Vin's idea of the planet had been deeply impacted by his experience in the swamp. Because he already had such low fancies for that world, he expected nothing from the new lands that awaited him outside the cave.
He stepped from the dark fires with a straight expression and noticed the cave had been high atop a mountain. He advanced to the edge of a cliff and looked outward at a continuous horizon.
It was the start of a day, but a dreary, cloudy gray sky jailed the sun. The dense clouds darkened the land, but that setting was fantastical, like a famous painting. Forests and mountain ranges stretched as far as his eyes could see. Millions of tall trees dyed in profound shades of lavender covered the ground to the point that he could not see the floor beneath the treeline. That place was clearly not of the human Earth; the purple trees were intense like acrylic paint, and his tongue felt sour just looking at them.
Unfamiliar winged creatures soared through the grayed sky, gawking at the beautifully gloomy setting from above, and land species made various sounds from below, giving life to that place.
Vin stood on the cliff's edge with a restless scowl, his nude body adorned by frequent, fresh gusts of wind. It wasn't that he disliked the setting; it was just that he was afraid to accept it too quickly. Beauty is just as much of a trap as one plain-faced, and he wouldn't let that world claim his life again.
He'd sworn to live better, but before that, he had to survive the wilderness of an alien planet. There was a long journey ahead of him, so he didn't stand there and gawk for long. Vin filled his lungs with fresh air, then exhaled and steeled himself for his first real venture. He stepped back and executed several squats and stretches to rouse his new body.
First, he had to climb down the mountain into that picturesque forest. After oiling the cogs of his recently awakened body, he tossed the magic book down first, then turned his face to the mountain face and lowered his bare foot onto the first rock ridge. There were small scatters of peddles and dust, but his foot found a perch.
He wasn't anxious even though he'd only climbed rock walls inside a padded facility. Frustratingly, he knew that confidence wasn't his own. It came from his body, which had been seemingly rebuilt and enhanced by the Phoenix's flames. There was hardly a sting against his fingers as he gripped coarse rocks.
The flaming bird silently hovered above him while he descended the mountain. He climbed in one go with no breaks or mistakes and arrived at the bottom in half an hour. After touching down on land, he caught his unruly breath and wiped the sweat from his face. He was tired, but not as much as he should have been for the amount of work he'd done. He found his dropped Journal, faced the violet forest, and began his trek.
The fullness of the trees above created a different atmosphere on the ground. It was darker, and since the sun was covered by clouds, no rays of light were seeping from the openings of the bushy roof. The floor was covered in colored leaves, bushes, and alien plants that grew happily there without little care.
Mere seconds into his adventure, the Phoenix rushed him from behind, latched onto his shoulder, and yanked him backward. A vein quickly protruded from his forehead, then he yelled, "What the hell!"
The Phoenix dashed down the same path, carrying his sight and anger. The moment it flew a few paces ahead, there was a sudden snap forward from behind one of the large trees. A tall bellflower plant revealed itself from its ambush, the opening of its pedals clasped forward just like jaws, enwrapping any victim too ignorant or slow to avoid it.
Vin glared at it, then clicked his teeth in annoyance at being saved by the thing he cursed. He was also peeved that he had his guard up yet almost died so soon after entering that area.
He straightened, grimaced at the Phoenix, then saltily grumbled, "I won't thank you."
Irked, he turned his attention back to the plant organism and analyzed its appearance and the method it used to try and ensnare him. "It's a plant, but it's large, quick and carnivorous. What is this thing?"
As he concluded, the Journal in his hand vibrated like a phone notification. He figured it'd be harmless, but he wasn't a fan of surprises, so he nonchalantly dropped the book and kicked it away as if it'd understand that he distrusted it.
After teaching it who was boss, he picked up and inspected the Journal. It'd stopped shaking, so he opened the cover and saw one of the plastic, bookmark-like tabs had begun glowing brightly. Before he could touch it, the pages shifted on their own to one of the main tabs.
[World Info:] knowledge pertaining to the planet Auroraan that has been accumulated and publicly documented across all human journals.
[ ]
The Journal halted momentarily, then sped to a sub-section labeled [Plantlife] before it stopped on a page concerning the thing that almost killed him. There was an illustration of the creature, but unlike the map, this one looked hand-drawn. Also, most of the text seemed to have been written by a human in their new language, Earthian.
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[Discovered By:] Q.Q.
[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.
[Name:] Pirana Plant
[Notes:] This plant seems to disguise itself in its surroundings. It clipped my leg when it snapped shut, but luckily, I only have a small cut.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Interesting, my leg is now beginning to go numb. The skin around the wound is quickly turning colors, which may be an infection.
YES, this plant is definitely poisonous. Oh, lord, VERY POISIONOUS.
I can't feel my leg anymore!
