now level 1!
HP total increased by 6!
SP total increased by 0!
You have gained 1 skill point!
I was done, no longer able to fight. Even the HUD started to fade as I succumbed to the blackness.
Frank: Average Human
Str:6
Dex:6
Con:6
Int:6
Wis:5
Luck:5
HP:7 (16)
SP:0 (0)
Food:100% (41/60)
Turn:837
Exp:53
Lvl:1
Weapon:
Dull Old Rusty Ax
Slow, 5-8
Armor:
Dirty Farmer’s Overalls
0
Equipment:
1 carrot, 2 cucumbers, 1 head of lettuce, 3 ears of corn, flint & steel, 3 torches, 1 turtle, kindling, 1 firewood bundle
Silver: 0
Skills: (1)
Ax Wielding (1)
Dodge (1)
Firestarter (1)
Medicine (1)
Magic:
Six
Uhn. I felt like hell. I had to be in the game world, and seeing the HUD where just over a dozen turns had passed confirmed that for me. I opened my eyes and rolled to look over the little campsite I seemed to be the proud new owner of. It wasn’t much. Some mystery meat was still roasting over a fire. The bedrolls behind me were trashed. The corpses of two wolves and a person littered the ground. Home sweet home.
I remembered something about a level, so I checked my character sheet. I had one skill point available. I had also gained six hit points. Thankfully they were applied to my existing health, so I wasn’t down to 1 anymore. It would still take some eating to get back to full health though. I selected the extra skill point and was given a prompt asking what skill I’d like to use it on. So far, I had Firestarter, Ax-Wielding, Dodge, and Medicine as skills. Could I get a new skill with this point? Could I only upgrade existing skills? How long could I hold it in reserve? The help menu continued to be a useless place to visit. I went back to the skill menu and tried to give myself a skill point in Lockpicking.
Invalid skill selection. Please view the in-game manual or contact support for assistance.
Contact support? That would be nice huh? I decided to save the skill point for now instead of guessing at what would suit me better. With the world being turn-based I figured I’d likely be able to apply it at any time. Worst case, it would take a turn away when I did it.
I pulled myself up and went to the meat cooking over the fire. The part facing the fire was well-done, approaching burnt at this point. The top was still raw, so I rotated it and then examined it to see what I was going to eat for dinner.
Cooked goat: Effects: ?
Thank you! I expected my dinner would be a choice between roasted rat and turtle. While it finished, I examined the previous cook’s corpse. Whatever she’d been wearing was ruined. There were tears, bite marks, and scratches all over. Her pockets were mostly empty, just a little silver. I also pried a dagger from her hand and took a closer look at it.
+7 Silver
Old Iron Dagger
This dagger was once someone’s prized possession. Now it’s yours if you want it. Fast, Damage 1-3. +1 Exp
I pocketed the dagger for now. It was in better shape than the ax, but it didn’t do as much damage. I wondered what “fast” meant though. Maybe I’d play with it later. Sitting back, I looked over to the meat. It still wasn’t quite done cooking. I glanced back at the woman’s corpse. Was she another person, like me? Is she back at the edge of the garden right now? I glanced back over at the meat; it was cooking so slowly. Right. Just when I got comfortable in the world, I’d forget it all happened in stop-motion, except me.
Two turns later the meat was done. I moved it off the fire to let it cool. Noticing flies starting to gather around the corpses I decided clearing the area might be prudent, especially with those giant rats around. It took some work, and I was fairly worn out from my injuries, but the two wolves and the woman were soon out of sight in the brush. Noticing my food percentage, and being tired of raw veggies, I decided to roast an ear of corn before working on the meat.
+4% Food
You have learned the effect of a cooked corn. +1 Exp
That was a pleasant surprise. It should’ve been obvious though; humans started cooking food ages ago. With everything full I took a few bites of the goat, hoping to see my health go up.
