The white cold flecks of snow drew my attention as I stepped out between two tall evergreen trees. The falling snow blocked out anything beyond five feet in front of me. I shivered, pulling the wool coat tighter around me and doing up the buttons on the front. The end of the coat hit my mid thigh. In one pocket I found a dark green knitted hat. I shoved it on my head, pulling it down over my ears. I wished I hadn't worn jeans, but there wasn't anything I could do about that now.

Diver Name: Alex

Level: Two

Strength: Average

Dexterity: Higher than average

Constitution: Higher than average

Intelligence: Average

Wisdom: Average

Charisma: Average

Inventory:

Hammer

"Choose one item to help you on your journey," said a crisp voice from between the trees. Even looking closely at where the voice seemed to be, I couldn’t see anyone standing there, just like on the first dive I'd gone on.

Floating in the air like options in a video game were three items. The first was a pair of leather boots that laced up the front. The second was a leather coat, and the third a long knife.

I glanced at my inventory, surprised to find the hammer still there. It looked the same from the last dive. The metal hammer was a dark green, with one side like a normal hammer while the other came to a long sharp point. Since I had no idea how to use a knife, especially a long one, that was out, especially since I had gotten some practice with the hammer.

That left the coat, which I skipped over for the moment, and the boots. I selected the boots to get a better look at them. They were made of a dark, supple leather, with hooks going up the front that the laces switched back and forth up. The soles were in great shape and the boots would go all the way up to my knees.

Currently, I had on the pair of sneakers I’d used in the jungle from the last dive. They wouldn't be worth much in the snow. Given that, I went with the leather boots, not even bothering to look at the coat. The other items vanished. Frostbite wasn't anything to play games with. It took a few moments of sitting on a stump that was next to the trees to get the boots on and laced up. The shoes I tossed into my inventory, not wanting to leave them behind.

Once I stood back up, I waited for the next set of instructions. Panic built as nothing happened. "What's my quest?" Again nothing.

What the heck was I supposed to do here? Last time, I’d been in the jungle, looking for something to cure poison. Yet, as I thought about it, that had come from the song. This time the song wasn't playing in the background, but I knew it pretty well. My mind raced, trying to remember the lyrics. "Something about a pack, and strawberries on the snow," I mumbled to myself.

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I wasn't going to stand around here shivering, so I took a step forward. The thick white snow that had been falling cleared for the most part, revealing a landscape covered in snow, more trees, and several sets of footprints. Thick clouds covered the sky, and a little snow fell here and there, but it wasn't accumulating. I shrugged and set off in the direction of the footprints, keeping my eyes open for anything else that was out of the ordinary. More trees sprung up around me, with the narrow path leading through them.

The footprints in the snow were old, the edges frozen and hard. It didn't take long for me to warm up, which was a relief. I kept my hands in the pockets of my coat, ready at any sign of danger to grab out the hammer. Snow-covered branches reached out from the trunks, blocking my view in most directions. The air barely moved, but it was crisp and clean with a hint of pine. Nothing moved within the trees, no squirrels or birds. The quiet was unnerving, only broken by my breath and the crunch of snow under my feet. In any other situation, this would be a winter wonderland. I could almost pretend I was going to go cut down a Christmas tree.

The first sign of trouble came from a large lump in the snowy landscape, in the distance between two trees.

"Is that a body?" I whispered to myself as I approached the small clearing the trail went through. A tag appeared over their head as I got closer.

Harold, Level 1.

A layer of snow covered them, but it was clear at least two sets of footprints went to this location. The ground became all tramped and I couldn't tell what had happened. This diver must have died here, though I had little idea what from. Ice covered his body, and brushing the snow off revealed nothing I could identify.

For the first time, I glanced back in the direction I had come toward the trees I'd already gone through. I wrapped my arms around myself tighter before taking a deep breath of the cold air. I had to keep going, and I still didn't know what I even had to do. Shaking my head, I continued to follow the footprints away from the entrance and the body.

I kept glancing at the trees surrounding me, glancing down at the footprints only to try to see how many sets there were. After a few dozen yards, I couldn't help but glance back toward the body, but trees already blocked it from view. That made it easier to pretend this was just a walk in the woods. All I had to go on were the repeating lyrics I vaguely remembered.

Focusing on the steps, I noticed when the trail widened, and I paused. There were at least two sets I was still following. That meant there had to be at least two people in here, or two bodies, left for me to find. The forest continued on and I kept walking. A tight turn around a larger tree brought me to a halt, and I almost screamed in shock. I bit down on my lip to keep from making a sound.

Fennel, Level 2.

Unlike Harold, It was clear to see how Fennel had died. Frozen red traces of blood splatter covered his head. I moved closer, unable to help myself. I couldn't see his face, since he was face down in the snow, and I wasn't going to roll him over. He had on a hoodie and jeans, but I couldn't tell how old he was from only his back. Still, he was my level; whatever had taken him out was still out there, somewhere.

Do you want to loot the body?

I stumbled back as the message appeared in front of my eyes. "Yes." Given the situation, I didn't think the diver would mind. Two items appeared in my inventory: a long knife and a lighter. The knife was the same one that I hadn't taken in the beginning, but the lighter hadn't been an option. The side of it had a record on it, but I couldn't make out anything more than that. I rubbed it on the coat, trying to see what it said but it was too dark to make out.

"Wait, what?"

The sky had gotten darker, and I hadn't even noticed. I quickly stood up and tossed the lighter back into my inventory. I had to find a place to hole up for the night, either under one of the larger evergreen trees close to the trunk, or something better.

The footprints were harder to see in the lower light, but I hastened down the trail. I kept my eyes peeled for one of the bigger trees, wondering how long it’d take me to figure out what I had to do. A long howl echoed in the distance and my heart leaped to my throat.

Wolves!

Panicked, I looked around for anything, any sign of where I needed to go besides the long set of footprints still winding through the trees. Something flickered in-between two trees; a faint light in the distance. I hurried through the trees toward the light, still trying to follow the trail. As I got closer, I realized it came from a small campfire.

Each of my footsteps crunched loud as I approached.

"Is someone out there?" asked a male voice.