“Uff. They’re definitely getting bigger.” Dmitriy called out as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His forehead was glistening beneath his short cut blonde hair. He was holding a sturdy looking stick filed down to a point on one end, swinging it down in short, brusk movements in an attempt to get some of the blood off. “But I’ve hunted far more dangerous prey in the Siberian forests. Wolves, the size of bears!”, he said with a proud grin while puffing out his chest. At his feet lay the bloody remains of an oversized rabbit with a disproportionately large head and vicious looking teeth.
“Yeah, that’s a big one alright. But still no match for your boots and mighty stick!” Dericka called back, beaming at him with a bright smile. She felt grateful to have him in their group, dependable and so refreshingly straightforward that he was nice to be around, even in these awful circumstances. It might be an act, but even if it was, his stalwartness provided some form of reassurance that everyone needed.
She swiped her sweaty black hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear as she took her time to look around. The green colors of the meadow looked especially striking in the evening sun. There were massive plants dotted throughout the hilly grassland, evenly spaced in a strangely symmetrical way. They had a long trunk covered by thick bunches of leaves with sharp needles along the branches. Tasha had taken to calling them ‘bushtrees’ and the name had stuck. She noticed the short woman sitting cross-legged on the ground, bent over and fiddling with something again.
“Oh merciful Jesus, not rabbit again. If we don’t find some vegetables soon, my skin is going to just shrivel up and fall off. I’m ready to trade my sneakers for some goddamn Vitamin C!”
It was Kobe’s voice, unmistakably loud and bright. The fit dark-skinned man was jogging down a small hill, his stylish beige t-shirt and fine-cut chinos looking remarkably clean compared to the rest of the group. He was also holding a pointed stick, using it to ease his descent, stepping carefully so as not to slip, even though it hadn’t rained at all since they’d been sent here.
“Why would Dmitriy want your puny shoes when he has these strong boots? Besides, rabbits are good for you, very high in protein.”
“They’re limited edition..” Kobe replied weakly. Dmitriy just snorted in response.
“Found anything new?” Dericka asked as Kobe walked up to her.
“Just more of the same for about an hour’s walk, then the hills suddenly flatten out and the grass transitions into what I think is a massive wheat field. I didn’t get too close. From the way the stalks were moving in certain areas, safe to say there are more critters in there. We should probably go back with a small group to see if we can get a sense of the threat level there.”
Dericka nodded slowly, taking a moment to update her mental map of the surrounding area. So far, their options for striking out would be a swamp to the east, a forest to the south or the wheat field to the west. They hadn’t yet found an easy way to cross the river next to their campsite to be able to head north. The swamp was least appealing, for obvious reasons, but they still had no sense of the threat levels in each area. From what they were told in the Tutorial, they should have started in a light green zone, but that could border anything from another light green to a dark yellow, and they had no way of telling the difference. The only way to know for sure, would be for someone to save up 100 Value to purchase a map.
“What’s the Murder Rabbit count for today Dmitriy?” She asked the large man.
“Only 3 for today, but the bigger one gave 2 Value, so I’m up to 17 now.” Dmitry said with a satisfied grin.
“As expected of our mighty warrior!” She said with a confident smile, suppressing a pang of worry. She’d only gathered 8 Value herself. Clearly, killing rabid animals was not her strong suit. At this rate, they would still be grinding here for weeks. Perhaps Sato was right in saying they’d be better off spending their points immediately on physical empowerment and using that increase in Strength to kill more dangerous animals. It would significantly increase their risk though, and despite the short time spent together, she already felt protective of these people.
Saving up for a map and striking out together might be the smart move, but people weren’t thinking clearly. Many had been split from their loved ones and wanted to go out and find them as soon as possible. Everyone was dealing with the fact that their world had been shattered. It was only human to feel anger and denial in this mad situation. One of their group, a strong headed woman, had already decided to go off on her own, despite all their attempts to convince her otherwise. Dericka would do her best at least to keep the other people from making rash decisions and endangering themselves.
