Wind rushed through the trees as light played across the ground in fractured waves. The light shifting this way and that was the first thing Alex saw when his eyes flickered open. His head was in a fog as he tried to remember why he was laying in what seemed to be rather damp soil. He went to sit up and immediately changed his mind as pain rushed at him from multiple sources. His head, his right shoulder and left forearm made him want to scream in pain. Fortunately for him, his throat was so dry that he barely managed a pathetic groan into the clearing that he lay in.
“It is good that you have recovered your consciousness, Alex.” V.V. said with their signature benign tone.
“V.V… I’m… alive?” Alex managed to croak out to his carefree floaty companion.
“Correct. My analysis was correct in predicting your triumph over the two lizards. Congratulations, Alex.” V.V. said with a slight lilt to their voice, almost sounding proud of Alex.
Alex slowly rolled to his left shoulder and put as much pressure on his upper arm as he could manage in order to push himself upright. He struggled for a few moments but managed to get the job done even though his body didn’t want to do anything but lay perfectly still. As he made his way to a sitting position, he surveyed his surroundings. There were of course the three dead lizards but there were more motionless creatures not far away from Alex. His eyes widened as he took in the new threats, but the panic only lasted for a moment as he noticed they were not getting ready to pounce on him but were fully motionless. They were as still as if they were dead, because they were after all.
“V.V, what are those?” Alex said while tilting his head in the direction of the dead things, his voice crackly as it was still incredibly dry.
“These should count towards your Quest, Alex. Seven Rabid Squirrels were in the vicinity. I dispatched them while you recovered.” V.V. said, this time with that hint of pride in their voice again.
“…How? I thought you were out of energy or… something?” Alex’s eyes panned around the scene before him. There were indeed, seven small piles of furry somethings, which he now knew to be squirrels scattered around him.
“I was very low on energy for a time but once I returned to operational levels, I deemed it more prudent to clear the surroundings of potential threats than to guard your body and wait for threats to arrive.” V.V. explained, while slowly floating around the clearing, inspecting the fallen monsters.
“How.. long was I asleep? Alex managed to say without much cracking in his voice this time.
“Four hours thirty-six minutes since you lost consciousness, Alex.” V.V. said, succinctly.
“You recovered enough to take out seven of those monsters in just four hours?” Alex said, with a bit of shock and suspicion in his voice.
“I only needed an hour to recover to acceptable combat readiness before hunting the nearby rodents. They were not much of a threat, even to you while you were unconscious, Alex. It is quite the stroke of luck that you’ve managed to have them as the target for your Title Quest.” V.V. explained in their usual monotonous voice.
“I… don’t really know what to say…” Alex simply looked back and forth at the dead monsters that he had already come to fear deeply. They were the first real monster that he had ever experienced, and he had put his everything into surviving just one of them, or so he felt at least. Now there were seven of them, dead, just a few feet from him.
“Did the System give you anything for killing them like I got from killing the rabbit?” Alex managed to ask after dragging his mind away from thoughts of that first terrible experience.
“Without the skill called Loot or something similar, I am unable to do so, Alex.” V.V. said and started to slowly lift one of the overly plump squirrels into the air, just enough to float-drag it towards Alex.
Once V.V. had brought the creature close enough for Alex to touch with his slightly less damaged right arm, they dropped it and floated off towards another squirrel. Alex looked at the dead thing, one of its eyes hung loose from its sockets, he felt bile rise into his throat and that’s when he got a whiff of it.
GAG
Alex attempted to empty an already too empty stomach several times before slowly getting ahold of himself. He slowly looked back at the thing and avoided looking too much towards its head. He struggled but managed to get his t-shirt over his nose enough to block at least a small amount of the stench.
Mumbling through his shirt Alex asked, “What do you mean, Loot them? I thought the System did that for you like before?
“The System rewarded you for killing something that it deemed to be above you in power. If you had not received that reward from the System, then you would have been able to Loot the hare yourself. The System essentially Looted the hare and upgraded the rewards. Seeing as the System Looted the target, you would have been unable to also Loot it.” V.V. explained.
“How am I supposed to loot them then? Skin them… or something” Alex said, he could feel the bile-like sensation travelling up again.
“Incorrect. Looting is different from the term you usually use, Alex. Looting is a skill that operates within the Systems purview. Looting that you are thinking of would be called scavenging or dismantling.”
“Oh… So, what do I do then?” Alex asked, not sure if he was fully understanding the difference between Looting and looting but as ever, he’d just try and go with it.
“Place your hand over the target you wish to Loot and either say Loot out loud or silently.” V.V. said, while depositing a third squirrel next to Alex and then heading off towards another.
