A metallic smell permeates in the air, while faint morning light comes from the Windows, revealing dust particles flying around and filling the room with orange morning light. As I get up, I immediately look at my surroundings to find out where I am. There are all sorts of utensils in a badly organized manner, most of which I recognize. A plate, a belt, some climbing equipment, boxes, and machetes were laying around, with other things I don’t know what they are nor what they do. Someone put me on a bed, it seems. Not the most comfortable one but good enough I guess. There are bandages on my body, but I still can feel the pain from the wounds.
“health integrity…” I whispered. a panel showed up.
Health Integrity
Physical: 70% Pain and wounds Mental: 70% Major anxiety, major depression, constant stress (-20 to endurance, -60 to willpower, -20 to charisma) Total: 70% Health
Alright, good enough. Guess I should go thank the person who saved me and took care of my wounds now.
Sitting on the bed and slowly getting up, I take some steps towards the door. I can walk just fine so the wounds are mostly healed already. After passing the door, I find myself in a living room with a table, more stuff all over the place, and another door which I proceed to open too, leading to what seems like a store. The left side was the entrance for the customers and a balcony was on the right side, with a statue of a bronze skeleton of sorts standing there as if it were a person. The place seemed better organized than the other rooms but it could use improvement. The statue head turned in my direction. It spoke to me without anything moving on his face.
I now recognize his skull looking mask, I saw it when he saved me before, now I can see some circuits behind it. In his eye sockets, a faint shine of amber is looking at me. His body was like a bronze skeleton but articulated and apparently quite durable.
some words were said by the being in front of me, but I couldn't figure out any of it. While his tone is calm and he did save me, I am uncertain of his intentions. An option to scan hovers above.
SCANNING ENTITY
Name: Unknown Danger level: Unknown Description: Seem to be an android of sorts, scanning shows many parts of different origins on his body, the mental capacity of a human is to be expected. Lore: A shop owner and a savior, or so it seems.
A droid? I don't remember much about them but I have a feeling they shouldn't be capable of fighting and mending wounds like that...
“H-hi… So… Are you the one who saved me? Can you speak my language?” I say in a quiet voice
The droid said a few words gesturing something I couldn’t figure out what it was. seeing the confused look on my face, he motioned me to stay there as he goes around looking for something. He then finds what looks like some sort of small device with a needle in it. He approaches me and gestures for me to insert it into my arm. I make an X with my hands, gesturing I don’t want it and he thumbs up while shaking his head, probably he means it’s safe, but I scan it first to see if I can find anything about it.
SCANNING OBJECT
Name: Unknown Description: this little object seems to be an injection. scanning shows some amount of nanotechnology inside a liquid. Safety: Unknown
“Well, I think I can trust you in that one, after everything I been through. Still, nanomachines are weird, I just hope those are for fixing the body.” I say
Then I took the object and put on my arm. A small sharp pain radiates from the spot as the needle from the object automatically stings me. I feel a little dizzy but other than that, I am okay.
Knowledge module Acquired.
New Skill: Aesiri Level 1 (Basic) Description: The language spoken by those of the regions that used to be from the Aesiri Kingdom. Effects: You can understand some words and also speak them.
“So, you can understand me now?” The droid says
Somehow I can understand, even if he uses different words from my language. It’s like my mind suddenly has a new vocabulary as if I studied a dictionary and memorized the words and how they sound like, but with no fluency of the language.
“Yes… sort of. How is this possible?” I say in Aesiri with some effort.
He laughs in a robotic tone.
“Well, I DO have the best shop in the valley. This beauty you used was a language module, a basic one at that, but should be enough for you to know all the common words now." he says with his arms on his hips, doing a bragging pose.
“I would be surprised but after a giant centipede and Squidcrabs… anything is normal. What may I call you?” I say
“Squidwhat? You can call me Mr. Skelones. And you are?”
“My name… I don’t remember. I woke with some sort of amnesia. squidcrabs… those creatures with one eye, 6 tentacles, 2 claws… And yeah, I woke up in a lab or something in a cave and found them on my way out.” I still have to put some effort into the pronunciation of each word.
“Memory loss is bad, but don’t be so gloomy, you could take the opportunity to start a new life without old worries, just like I did last time I reset my memory.” Mr. Skelones says with his poker face as always, his skull mask making no movement as he speaks
“Yes… maybe you are right. Still, I have no idea what to do or where I am or what day is today and I have so many questions to ask...”