They agreed to head back, moving northeast across the hills. Dmitriy was walking in front, loudly talking to nobody in particular, about a time when he’d wrestled a bear. Dericka zoned him out, focusing instead on the conversation Kobe and Tasha were having behind her.
“Biggest thing I’ve wrestled with is my student debt. At least that’s gone now, along with everything else.” Kobe said, getting a chuckle out of Tasha.
“Yeah. Focusing on the positives is a good mindset I guess. Maybe that’s what’s helping you adapt so quickly?”
Kobe shrugged. “It doesn’t feel like I’m adapting well. There’s plenty I hate about this place. Stabbing rabbits is easy enough, but what I wouldn’t give for a night in a fancy hotel.”
He paused briefly as they crossed another hill, weaving between bush-trees as the grass and moss rustled softly beneath their feet.
“So what’s up with that bunch of leaves you’re carrying, planning to spice up our stew?” He asked.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Wait so you don’t think they’re edible? Then why’d you bring the stuff along?”
“Well they might be edible, but the leaves are so tough and fibrous they’d probably be hard to digest. They might have some medicinal qualities though.” Tasha answered, speaking softly with a slight mumble.
“Oh really, what makes you think that? Actually, you think they could be used for skincare?”
“I don’t know, they smell kind of herby and medicinal to me. I’ve tried rubbing them on my skin and there’s no irritation, so I’m hoping they’re not poisonous. But it looks nothing like aloe vera.”
“I see.. Um, what did you say you did for work before?”
“I did lab work, mostly. I guess you could say I was a chemist.”
“Cool. Well, a bit of herbal tea sounds great too, let me know how it goes down.”
“Tea would be great, but we don’t even have a kettle, remember? No, I’m planning to dry these puppies out by the fire, then wrap ‘em up and smoke ‘em.”
When she heard that, Dericka let out a silent sigh and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. They’d run into Tasha and a few of the others on the third day after the Tutorial. She’d noticed the young woman’s sunken eyes and pale skin, but had initially put it down to the lack of sleep and the horrible experiences they’d all been going through. This was the second time that the woman would be trying to smoke unknown plants. The second time that she knew of, at least.
Dericka was pulled out of her musing by a sudden scream. She swung around and spotted a fast moving blur in the corner of her eye. A Murder Rabbit had shot out from one of the bushtrees and gone straight for Tasha, who’d flinched back and stumbled across a rock, losing her balance. Kobe was right beside her and reacted quickly, lunging forward and snapping out his right leg, striking the rabbit in its side with a dull thump. The creature rolled across the ground, then quickly got up and turned to him, but he was already on top of it. Kobe didn’t hesitate to stab it with his stick, leaning into it with his full weight to pierce through and hold it down as the creature bled out. Tasha stared at it, shock plain on her face, as the Murder Rabbit pawed at the ground and wildly bit at the stick with rage filled red eyes until it finally went still.
“It’s like they’re all infected with rabies or something.” Tasha said quietly.
“It’s like the nice lady from the onboarding said, unintended effects of the empowerment process. Most of the wildlife will be like that. Don’t worry, we got your back. Good catch, Kobe!” Dmitriy said with a smile, clapping the other man on the back.
Kobe and Dericka exchanged a knowing look, sharing the same skepticism about some of the information they’d been given in the Tutorial, but now was not the right time to talk about.
Tasha plopped down on the grass and pulled out a cigarette and lighter, having some difficulties getting it lit. Dericka looked at her with concern, knowing it was one of her last. It was obvious how Tasha’s hands were shaking. She walked up and put her hand on Tasha’s shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.
“Are you alright?” Dericka asked softly.
“Yeah I’ll be fine, just give me a minute.” Tasha said.
Having finished her cigarette, Tasha finally got up, awkwardly thanked Kobe for the save, and they continued their walk in silence, carefully monitoring their surroundings.
After about an hour’s walk, they finally came up to their small campsite, located close to the bend of a large river. Dericka could faintly hear the flow of water as they approached. The small gathering of crude shelters, built with just sticks and leaves, looked better from a distance. Up close, it looked like it would be blown away by a strong breeze. They’d been lucky with the weather so far.
