The world came back into focus, and I gasped, my body racking with coughs as fresh spring air entered my lungs. It was sweet and warm, the perfect spring morning. The first thing I saw was bright blue sky with puffy gold and white clouds drifting lazily across the vast expanse. I waited for a few seconds, catching my breath, before I sat up.
“Holy shit.” I said, as I saw what awaited me. The Mississippi Delta spread out before me in all directions. Except, it wasn’t my Mississippi Delta. A delta, to be sure, but these massive, cow-like things were grazing on the grass. They weren’t cows though. Not the ones I knew. These ones were a bright orange color, with black horns on a few of them. Pink birds flew through the air and a soft, cool breeze blew across my skin. I closed my eyes and sighed, enjoying the nice, warm day. My relaxation was interrupted by a silver ball of fur trying to eat my foot.
“AAGGHHH!” I shouted, grabbing the little ball of fluff and tearing it off of my boot. I held it up in front of my face so I could get a good look at the little bastard. A whip-like, black tounge lashed out and snapped across my nose, drawing blood.
“Ah, fuck!” Reflexively, I squeezed the ball of silver to get it to stop. It stopped, alright. Mainly because the tounge fell away as the main body exploded in my fist. A notification appeared.
Wowza! You’ve killed a Level 1 Silver Kul. You earned 5 exp.
“Jesus.” I dismissed the notification and looked at the sliver blood flowing between my fingers. “How strong am I? What the fuck is this place?” I hadn’t even really squeezed the poor thing; it was just a reflex out of pain. I shook my head and my hand, pushing the thoughts aside. I focused on the three bars again and my sheet reappeared, with more information than before.
Micheal Level 1 Height: 6’4”  Weight: 210
Race: Neathonian Specialization: None
Health: 30/30
Stamina: 250/250
Mana: 70/70
ATRIBUTES
Strength: 18
Constitution: 15
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 13
Charisma: 13
Wisdom: 13
Intelligence: 13 Points remaining: 0
GIFTS
Big Man:
Your muscles contain a gargantuan strength. Your size is considered one class size larger for all strength checks. Aren’t you the Big Man on campus?
Tis but a Flesh Wound!:
While not in combat, regeneration is greatly increased. You laugh at mortal wounds and scoff at dismemberment.
ACTIVE EFFECTS
SPELLS
TITLES
That’s it. I looked at the small screen that contained...me. A few stats and two Gifts. I shook my head and dismissed the menu, refocusing on the outside world. I took a beat to gather myself before I stood. And kept standing. And standing. I rose way above my normal height of 5’8”. I whipped my character sheet open again, checking to see if the number I had scanned over in my rush was actually right. Yup, there it was.
Height: 6’4”
Wow. I was tall! I chuckled and the noise came out deep and mirthful.
“Woah, is that my voice?” I asked the world. Apparently, it was. My new barrel chest swelled with air as my resonant baritone erupted from my mouth.
“Hell yeah, baby! This. Is AWESOME!!!” I hollered, throwing my head back and laughing like madman. I jumped as something brushed against the middle of my back. I whirled around, only to find nothing. Something black fell into my eyes and mouth, and I brushed it away indignantly, spluttering. I felt silky hair under my fingers. My hair. Another large smile spread across my face and I laughed again, running my hands through my shoulder length hair over and over. A few of the orange cow things looked over at me and moved off, grazing closer to the herd. I didn’t care. I threw my arms out to the side and spun, acting a damn fool, but whatever. I was tall. My voice was deep. I was strong. I was alive. I had been blown in half by a grenade and came out the other side with incredible new powers. I stopped spinning as the reality of what I had just gone through came crashing down on me. I had died. I had failed to protect my best friend like I promised I would. I had no idea if our brothers in the house with us survived. If my body stopped any of the damage. I would never see any of them again. I would never get to visit Annabeth again. I wouldn't be able to see Mom again or tell her that I missed her. Benjamin Farmer was dead. I was Micheal now.
I pushed the rising panic out of my head and pulled up my sheet again, focusing on my attributes.
ATRIBUTES
Strength: 18
Constitution: 15
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 13
Charisma: 13
Wisdom: 13
Intelligence: 13 Points remaining: 0
Of course I started with no extra points. I glared at the sky for a moment before giving my new body the once over. I looked down at myself and blinked in confusion. I was in my standard issue dessert digital camo combat fatigues. And they were magically repaired to inspection readiness as well as fitting my new and improved body.