Alex felt like this was information that he should have received from the System already or maybe V.V. as well. He felt like he was constantly out of the loop when he could quite easily be informed about need-to-know information. But he supposed that he hadn’t missed out on anything yet, so he decided for what felt like the thousandth time already, to just go with it.
“Loot.” Alex held his hand over the first squirrel and spoke the keyword. A new window appeared but others also popped up alongside the Loot window as well.
System Alert.
Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Wall Lizard Level 4.
Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Wall Lizard Level 3.
Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Wall Lizard Level 3.
Combat finished. User defeated 3 Mana Crazed Wall Lizards Levels 2-3.
System experience has been acquired.
“Oh, now it shows up…” Alex said, just as more windows appeared.
System Alert.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Grey Squirrel Level 4.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Grey Squirrel Level 3.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Grey Squirrel Level 5.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Red Squirrel Level 3.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Red Squirrel Level 2.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Brown Squirrel Level 4.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Crazed Brown Squirrel Level 2.
Companion Combat finished. User defeated 7 Mana Crazed Squirrels Levels 2-5.
System experience has been acquired.
“Well that’s… impressive. V..V, you fought all seven of these at once?” Alex said, shocked by the system message.
“I fought no more than two squirrels at once, Alex.” V.V. said, continuing to lug over corpses.
“The System says it all happened at the same time though.” Alex said, confused by what he was seeing.
“The System compiled everything that happened while you were unconscious into a more condensed list. If you wish to see the time between battles, you should be able to have the System display that information."
“Oh. Gotcha, thanks…” Alex said, looking over the list but then having his eyes lock onto the third window that had popped up.
Mana Crazed Red Squirrel Level 3
Sharp Tooth x 3
Damaged Red Squirrel Fur x 1
Tiny Mana Core x 1
“Cool. Why does it only show three teeth but all the fur?” Alex asked V.V.
“The System will pull a certain amount of usable material from kills made by the User through the skill known as Loot. As a User, you naturally have this skill, just as you have Map and Inventory.”
“So, is there a way to level it up or something? Can I get more from the… target… if I scavenge things directly?” Alex asked, trying to understand a little bit more about how things worked.
“As you grow in power, so too will your System grow. Once you accept the Loot that is offered through the System, what remains will be available to you to scavenge as you wish. However, items taken in this way are not recognized by the System and cannot be sold or used with the System. There are skills and abilities that can circumvent this rule, but you do not possess them at this time.” V.V. said as they placed the seventh and final squirrel next to Alex.
“How do I grow and why aren’t items I take without a skill recognized?” Alex was in full information gathering mode and knew if he stopped asking questions now, something would catch his attention in any number of different ways.
“You level Classes or Professions in order to grow stronger. You have accumulated enough Experience to level a Class several times but have not chosen one yet. I would suggest not choosing a Class until you have completed the Title Quest that you have been awarded, however.” V.V. said as they slowly came to hover in front of Alex.
“In regard to why the System does not recognize items not acquired through the use of skills or abilities; the simple answer is that the System cannot see them. There isn’t enough energy or mana inside the benign items usually acquired from scavenging without a skill for the System to take note of them.” V.V. finished saying this and went to attempt to drag one of the lizards over.
Alex sat in thought for a moment; he hadn’t chosen a Class? He had never even been offered a Class! V.V. clearly knew something about Classes and chose not to say anything until he directly asked them. Clearly, the marble was on his side at least to some degree but they kept leaving out important information that could help Alex.
“V.V, I feel like you are hiding information from me. You could have told me about Classes earlier and I could have already been leveling and getting stronger. Now I am sitting here, both arms mangled and my head pounding like something tried to open it like a walnut!” Alex said as his voice got louder and louder towards the end. He was starting to breath heavy as well, which he noticed was making his vision go all swimmy again.
“I have not withheld any information that you need to know, Alex. You are on a path to acquiring a Class that will help you survive much more easily in this world than if you were to blindly accept the first random Class to cross your vision.” V.V. said, giving up on trying to move the lizard, allowing it to plop its caved in head back to the ground.
“Isn’t that my choice though? Why are you deciding what I can and cannot know? I thought you were supposed to be my companion?” Alex said, failing to keep venom from creeping into his words.
“…I am your companion; I know more about the System than you do and withholding certain information until you are ready to receive it is the correct course of action. Telling you too many things all at once will only bog you down and lead to indecision” V.V. said, seemingly unfazed by Alex’s rebuke.
“Says you! You don’t know what I'm thinking or what I'll do! I can make up my own mind whether I should or shouldn’t know things!” Alex was yelling now, disregarding any sense of covertness they may have had.
“If I had told you how to acquire a Class earlier but asked you to wait until you completed the Title Quest, would you have?” V.V. asked, floating back to hover in front of Alex’s face.