There were a few people, mostly elderly and children, sitting around the firepit. Barely any conversation could be heard from that group, except for the children nagging that they were hungry. None of them were screaming at each other and nobody was crying today. Dericka decided to take that as a sign of progress, remembering the first days when most people were in hysterics and she was trying unsuccessfully to calm them down. The faces of the elderly still looked downcast and grim, though a few looked up and gave a polite smile as they spotted her. Some of them had wounds on their legs that were roughly bandaged with torn pieces of clothing. As Dericka greeted the group by the fire, two young girls ran up to her.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Dericka! Did you have a good adventure today? Tell us what you saw!” They pulled at her pants as they insisted on a report.
“Hi girls! We sure did have an adventure. Kobe spotted a golden field of wheat, stretching all the way until the horizon! We also ran into some of the evil rabbits, but they were no match for our strong Dmitriy!”
The girls made appreciative noises and peppered Dericka with more questions. It made her laugh as she shared some of the events of the day. The kids were genuinely excited. It didn’t take much to make them happy.
“Jim said he found a nice forest and that he might take us there soon!” One of the girls exclaimed.
“Oh is that so? How exciting!” Dericka said, looking around and spotting four middle aged men huddled together away from the fire pit, closer to the river, talking quietly amongst themselves.
After a few moments to appease the girls and disentangle herself, she straightened her back and walked up to the men with a confident smile. They stopped talking as they saw her approaching. Not a good sign.
“Hey guys, hope things went well today? Find anything new to the southeast?” She asked with a relaxed smile, making eye contact with each of the men in turn.
Jim, a short and slightly overweight man spoke first, nodding.
“Yep. Forest thins out quite a bit towards the swamp. Easier to see, spot anything that’s comin’ at ya. Trees look different there as well, less thick, and we could see some bugs and what might’ve been a damn big squirrel. So we got to thinkin’, that area might just be the right shade of green, with the thicker parts of the forest being more dangerous.”
The other men were nodding along and one of them spoke up next, a slightly older man with Asian roots.
“It looks promising indeed. We’re planning to explore it further tomorrow to get a better sense of the threat level. If the animals are manageable, we’ll want to consider striking out in that direction.”
Dericka thought the idea was reckless, but she knew that if she challenged them directly, they would most likely dig in their heels. She had to be smart about this. If these five men left, their group would consist mainly of women, children and elderly, Kobe and Dmitriy being the only exceptions. It grated at her to admit it, but physical strength mattered in this new environment. The group as a whole would be safer if they all stuck together.
“You’re really brave, going into unknown territory like that, Sato. Wouldn’t it be dangerous, if it’s dark green or even yellow? During the Tutorial they clearly said the level of danger rises quickly from one level to the next.”
There was a dismissive snort from one of the other men in the group. “I’m not scared of some rabbits and squirrels.”
She ignored the comment, continuing to look at Sato who slightly pursed his lips before speaking.
“We haven’t seen anything life-threatening so far. Anyway, this is a different world, Dericka. We have to be ready to take some risks. We’ll fall behind if we just sit here, killing a handful of rabbits each day. We need to be empowering ourselves exactly so that we can deal with more dangerous animals. Hunting the larger ones will get us more Value, so that we can get the things we need.” Sato answered.
“I just keep thinkin’ ‘bout my daughter, Dericka. She’s out there somewhere. I need to find her. How can I just sit here when she might be in danger? It’s driving me crazy.” Jim interjected, voice heavy with emotion.
Dericka swallowed, feeling a swell of empathy in her chest. His daughter was sixteen, old enough to have been sent out alone. She stepped closer, put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes with a kind smile. “I know, Jim. We all want to help you find her. Others are looking for their loved ones, too. I just think it’ll be safer if we do it as a group. As a team.”
She thought Jim would respond well to that, having gotten along well with the group and striking her as a team player. Sato gave the impression of being more individualistic, having barely spoken with most of the group. He’d be more likely to be swayed by rational arguments.
