SAVE POINT 32

Dormouse

…Two things about walking alone in the dark: 1) you're usually scared shitless of every noise and 2) you're left to think too much.

Or seethe.

And, to be real, I thought I was seething too much—or thinking about how I was seething too much. Each annoyed crunch of my boots in the grass only further cemented my rage and self-pity tendencies. Because EmeraldCity_88—that green-haired chunk of monstrosity—created a flying-leopard-winged-thing with forced dragon magic. She flew over all this countryside that was now beating my ass into a sweaty, exhausted and cranky pulp. She flew—probably with the wind in her hair.

But I had to walk 'cause I was being the good person here.

I was being the good person, trying not to destroy the entire, living Game world with darkness, and this was what I got for it?

Story of my life. From where I stood, I finally understood it. The good guy never got thrown a bone. Instead, I got—

Bug bites. I slapped another mosquito away from my neck. Yes, apparently the pesky piranhas were, somehow, programmed exactly wherever I was.

Oh, and another thing I got? A pissed off almost-girlfriend.

No, I reminded myself, Mimi wasn't an 'almost-girlfriend', we’d just had a thing—a thing that I’d thought was a thing…that Maude totally screwed up. Could I stop harassing myself about this?!

Apparently not, I realized with a sigh. I was basically a closet masochist at this point. Grand Dragon, help me. I’d almost been falling in love with Mimi after one night. Shit. This really all WAS a mess.

My head was spinning too fast. If I wasn’t careful, I'd give myself some worry-induced heart attack or something right here—in the middle of this dark trail leading up the craggy mountainside. ...And only animals with sharp fangs would find my despondent body out here, curled on the side of the path—Grand Dragon, why did I think such terrible things?!

I tried to refocus my mind. I'd picked the most likely path to success. The green-haired girl was looking for a dragon. She was probably smart enough to hack into The Game Code and find a map of the place...but probably lazy enough to pick the closest sure-bet.

A town.

With the name 'Dragon' in it.

My money was on she'd be flying straight to the 'Dragon's Sea Town', so that's where I was headed. Money? Betting? —Ha. I didn't bet. I'd have to be lucky for that, and, right now, I couldn't think of an unluckier dude...than me.

Sure, it looked like I had the world at my feet with the arrival of the nerds. They basically worshiped the ground I walked on—especially the girls. There were t-shirts of my face. They all wanted my signature. They'd probably go out on a date with me if I asked but...

But I’d just screwed up every chance I'd ever had with the girl I actually wanted.

Mimi.

I shook my head, my stomach feeling empty and sour and my heart...hurting. Sometimes, you had all the options in the world and, yet, you didn't even care because they weren’t the ones you wanted. This sucked. …Plus, I was kinda wishing, now, that I hadn’t traded my RUN-RUN-AS-FAST-AS-YOU-CAN Enchanted Shoes to that nerd for the breakfast items for Mimi…

I kicked a stone only to instantly stub my toe.

...And it kind of proved my entire, inner, philosophy monologue to me. I clenched my fists at my sides, biting my lip.

Grand Dragon—

I wanted to throw something! I wanted to punch something! I wasn’t the type to usually want to punch something but, today, I wanted to pummel something—

Beat it to a shred. Put my whole fist through a wall.

I wanted something to fight that wasn’t myself—

A twig snapped. I stiffened—stopped. My head flew towards the sound.

...And, then, I checked under the heels of my boots—just in case. And there was no twig there.

Shit.

Shit! Why did I have to wish for stupid shit? Never mind! I backtracked quickly in my mind. Never mind about that fighting thing! I PREFERRED fighting with myself, really—really, I'd rather—

Crack.

Fuck. It was something big. I was in Land Scouts growing up, and I knew something big when I heard it. My mouth zippered shut. My eyes raked the dark rocks rising above me and the tall, silent grass to my side. What could be hiding in there? The stars twinkled overhead like this all might be smoothed over and forgotten like a dream if I just let myself sit and stare at their wonder for a few minutes. But I’d grown up here. I knew the terrors that could lurk in pitch darkness—the beasts. Still—I told myself and my shuttering heartbeat—it could be a rabbit.

A big rabbit.

Overweight?

Too many carrots?

It was feeling more and more unlikely as my hands scrabbled for some type of weapon. This long stick would do, but I didn't have any time to sharpen the dull end. I white-knuckle gripped it in front of me like a spear. There was also a medium-sized rock on the ledge above me, if I could just reach it—

What was I doing?

Shock apparently had diluted all of my survival instincts. I didn't need weapons. I only needed to manipulate the Code. My shaking fingers dropped the wood staff, flying in the air to bring up the interface.

[System Interface Activated…]

[Input Code:]

Oh my gosh, why didn't I think of this before? Maybe I could turn on a light or something and see what I was dealing with or scare it away...