“What the fuck dude.” I said to the world. Honestly, what did I expect? I did a quick check over myself and the area around me. Nothing out of the ordinary. I think. I don’t know. It’s literally an alien planet. Nothing was actively killing me, so I figured I was alright. I froze, a horrifying thought taking root in my brain. Slowly, shakingly, I moved my hand down below my belt and felt around. I breathed a larger sigh of relief than I care to admit when I found everything in its place and proportional. I took a breath and scanned my surroundings again. There wasn’t much around, just the herd of orange cow things and a town on the horizon. A town. People.
I was suddenly nervous, even as my freshly shined boots carried me towards the town. What were the people like? What would they think of me? Would they be nice or rude? Would they try to kill me? Was this a bad idea? I turned the thoughts over and over in my head. I worried for what felt like hours but walked for maybe one.
“Hold, stranger!” A voice called out to me. I looked up and saw I was at the base of the village walls, standing before the gate. A man was standing on the wall, holding a spear and calling down to me. He was shadowed by the sun rising behind him, and I had to avert my eyes in pain. “What brings you to Milania? Are you with those damn Adler Brothers?”
“Just traveling, sir. Never heard of these ‘Alder Brothers’.” I called back, trying to block the sun and get a look at the man. I caught nothing but a moustache and what seemed like a really tall top hat that could move.
“Traveling, eh? Sure do look like one, though. Never seen you before, neither.” the man mused to himself. He muttered for a few more seconds, before turning back to me. “Fine, you may enter. But if I find out you’re with those godsforsaken Adler Brothers, I will geld and hang you myself.” What the hell does geld mean? I thought to myself as the wooden gate swung open. I walked into the town and stopped dead.
It was exactly like I pictured it being. And at the same time, so vastly removed from anything I had ever seen before that I had trouble processing some things. The city was small, maybe four or five square acres. Cobble stone streets lined with mud constructions with thatch roofing made up most of the buildings. I only saw two or three stone buildings. But the part that blew my mind was the magic so obviously on display. Birds made of light flew between buildings, carrying papers in their claws. Balls of fire roamed the streets, casting unneeded light on the streets. Carts with no obvious engines rolled along silently, the only noise being the occasional movement of the cargo. Not even the wheels on the cobblestone made a sound. My mouth hung open in shock.
And the people. They all had tall ears sticking up from the tops of their heads. The ears would move at the slightest sound, shifting to face whatever caught their attention. They were bunny ears, and they came in all the colors of the rainbow. They were the same color as the person's hair, making the people look like multicolored pens but with ears. And alive. The guard hopped down from the wall and landed lightly next to me. I barely noticed him I was so enraptured by the city. I watched in wonder as a child with sea green ears flicked her finger at a box bigger than me and casually set it onto a massive wagon next to her.
“Holy Fucking Shit.” I said in wonder. The guard looked at me with suspicion plastered openly on his face. He poked me in the side with his spear, not enough to draw blood but enough to get my attention. I looked down at him, and he scowled up at me. The guard barely came up to my mid chest. His hair, and thus ears, were a mottled grey with spots of black peppering them at random. He had a FANTASTIC moustache. I’m talking thick and dark, with verry little grey compared to the rest of him. The moustache extended out past his face and curled at the ends. It was oiled and well cared for. Now that I got a closer look at him, I could see small hairs the same color as his hair covering his body. I looked back at the girl with the wagon, and sure enough, I could see a glint of green surrounding her. I glanced back at the guard, comparing the two.
“What,” the guard snarled, his voice filled with anger. “never seen a Rabbituan before?” He bristled with something, pride or anger. Or both.
“No.” I answered, still in awe. “I haven’t. This city, what did you call it? Melaynia?”
“Milania.” He corrected, the edge in his voice falling away. “This is the village of Milania.” We stood there for a moment, looking at the village go about its day. “Follow me, I'll show you to an inn so that you can get some food and rest from your journey.” The guard set off without looking back to see if I was following him. I hustled to keep up, easily matching pace with the shorter man. He marched me through a market, merchants hawking their wares to all. The cacophony of voices assaulted me from all sides. No one gave me a second glance, other than the children. They gaped openly and pointed at me, giggling with each other. I smiled and waved at them, and they scattered, laughing madly.
“This place is amazing.” I said, looking down at the guard. “Is it only Rabbituan here? Or are there other races?” I sounded out the word carefully, making sure not to fuck it up.