“You’re right.” She continued, turning to Sato. “We will need to get stronger, and perhaps we need to consider taking more risks. But right now, we just have no idea where we are. We don’t know in which direction we might find more people, or where there’ll be dangerous creatures. We’d be striking out blindly, unsure of threat levels. With a map, we’d be able to take smarter, more calculated risks.”
He mulled that over for a few seconds, tilting his head left and right as if he were weighing the arguments.
“Fair point, but I think we’re not entirely blind. We know from the Tutorial that people are not teleported at random, usually staying close to their original location. As the planet was made larger, we can’t be sure about the distances involved, but I’d been driving home from work and was nearly there. I might find my wife in the next closest light green zone which could be within a few days of travel.”
She paused, looking back to the firepit. Perhaps an appeal to his sense of responsibility?
“It’s also not just about us, you know. What will happen to the weaker members, if our strongest get wounded or worse, out in a far away forest? There’s safety in numbers.”
She sighed as she looked at their faces. Jim looked conflicted, mulling things over. The other two men were looking at Sato, whose expression was as determined as ever.
“I intend to ensure the safety of my family and myself first, before I think about other people.” Sato said, his unwavering gaze leaving no doubt that he wouldn’t be moved from that position.
Dericka cursed inwardly as she nodded in understanding. She should have known that was going to backfire. This was the closest he’d come to stating outright that he was prepared to leave the group behind. One final attempt then, emphasizing the value that the group would bring to him.
“I respect your dedication to your family. But the fact remains that you’ll find her a lot faster with a map. It might make all the difference. Why don’t we think of a split of responsibilities that works for everyone? Not every single person needs to be saving up for the map, since we anyway can’t bundle Value together for a joint purchase.
Some people could focus on getting stronger, while others save up for the map and other items that will be useful for the whole group.”
Watching carefully, she noticed how his brows lifted slightly as his eyes looked up and to the left, imagining how it would work, realizing the potential benefits. The idea of having others pay for items that he needed so that he could invest fully in himself was too attractive to ignore. It wouldn’t be bad for the group either. Not everyone was suited to killing animals every day.
Dericka looked back at the firepit with a smile.
“Why don’t we sleep on it and revisit the topic tomorrow? It’s time for dinner now. I’m sure you’re starving after a long day of exploring.”
The men nodded, looking thoughtful, and followed her back to the firepit. Kobe and two of the elderly had gone to skin and clean the two rabbits by the river, and were already on their way back. Actually, looking closer, she noticed that the elderly were holding the rabbit carcasses, while Kobe was holding his wet sneakers. They looked like new again. He must have gone to clean off the grass stains. She shook her head with a fond smile as she went to settle down by the fire.
Several people tried to engage her in conversation over dinner, but Dericka just nodded and gave short answers, lost in thought.
Would this be enough? Or would things start falling apart? The group had come together and bonded so quickly, due to the shared trauma of the Tutorial.
The feelings of dissonance, shock and disbelief came back for a moment, as she recalled being alone in that clinical white room while the artificial image of a woman explained how their old world was gone. She remembered the building horror she’d felt as the projection tried to talk her through textbook exercises of mourning and acceptance, with facial expressions that were always just slightly off. It was like being trapped by a group of psychopaths, who had some ulterior motives that she couldn’t yet grasp.
Then, after a long and exhausting info dump about things like Skills and Stats and Abilities and Potential Energy, they had all been unceremoniously plopped somewhere in the starter zone, alone, without food or tools. The zone was large enough that it had taken most of them over a day to find other people. It was a small blessing that children below the age of fifteen would never be sent out alone, and the two girls had been paired up with their mothers. Dericka shuddered as she thought of what would happen to a child alone out here.
She’d been attacked by a Murder Rabbit within the first hour of appearing here. They had all been warned about the aggressive wildlife, but it was still a complete shock to see the enraged creatures coming straight for you, with no regard for their own safety. She’d been lucky to escape with only a few scratches, having managed to push it down and stand on its neck until it suffocated.