[End]
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Vin raised his eyebrows at the bizarre text. The only thing the Journal had auto-filled was the format, which preset the date and layout; the rest was written by the person whose initials were Q.Q.
Vin wondered if every page of the [Plantlife] tab was done similarly and flipped through a couple of random flora and their notes. Many of the following pages were of plants native to Earth, such as roses, cedar trees, and poison ivy. The format was identical, except there was much less terror in the notes, and the authors used their full names instead of initials.
The whole concept seemed very similar to a Wiki or shared database. Vin was impressed that it magically allowed them to share information so easily with Billions of people.
It wasn't his smartphone, but it was pretty interesting. So much so that Vin wanted to add an entry of his own. He roamed to one of the large purple trees and then asked the Journal to save it. Instead, the book flipped to an entry also written by Q.Q.
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[Discovered By:] Q.Q.
[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.
[Name:] Amethyst Tree
[Notes:] It's some sort of mutant variant of the Jacaranda Tree. They only grew in tropical environments on Earth, so this species must only share loose physical relations.
[End]
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Since the tree had already been documented, Vin turned to another plant and tried again but found the same result. He was sure the vegetation he'd seen was unique to the territory he was in, which, in terms, would have been from another world. It was then that Vin had the notion that this Q.Q person may have ended up in the same region as him by whatever pitiful means.
Vin's next attempt was also fruitless, but the fifth allowed him to add an entry. The plant he discovered was small and growing scarcely in a tight space between two bushes.
In any case, once he discovered the plant, he realized there wasn't much to say about it. He touched it, gave it little thought, and then used a fountain pen tied to the Journal to write-
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[Discovered By:] Vin Dance
[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.
[Name: ] Green Bean String
[Notes: ] It's safe to touch.
[End]
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Afterward, ink formed across the bottom of his notes, spelling, [Make Private?]
"No, why would I make it private," he questioned, but he understood just as soon the words left his mouth.
Knowledge was power. Companies keep their apps' code secret because they could profit from it somehow. If someone were to discover something unique, perhaps there would be a way to benefit from or monetize it.
Monetize? That was assuming there was a way to sell data. If possible, there would probably be a page in the Journal. Vin almost delved into another deep dive of information but realized he had been in the same area for minutes. As much as he wanted to continue, he had to travel, so he gradually closed the Journal.
As he did, a pang of desire knawed at him. Vin looked ahead into the forest and then frowned. He hated the idea of traveling while his attention was split, but what were the odds of another Piranha Plant trapping him?
'No, don't be stupid.' His reason outweighed his curiosity, but he did want to wrap up his current chain of questions before moving on.
"Now, currency," he said, commanding the Journal to serve.
Abetting his command, the book flipped to a Sub-Section inside [World Info] labeled [Currency.] Not to his surprise, one of the billions of humans now on Auroraan had already discovered it. Humans had been in that world for less than an hour and were already learning their way around. That was humanity for you.
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[Discovered By:] Cameron Flow
[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.
[Name:] Silver Coin
[Notes:] Im not gon lie to you, I'm sweatin on these quests, I'm already like 7 in. I'm leveling up like crazy and getting strong as hell. last quest gave me 5 of these as an award and im gonna use em to start a guild when that feature is unlocked.
P.S.- Fuck you MacroHard, I'm glad that company is gone. This world is dope.
[End]
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'Maybe it's more of a giant forum than Wiki… I do remember a Quest Tab; let's look r-'
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to halt his train of thought and close the Journal. Enough was enough; he planned to pick up where he left off later.
With his inquires on pause, he continued through the forest. He'd made some progress, but only a few minutes in, he was yanked back again. Vin looked ahead to observe what nearly killed him this time but saw nothing. Not at first, but after squinting carefully, his eyes focused to an incredible extent, and he could see a thin groove above the ground. He threw a rock at the uneven area, and dozens of vine whips sprung up, viciously snatching the air and hauling it into a cavity in the dirt. Vin rubbed both sides of his head, sighing, "I hate this place."
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[New Entry!]
[Discovered By:] Vin Dance
[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.
[Name:] Floor Tentecals
[Notes:] Watch out for any uneven ground in the forest, like something is covering up a hole it dug.
P.S.- If you meet Gavin, Hellen, or Macy Dance, please tell them Vin is alive. Thanks.
[End]
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He returned the book to his side while a sudden gloom threatened him. He couldn't repress how much he missed his family. So much time had passed, and he wondered if they were even the same people he'd known. Were they in good health? Did his Father continue to skate? Did Macy make it to High School? Was his mother able to cope with their sudden separation?
More than that, he was worried about their current status in the new world. They were with the self-appointed leader of Earth, so he'd hoped they'd been somewhere safe, starting a new home, somewhere pleasant where he could rest his head after a very, very long journey.