“There are others in the city, but the majority are indeed Rabbituan. The Archikin Delta treats us well, aside from the occasional monster attack. You gotta watch out for the wild herds of Meltir, as well. I’m sure you saw them on your way in. Large, orange beasts that can gore a man without a second thought.” He shudders at the mention of the orange cows I saw earlier.
“Yeah. Are they that dangerous?” The guard nodded, his ears flopping as his head bobbed.
“They are smarter than they look and are immune to fire. Their hides are exceedingly tough, great for armor and food, but not much else. The only way to ensure protection is to avoid all contact.” We lapsed into silence as he finished speaking. A few minutes of walking later, we arrived at a fancy-looking house with a sign out in front of it.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“’Marley’s Big Cluckin’ Inn’?” I read aloud, my voice rising in incredulity. I glanced at the guard whose name I still yet to get and he just nodded.
“Yup.” he sighs. “Finest inn in town. Tell Ol’ Marley that Joltin sends his regards. He’ll set you up right.” he nodded and turned to leave, marching back the way we came.
“Thanks, Joltin!” I called, waving at his receding from. He ignored me and kept walking, but I got a few side glances from the locals. I sighed and turned back to the Big Cluckin'’ Inn. I nodded, gathered myself, and marched up the steps. I grabbed the door handle and pushed.
When I opened the door, I had to duck under the tooth that flew at my face. I wasn’t so lucky with the blood spray that followed. It splashed me on the cheek and across my nose, barely missing my eye.
“Yo!” I shouted, my baritone echoing around the mud-brick room. No one paid attention to me. The inside of the inn was well lit, which was unfortunate. Blood covered the ground, mainly from the makeshift fighting pit in the middle of the tavern floor. Unwashed rabbits jeered and screamed as a black rabbit slugged a green one in the face. Green stumbled, blood dripping from his mouth. He groaned, and drunkenly straightened up. He sloppily threw a punch at Black, who stood there and took it. He then punched Green, who stood there and took that one. Back and forth they went, blow for blow, until Green fell to the floor, either unconscious or dead. A massive cheer went up from the crowd and money exchanged hands. I walked fully into the inn, letting the door slam behind me. A tiny little rabbit, maybe two feet tall and sporting pink hair and ears, turned at the sound and saw me. She screamed in terror and hid behind the table she was sitting at. As one, every patron in the room turned and looked at me. Black shook his fists clean of blood and stared at me, hate in his golden eyes.
“Um, hello.” I said, suddenly nervous at the attention. I gave a little wave. No one moved except Black, who moved to the front of the crowd, putting himself between me and the others. “I was told to tell you that Joltin sends his regards.”
Black’s eyes filled with rage, and he flung himself at me. My own eyes widened in surprise as the rabbit man launched into a series of kicks and punches that land like hammers. He was strong for such a little guy. A kick to my stomach causes me to bend over into a uppercut, which makes me stumble into a jab, so on and so forth. The assault finally ended with a vicious kick to my balls, the rabbit’s foot crushing my right testicle with an audible pop! The room went dead silent as the noise echoed and I howled in agony, tears freely flowing down my face. I fell to my knees, coughing and cradling my crotch, my thighs and lower stomach in just as much pain as my crushed ball. Each spasm of my abs sent fire coursing through my lower body. The pain increased for a moment, tearing another scream from me, then stopped completely. My tears take a moment longer to quit, and the ache in my lower body remained for a little while longer. This must be my healing power in action. Damn, it works fast. Too bad it fuckin HURTS. I gasped for air a few times before pushing myself to my feet. I stood there, a little wobbly, but upright.
“Ow. That hurt.” I growled, staring Black in the eyes. Fear flashed in them as I stalked forward. Black started to retreat, putting a table between us. I grabbed it with one hand and whipped it at the wall where it burst into splinters on impact. Black fell on his ass, his chest heaving in terror. I towered over him, actively looming as hard as I could. I leaned into the intimidation, staring each rabbit down as I stood over the victor. Few met my eyes, and those that did were filled with fear. I looked back down at Black.
“Are you Marley?” I asked, putting as much menace into my voice as I could. Black shook his head vigorously, his ears flopping side to side. I bent down, grabbed him by the midriff, and picked him up, tucking him under my arm like a package. “Lucky you, then. You get to take me to him. Which way?” Black shakily pointed a finger towards a creature I hadn’t noticed before. Granted, it was a black feathered being in a dark corner, but still.