It had been five days since that jarring experience. Everyone had been elated to see other people and realize that they hadn’t gone insane, that they’d all shared the same horrible experience. Now, the men were already getting impatient. Dericka hadn’t expected cracks to show this quickly, but it wasn’t too surprising. Everyone had loved ones they’d been separated from. She didn’t have a lot of family left, and they lived far away, so they wouldn’t be anywhere near here. Tasha and Dmitriy were in the same situation, but she wasn’t sure about Kobe. He hadn’t been willing to share much about his personal situation yet. Dericka did have close friends in the city and hoped she’d be able to find them again. But for now, her first priority was to keep herself and the people around her safe.
The best chance of that, as she’d repeatedly told anyone who cared to listen, would be to purchase a map. The map would not only show them the threat levels of the zones bordering their own, but it would also point them in the direction of a stationary MAFT. The teleportation focals would be the best way to get access to cheap goods, offering massive discounts on mundane items. The mobile version was very expensive, so these fixed totems would be an obvious place for people to congregate. Dericka nodded to herself. This was still the best way forward. Take it slow and steady for now, and move out when they were ready and had a clear goal. She would keep working on Sato and his group until they came around to her perspective.
Feeling like she had some mental clarity, Dericka settled in near the firepit to get some sleep. Most people had gone to lie down on the bunches of leaves they were using as beds. She could already hear some snores, and thought she could make out the sound of someone nearby quietly sobbing, but was simply too exhausted to care.
Dericka awoke that night to panicked screams and shouts. Scrambling up from her position in the grass by the fire, Dericka grabbed her stick and ran towards the source of the sound. A large figure was struggling with something, but it was hard to see in the darkness. In the faded fire light, she could just make out a large figure, throwing something to the ground and could then hear the repeated stomping of boots followed by a cracking sound. It was Dmitriy, she could tell by his size and him grunting and spitting out Russian curses.
“Urgh. Pizdec. Die. You. Filthy. Demon!” Each word was punctuated by a furious stomp of his army boot. He must have been satisfied the creature wasn’t moving anymore as he then bent over, panting hard. Dericka ran up to him to check if he was hurt.
“Dmitriy! What happened? Are you okay?”
“Dericka? Is that you? I am fine, just some cowardly creatures that snuck up on us while we were resting. No need to worry, my trusty boots took care of them.”
There were more panicked sounds and people running around, trying to find out what happened. Another man, she thought it was one of the elderly called Robert, was lying close by. She hadn’t noticed him before through the other noise, but he was clearly huffing and grunting with pain. “Argh. Darn thing got me good. Burns like hell!”
After some more shouting, they managed to calm people down and moved closer to the fire to assess the damage. Robert had been bitten in his calf while sleeping, and Dmitriy had taken two bites to his right forearm while pulling the creatures off and stomping them to death. Dericka tried to help as best she could, but there was not much they could do for now except to clean the wounds. Nobody had any medical supplies. The wounds were relatively small, hopefully not needing any stitches.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a scratch. I’ve had much worse.” Dmitriy grinned at her in the firelight.
“After we get the map, I will spend many points on durability. These weak insects will not even be able to break my skin anymore. You will see.” He spoke loudly, with his usual bravado, but she could tell by the tightness around his eyes and his clenched jaw that he must be suffering.
Someone thought to drag the culprits over. The creatures looked similar to a centipede, with overlapping plates of chitin and many limbs sticking out the sides. Only, these critters were about as thick as a child’s arm and twice as long. Instead of insect feet, their small limbs looked more like fins.
“They’re still wet. Must have crawled out of the river.” Tasha said quietly. She was already bent over one of the centipedes in investigation.
Most of the other people settled down by the fire. The mood was somber, people looking over their shoulders anxiously, or staring glassy-eyed into the fire, with just a few whispered conversations taking place. The first light of dawn was already appearing and nobody felt like going back to sleep.
Dericka felt resigned, knowing there would have to be some tough conversations tomorrow. They’d had a few Murder Rabbits attacking their campsite during the night before, which is why they always had two people on watch, but nothing had ever come from the direction of the river. That was supposed to be the safe side, so most people had settled between the firepit and the water. People might feel more inclined to move camp. That could even be a smart decision, but she was just too exhausted to think about it at the moment.
The sun wasn’t even halfway to its zenith when the first arguments started.