“As for what you should do, perhaps paying me back for those medicines would be a start. I know you don’t have any money, but you do have an interesting artifact there, this light-crystal. Or perhaps you could lend me a hand, as I am in need of an assistant”
A smile forms on my face as I remember that finding work was one of my biggest worries in my few memories of the past. Ironic, isn't it? After all shit I went through, it is here that I find a job opportunity.
“hmm, I will think about it. But, could you answer a few questions of mine? First, the place I woke up, you know what it was? A lab with weird architecture, purple and black, tubes with purple gas too. I actually woke up on some kind of tube of sorts with lots of purple gas inside”
“Odd. Never heard of that kind of ruins in the caves around here. As the reason you were there I have no idea. You must be from far away if you didn’t even know Aesiri huh? We are in the valley of Maedra, not much here except for the village of krosh and my shop, of course. The year is 150 since the fall of the Aesiri, this is how people count them years on the free lands”
As he says the year, I feel some hope leaving me. The hope of going home and finding more about me. This place probably is not the same one I came from. It could be another world, another age… I don't know really, anything is possible.
“yes, I remember the city I lived in was called São Paulo, but I don’t remember much more. I feel those locations are unfamiliar to me." I decide not to tell him the year where I came from was 2030, he could think I am crazy.
"I see. Sorry, I don't know any Sao Paulo, I wish I could help you with that. Still, we can help each other. See, I need to pick up some supplies in Krosh and you need a place to stay, money and food, so I would like you to go bring the stuff here, what do you think? I can answer more questions after that"
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"I would appreciate that… I am in an unfamiliar place and this could give me some stabilization to sort everything out. I am a little afraid of the wolves out there, however."
"Those puppies? Just give them a dose of electricity and they should run away. I can lend you my staff, but we need you to learn how to use it first." He goes behind the balcony, grabs the staff, and shows me some moves. "Here, you activate the electricity similarly to the light-crystal. Just imagine it working and it will work." He says
I grab the staff and immediately scan it.
SCANNING ARTIFACT
Name: Staff of Electricity Description: A staff capable of delivering electric shocks on contact. Symbols are carved on it. Charge: 90%
"Hmm so this delivers electricity on contact. Right? How long does the charge last?"
"A full charge should be enough for about 50 strikes. Use it as a tool to fend off creatures, they are easily scared by the sparks. You need a name before going, so I can ask for you if you get lost."
"I do. I like the name Kali, what do you think? At least until I remember my old one."
"Sure, sounds fine. Here" he says pointing to a map on the wall. "Those are the Mountains you were close, we are here and the village is there, 2 hours of walking."
"Mountains to the south, village to the east, easy enough" I say mostly to myself
"Go by the roads, avoid drawing attention, and come back safely. Also, I got a cloak you can use, your coat was in bad shape. Buy some food and clothes with those coins, should be enough. Ah, take this, we call it health potion, in case you injure yourself. But avoid using it, it’s expensive." He then gives me 30 coins and a small glass vial with a red liquid and some bandages. I place all of it on my belt compartments as nothing was too big.
After preparing myself, the time to leave comes. Outside the store is an unknown world, one full of weird creatures. My leg shakes a little and my heart beats fast, anxiety running on my veins. Yet, the store needs its supplies and I need a place to stay. And a job.
I give Mr. Skelones my goodbyes and venture down the road.
It was odd talking to someone else. The squidcrabs were my only company in that cave for a day, but time felt like much more. I am happy the first person I found was so generous. Maybe this world isn't so bad after all.
I walk by the road for almost an hour. Red and orange leaves fall from time to time, giving an interesting pallet of colors to The road. The vegetation is mostly composed of trees, with few bushes and many dried plants. The only animals I see are colorful birds and the occasional black rubber rabbit with red paws. One time I saw a deer with 6 eyes, looking at me from far away, but I ignored it and kept walking.
Guess I forgot to ask Mr. Skelones about the “rune” option of the menu and about pretty much anything about the world and this interface I have. Maybe a part of me was afraid of him thinking I am from another world or something like this… But maybe he already suspects something is not normal in me.