“I don’t know! Probably!” Alex yelled still, even though the anger was starting to fade.
“Will you wait now that you know that you can acquire a Class now?”
“…What’s so good about waiting until I finish the quest?” Alex said, the volume in his voice returning to a more stable level.
“I do not know what Classes you will have access to after the Title Quest is completed but I do know that your Class options will expand. The chances of you gaining a more powerful Class will be guaranteed after completing a Title Quest.” V.V. said, their voice as monotone as ever.
“I got other Titles, shouldn’t those affect what Classes are available?” Alex asked.
“They will have affected the possible Classes but a Title Quest assures a higher Class availability.”
“How do you even know that?” Alex asked the question he’d put aside from the moment V.V. had started talking so familiarly about the System.
“My species is intrinsically linked to the System. We are a race born from a world that had fused with the System before we became a sentient species. You may best understand it as instinctual knowledge.” V.V. explained, this time with something Alex felt could almost be called sadness in their voice.
“This is too much again… The System fused with your planet? V.V. was linked to the System? How long would it even take for a species to go from a non-sentient species to a sentient one? Ugg… My head hurts.” Alex hung his head. V.V. may have had a point about not telling him things he didn’t need to know. That didn’t stop him from wanting to know though.
“Fusion of a Planetary Core by the System is a common occurrence across the Infinite Cosmos. As for the specifics of how this is done, I am unsure but when a planet fuses with the System, Mana erupts. When this happens, the world undergoes drastic changes. Evolution is sped up by incredible amounts, non-sentient creatures gain sentience, powerless beings become powerful.” V.V. said as if reciting from a rather dry history book.
“…Is that what’s happening to my planet right now?” Alex asked, feeling both confused and depressed by the magnitude of it all.
“No. Your planet underwent System Fusion roughly sixty-five million of your years ago. What your planet is experiencing now is most probably caused by that.” V.V. said this and their black dot of a pupil slid towards the sky.
Alex knew what V.V. was looking at, but still couldn’t bring himself to look towards it. Everything that was happening to him, floating miles into the air, the System, big ass squirrels, a monster truck sized rabbit and lizards the size of small alligators were all crazy enough for him. He couldn’t accept that there was something even more unbelievable hanging above his head. Not to mention the idea that the System fused with Earth around the same time dinosaurs supposedly went extinct. He shook his head and refrained from looking towards the sky. Not yet, just a little while longer was all he needed before he could accept that one. He decided to shift the topic instead facing more impossible scenarios.
“Um, how do I loot this stuff?” Alex said, completely derailing the topic they had just been discussing.
“Simply reach out for the window and select what you would like to Loot. Likewise, think about removing the items and they will be removed from the window. You may also directly transfer items from the Loot window to your Inventory.” V.V. said, completely unfazed by the subject change.
“OK. Is there a way to loot everything at once?” Alex said, as he had the current loot move directly into his Inventory with a thought. A small smile tried to climb onto his face due to the ease at which the System responded to his will and the coolness of moving loot into his very own Inventory. The would-be smile faded, and he looked to V.V. for their response.
“As long as the Lootable targets are within an acceptable range of the Looting skill, all targets can be Looted as one.”
Alex nodded and started to attempt standing for the first time since he had woken up. Using the elbow of his mangled left arm, he managed to get one foot under him enough to kneel on the ground. From there he was able to shakily stand up. V.V. floated to hover above his shoulder in their usual spot. Alex slowly looked around the clearing at the corpses again. The three lizards were not close enough to loot everything at once so he started to hobble towards the first one, only a few feet away. He took two steeps and felt his foot come down on something hard.
Lifting his foot, Alex saw that he had just squished one of his Orbs into the soft soil. He almost bent to pick it up when he remembered that wasn’t necessary. Like curling a numb limb, he felt a needle-like sensation run through his brain. It didn’t hurt necessarily but it was uncomfortable. The Orb slowly rose into the air and settled above his shoulder. Without looking around, he could feel another needling feeling coming from the lizard that had almost torn his arm off a few hours earlier.
He pulled the other Orb back towards him, but he could feel resistance. It felt like he had a foot stuck in mud. He pulled again and he noticed the lizard move! He started to stumble away in shock and sent his one functioning Orb to attack the zombie monster! He managed to stay upright and watched as his Orb slammed into the side of the nightmare beast only for the thing to jiggle a bit. Alex pulled his Orb back a bit and prepared to attack again even though the tingly sensation was worse after he used the Orb to attack. He watched for a few moments that turned into a full minute.
“Alex, is there a reason you are attacking the corpse of the lizard? If you are able, drag the larger corpses to the pile of squirrels and you should be able to loot them all at once.” V.V. said, with a possible hint of confusion in the little things voice.