+5 % Food
You have learned the effect of a cooked goat. +1 Exp
My hit points went up by 2! Things were getting better by the turn. I kept going, eating more goat than should’ve been possible. It took the whole piece she’d started cooking, but I made it to full health. Much better. I looked around the camp. There wasn’t much else for me to do here. She’d had a bed of some kind worked up. I wondered at the purpose of that. It wasn’t any darker, or lighter really, than it had been since I’d gotten in this world. I wasn’t tired. Maybe it never was an actual person, but just a scene put together by the game? I’d have to ask when I got out, whenever that might be.
I gathered my stuff and started out the other side of the clearing, continuing along the only path I had available.
I heard them before I saw them, chattering and squeaking like mad. As I inched closer I heard scuffling and a screech. I rounded the bend as slowly and quietly as I could. I was rewarded with the sight of two giant rats fighting each other down the path. I was fascinated by the spectacle. A gray rat was fighting a black one with a smaller brown one off to the side. The black rat was obviously losing, barely keeping the gray one in front of itself as they circled each other. I decided to let some turns pass and see how it played out.
The gray rat suddenly pounced with a shriek! Its teeth drove deep into the black rat’s neck. The black rat collapsed under the weight, twitched a couple of times, and went limp.
The brown rat joined the gray one at the corpse of the black rat. The rats tore into the corpse together, ripping it open with their claws and biting huge chunks out of the inside. In just two turns they were both covered with blood and slowing down their feast.
I waited for a few more turns, hoping they would saunter off into the wilderness and leave my path clear. Fortune did not smile down at me though. They spent each turn nibbling and wandering around the corpse, never more than a quick turn from it. My options spent I readied my ax and charged the gray rat, hoping it was still damaged from the previous fight.
The first turn saw me partway to the rats. They didn’t seem to notice I was there yet, so I finished closing the gap and took a swing, missing. I couldn’t quite connect after the charge, and they were both now very aware of my presence.
The brown rat flanked me. It would be harder to hit next turn, but I wasn’t gunning for it anyhow. I would need to keep an eye on it; it would be harder to dodge from that direction. The gray rat swiped at me and missed, set up for a solid attack on its next turn.
I needed to try hitting the gray rat and knocking it off-balance. It was the bigger threat next turn, and the easier one to reach. If I could swipe in from the right side, I’d also turn to the brown rat in the same move, making avoiding it easier. A plan in place I took the swing, striking the gray rat and allowing the follow-through to turn me slightly, facing between the two rats.
You chopped a giant rat! 5 Damage
The gray rat was thrown off-balance du
ring the move, its first swipe hitting me, but not doing anything. The second swipe tore into my shin, sending fire up my leg.
A giant rat scratched you! -1 HP
The brown rat tried to bite my leg. Thankfully the turning motion had pulled my closer leg back far enough the rat’s bite fell an inch or two short.
I staggered back while prepping for my next swing. The gray rat lunged forward and swiped again, but missed. I had miss-judged my step and didn’t get far enough away from the brown rat, its claws raking across my thigh.
A giant rat scratched you! -2 HP
I swung at the gray rat again, letting the momentum carry me a step away from the brown rat. I misjudged the distance and the ax arced through thin air, tossing me a little off-balance.
The gray rat used this chance to make a jumping attack with both front paws at once.
A giant rat scratched you! -4 HP
Between the swing pulling me to one side and the gray rat bumping me back even further the brown rat was too far away, closing the distance without even trying to attack.
At this point, I was starting to wonder at the speed difference of the weapons. They were driving me back, attacking twice for each one I made. The dagger's damage wouldn’t be half as much if I could attack twice as often. I used the momentum from my previous move, and the gray rat’s charge, to vault myself beyond their range for the next turn, moving ever closer to being cornered.
They both responded by closing the distance, ready for a solid attack after my move. I zeroed in on the gray rat, deciding to go back to the downward chop. It wouldn’t do anything to help me avoid being hit by the brown rat, but it might be enough to end the gray one - which was more important. I lofted the ax high in the air and brought it down as hard as I could on the gray rat’s back, splitting the animal in two!