I was sweating. That was far too obvious. I swiped an arm across my damp forehead, trying to keep the soaked ends of my dark hair from obliterating my vision as I peered at the numbers I could barely see in the darkness.

[Setting Options:]

[System]

My eyes swept over the interface as I selected ‘System’.

[Display]

There had to be a brightness function. Everything had a brightness function...

My eyes scanned the lists while my ears scanned the night.

Silence.

It was only making me sweat more.

[Color]

[Scale & Layout]

[Resolution]

[Night Vision]

Night vision? Hell yeah. How did I not know this was an option?! I quickly pressed 'enter' to toggle it—

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

[System Alert: Night Vision System Option Activated.]

SHIT.

And nearly soiled myself.

Because the world lit up in neon greens and blues—the largest of which was two, enormous eyes, blinking at me through the grass. A mouth below them opened, showing jagged rows of sharp teeth.

A Quesi Abarinx?

A Mazhin?

What the fuck was it?!

“System, what is that thing?!” I squeaked, not having to hide the utter terror in my voice from the computer system; the last word was on an entirely different pitch than the first.

[System Understands Query…Loading Response…]

I scrabbled backwards, momentarily forgetting all combat training except for the obvious: 'get yourself away from the enemy'. I was hyperventilating. My rapid breaths seized. Oh Grand Dragon, maybe I was right about that heart attack. How the heck was I going to kill this thing before it took a nerd-boy-sized chunk out of me?!

It was advancing. Its giant, panther-like body, crouched low—muscles rippling under black fur shimmering wickedly in the moonlight and the glow of the night vision. It folded enormous, ebony, angel wings above its back.

Wait? It was one of those things—the creature EmeraldCity_88 rode off on? Some sort of winged leopard... The system beeped as confirmation flashed into view in the form of a monster manual sheet:

[System Answer: The Beast is a Jagwindo, Beast 3. Hardly Typically Aggressive On Their Own, But The Sheer Size of The Beast Can Cause Damage. Paired With Sharp Claws And Teeth And It’s Nature To Herd With Others, They Can Be Deadly Loyal To Whoever They Consider Part of Their Pack. Distinctive Features Include A Massive Wingspan And Shiney, Black Coat, With or Without Spots.

STRENGTHS: Strong And Loyal Beyond The Point of Intelligence, Very Strong When Combined With Others Of Its Kind. Good Bite And Claw Damage. WEAKNESSES: Easily Distracted, Playful And Often Forgetful.]

NAME

JAGWINDO

CLASS & LEVEL, SIZE

BEAST 3, MEDIUM TO LARGE

HP

68/68

Armor Class

15/20

ABILITIES /20

Strength

+4

19

Agility

+0

11

Endurance

+2

15

Intelligence

-2

7

Awareness

+0

9

Presence

+2

13

The words and numbers made my mouth dry. Holy Hannah. I was rusty. How the heck was I going to fight this thing?!

Its paws slinked forward, its eyes narrowed, ready to—

It pounced.

My fingers flailed in the air for the Code, but my mind delayed any sort of action too long.

And the beast hit me. Solid fur met skin. It was so much bigger and heavier—

[-3 HP, 118/150]

I went flying, skidding out like a doll on a wood floor.

Dirt and grass seared at my back. The crown of my head rammed into something hard. The world swam as my HP took a blow.

[-10 HP, 108/150]

No, no keep consciousness, I begged myself, trying to right the world like a fishbowl teetering off a desk. If I passed out here, the big cat would eat me. I HAD to stay awake.

The world leveled. I was vaguely aware of my heart beating in my ears and the ragged breaths scrapping up my chest as I struggled to sit up. Ow. I rubbed at my head, bringing my blurry hand up into wavering vision.

There was blood.

On my hand.

Arm.

I saw a red drip on my cheek—more?

I brushed it away.

Because I had bigger concerns. My body thrummed with fear as I hoisted myself upward and onto aching feet—crouching.

The dark beast was laid out only a few feet away, its back facing me, and its head lolled to the side like its wings. I couldn't tell, even with the night vision, if the thing's glossy coat was moving up and down...breathing...

I crept forward, everything in me screaming how this was a bad idea.

Was it...dead?

A shield and magnifying glass icon bobbed over its tongue, lolling out of its mouth. Shit. I was going to have to examine it?

“Examine,” I whispered, scared to even hear the tone of my own voice.

[System Object Examined… +1 XP, 1460/1500]

[A Closer Look Makes You Realize You Are Going To Have To Do A Manual Check To See If The Beast Is Still Alive.]

Really? Manual check?? I squinted at the words, annoyance coursing through me down to clenched fists. System, you really couldn’t throw me a bone right now?! But I dismissed the text and bit the inside of my lip. Okay…challenge fucking accepted then, System.