After another 10 minutes of walking ahead, I start to feel uneasy and look around to see if anything was following me. I turn back as I hear a noise coming from behind, figuring it was just a bird singing weirdly, I turn around to keep going ahead.
As I do, I see a person 4 meters in front of me. Ragged clothes and a knife pointing in my direction.
"Give me all you got, outsider. It's your fault for stealing our jobs, we were born here, not you" I just stand there looking at him. I think I am getting robbed.
"Easy there, I am just passing through, just delivery service, no job-stealing at all haha…" I say to him with my left palm open. I kinda am an outsider and I kinda got a job around here, however, but he does not need to know that.
"You little shit, you don’t know what it’s like…to feel hunger, not eat for days...Give me all you have or I will kill you. I will die if I don’t buy some food!" said the thief.
"Back off. I don't want to fight." As I say that, he jumps on me faster than I could react and stabs his knife into my shoulder, then, he punches me in the face twice. Everything happens so fast that I couldn't react. I need to defend myself or I will be in serious trouble here. Before he gives the third punch, I beat him in his belly with the staff and try to activate the electricity on it, but I fail.
Shit, what should I do now?
He punches me again, hitting me on my lungs and making it hard to breathe. He then uses the opportunity to come closer and grab me, ready to stab my abdomen. I try again to activate the staff, this time electricity running through the thing and both he and I fell the discharge for a second before it goes off, as I was in contact with him. The shock wasn't very strong, but threw us both out of balance, giving me a chance as he distanced himself, probably surprised.
Breathing heavily, he says "The hell?? You one of them mages? I will fucking kill you now" he rushes at me, this time, I swing the staff on his ear, striking him as sparks flew out of the staff, just like Mr. Skelones taught me.
He falls on the ground, not moving. I try to catch some air but I find some resistance as my lungs make a huge effort just to breathe. I smell iron as I feel something hot oozing on my left arm, droplets of blood falling on the earth. My previous wounds hurt too. I look to see if it is safe and then drink the potion Mr. Skelone gave me.
I feel a heat inside me, expanding through my body, making me feel like I was on a fireplace, warm and cozy. My shoulder stops bleeding, the pain lessens a little. I still try to wrap some bandages as the wound is there still, albeit better than before.
I can't believe I did fight back... Maybe I am not so hopeless as I think. It took me quite the effort to do it, but I am not giving up on surviving, not with so many answers to seek.
Notifications await me on the corner of the HUD, but I am not done yet.
The man is still unmoving on the ground, the same way he fell. I scan him.
SCANNING ENTITY
Name: Road Thief Danger level: Unconscious Description: A man who tried to rob you. Scanning shows a low amount of nutrients on his body. His muscles and the previous fight indicates he had military training. If he were in good condition, he likely would be a dangerous individual. State: unconscious. Head concussion.
“shit…” I whisper. The man on the ground probably lost his job and couldn’t get enough money for food and his despair turned him into this. Not that he is innocent, but it’s hard to live without food, without a shelter.
Pressure emanates from my chest, filling me with sorrow. I feel some kind of guilt as I see the man with a concussion on his head, what if he dies? His death would be on me… A living being, a person with his life forfeited by me. I hate this.
Still, there is nothing I could do, I can’t give the few things I have or I would be the one in his situation. I check him with my hands to see if he is breathing, after confirming it, I take his knife, clean it with a piece of his rags and place it on my belt. I take 3 of the mushrooms I took from the cave and place it on his pockets, I hope he survives to eat those.
I move on, I still have a long day ahead of me and can't stop now. As I walk back into the road, I check the notifications on my HUD after looking at the health panel
Health Integrity
Physical: 40% Pain and multiple wounds Mental: 70% Major anxiety, major depression, constant stress (-20 to endurance, -60 to willpower, -20 to charisma) Total: 55% Health
◇New Skill: Staff Mastery Level 1 Description: A usually cheap weapon, yet very versatile and useful. The long-range it gives makes it quite formidable, while still being useful up close. Effects: You are better at defending yourself with the staff. 1% increased damage with staffs
◇Fighting is now level 2◇
◇New rune affinity: Electricity Affinity level: 10%
Hmm… I learned a new skill, improved another, but what is this about rune affinity? I get that it’s probably related to the staff I have, electricity being involved, but what Is a rune? Anyway, maybe this is how much I know how to deal with electricity.
“How odd” I say and then continue to walk the road to the village.
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