I leaned further, placing a closed-fingered palm in front of its nose to see if I felt any—

Hot air.

Rushing. Shit!

I tripped backwards.

The beast jumped up—

If you got up first, do I still win at playing dead?

A boyish voice giggled in my head.

Wait a sec…a voice…in my head…was it coming from—? The system beeped as neon words popped into view:

[System Reward: Congratulations, You Have Been Awarded A New Skill By FIASCO, JAGWINDOW, BEAST 3 +5 XP, 1465/1500

BIG CAT LANGUAGE: Allows A Gamer To Understand And Talk To Cat-Like Beasts.]

I balked at the creature who stood there openly: wide eyes, swishing, expectant tail...almost like a golden retriever...

It wasn’t—it wasn’t going to eat me? It thought we were—playing? Maybe I really did hit my head. I grabbed for the wound and turned to run—

Wait!

The leopard whined—a high-pitched, saddest-thing-you've-ever-heard plea.

I couldn't believe I was doing this. I wasn’t doing this. What was wrong with me—

I turned back around to face its beseeching, yellow eyes. The high grass around us seemed more like a fence than anything else. Was I really willingly trapping myself with this move?

Please wait. No one will be my friend. I wanted to be friends with the green-haired lady, but she said I'm a failure. My creator said I'm a failure. I think that's bad.

Its tail stopped swishing like the thought was really bothering it.

My breath hitched in my throat. Green-haired lady? EmeraldCity? This animal had seen EmeraldCity? Maybe it could help me find her—

"When did you last see the green-haired lady?" I prodded, "Do you know where she was headed?"

The animal’s black-velvet ears perked excitedly.

Oh! I know the answers to these questions! Does it mean we can be friends? I'm a good friend! Plus, I know how to roll over and fetch. I even scoop my own poops.

It added proudly.

I had to chuckle a little at that. All the fight that’d been clenching my body left me with a whoosh. The thing was harmless. This blood on me was probably from hitting the base of the mountains. I wiped it distractedly on my pants.

Oh! I will tell you what I know. The green-haired lady created me. I'm number 333 which is a lucky number, I think. She commanded we all follow her west—whatever that means. There were so many of us that the sky was black. But I fell behind. And she yelled at me, but she gave me a new name, Fiasco. And she said it kind of yellingly, but I think it's good to have a new name, isn't it?

The spotted leopard plopped its back haunches down in the dirt, shaking it’s huge head. Its eyes locked on mine again as it spoke in my mind.

I would like a pet now. And, if you have any treats, I like those too.

I bust out in a smile, feeling relief overwhelm my veins. "I don't have any treats, but I'd give you one if I could," I told it. I can do the pat."

And I moved forward and rubbed my hand cautiously over the beast's silken head. Except its fur was so soft that I lost myself in the gesture a little. I widened the motion, rubbing along its spine and chest. The huge thing purred, surprising me by gleefully rolling onto its back, feet ballooning up in the air like a housecat.

Oh, you are a good petter.

It told me, which made me chuckle again. I enveloped my fingers in the soft, dark hair of its chest, pausing to read the black, leather collar I'd just realize was fastened around its neck. There was a plague. I squinted at it:

'Jagwindo #333'

Hmmm. Emerald City really was making a flock of these things? She'd probably used enough forced dragon magic to break the entire world again.

I reached to rub behind the thing's wings when—when it hit me that this panther thing wasn't just a surprise...he was a gift.

"Wait, you can fly, right?" I asked it, my voice hitching with nerves that I couldn't believe were hitting me just now.

The leopard rolled over, righting itself again and shaking out its huge wings. Its yellow eyes were so close.

Yes. Yes, I am good at flying.

"You can carry—a person?" I clarified.

I've never tried, but I will if you'll be my friend.

The beast's huge eyes blinked at me, waiting expectantly. Friend. All this poor thing wanted was a friend?

"I'll be your friend," I vowed solemnly, extending a hand for a handshake that I’d just now realized the creature could never give me.

But I felt something wet and looked down to find its huge tongue licking my fingers. I yanked them back, grinning, "Ew, that tickles!"

Friend!

The Jagwindo squealed happily.

My first friend!

But we were feeling different emotions, because I was gazing up into the pitch-black sky that looked even more ominous than it had fifteen minutes ago.

“What’s the GDP at now, System?” I murmured under my breath.

[System Understands Query…Loading Response…]

[GDP – 65/100]

Damn, it’d gone up since I’d left the nerd camp. Of course, it’d gone up with all those idiots forcing dragon magic and the green-haired moron on the loose. If only they knew what they were doing…

I stared up into the stars, my thin lips creasing into a nervous line. Where was EmeraldCity_88? Would I be able to find her before she destroyed everything?