“That’s Marley.” Black squeaked out. He was trembling like a leaf in a hurricane under my arm.
“Chill out, dude.” I said, marching towards Marley, who I could see was a chicken as I got closer. “I ain’t gonna hurt you. I just want to talk.” I handily placed him on a stool and patted his shoulder. He rubbed it and glared at me. I smiled back at him.
“Sorry about all that.” I said, turning to face the six-foot-tall chicken. “I wasn’t expecting to get attacked out of nowhere.” The chicken, who truly was a man-sized chicken, stared right at me. His entire body was covered in black feathers spotted with white dots. His face was that of a chicken’s, and his mouth was a beak. He was cleaning a wooden mug with a well-worn rag. His voice was high when he spoke and was incredibly freaky coming from a bird’s beak.
“That’s what you get for coming in here as a human and dropping the leader of the Alder Brother’s gang’s name. If you’re here for collections, I can’t pay. One of you came by just last week.”
“I’m not here for collections.” I said, sitting at the bar. The old wooden stool creaked beneath me as I settled. “The guard with the black and gray fur told me to come here and say that, though I’m beginning to suspect that he set me up. I’m just a traveler looking for a place to rest his head.” Marley grunted, the thing under his chin jiggling as he did so. I couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the chicken.
“Mighty rude, aren’t you?”
“Huh?” I shook my head to clear it and focused back on his words. “Oh shit, I was starring, wasn’t I? I’m sorry.” Marley huffed.
“Sure you are. Well, you’re not getting a copper more from me or my patrons. We’ve had enough of you bandits running our town into the ground.”
“Hold on.” I said. “Bandits? As in the Alder Brothers I keep hearing about?” Marley nodded, a quick and extremely chicken-like movement. God, this place is weird. He looked at me skeptically.
“You really don’t know? You really are just a traveler?”
“Yes! I’ve been trying to tell you that. I’ve never heard of the Alder Brothers until today. Who are they? Other than being bandits.”
“Joltin and his younger brother, Arno, lead a small-time gang of about ten people, not including them. They rolled into town two weeks ago, charging every person ‘protection fees’. Apparently, they ‘keep us safe from the monsters’ and we’re supposed to ‘show gratitude through monetary means’. Gods, I hate those men.” Marley spits on the ground and growls, a strange noise from a chicken. “They are a plague on this town. And Mayor Bringham up and left the second they came down on us.” Marley’s scowl deepened as he spoke. He opened his mouth to say something when the inn door burst open. A rabbit with gold ears comes tearing through the door, stopping in front of us.
“Marley!” he yells. “We’ve got trouble! Arno took Elizabeth!”
“What?!” Marley hops over the bar and towards the rabbit. “What do you mean ‘Arno took Elizabeth’?” The rabbit struggles for breath as Marley reaches him. “Speak, man! Tell me what happened.”
“Arno came into town ranting about something,” the rabbit says through heaving breaths. “that we needed to learn our places as prey. He marched straight into the square and grabbed Elizabeth and her sister, Rose. He took them both, Marley! What do we do?” Marley stood there, either in rage or in shock, I couldn’t tell. The gold rabbit’s words infuriated me, though.
“Who are Elizabeth and Rose?” I asked Black quietly. He glared at me but chose to answer anyway.
“A pair of sisters. Rose is the elder, wonderful girl she is. She’s taken over caring for her younger sister after their parents died from a chill last winter. Elizabeth is a cute little one, seven summers old. Poor things must be terrified.” Black shook his head and clucked his tounge. “Oh, well. A damn shame.” I looked at the man in confusion.
“You’re not going to go after them?” He looked at me, defeat plain in his eyes.
“If Arno came and took them personally, there’s not much we can do.” he said, tearing his eyes from mine and grabbing a bottle from behind the counter. He takes a long swig. “When the gang showed up, they beat our guards into submission. Damn near killed me for the hell of it. I couldn’t stop them.” Black started to shake with emotion. I placed a hand softly on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get them back.” I said, standing up and grinning down at the rabbit man. He looked at me with shock on his face. I turned to Marley. “Marley!” The chicken man whirled around to face me.
“What?!” he snapped. “I’m busy, can’t you see?”
“Yes, I can. Which is why I am offering to help.” He stared at me with just as much shock as Black had. “I’ll go get the girls. It seems like y’all are having some trouble, so maybe I can help. I’ve also got a thing against hurting children. Anyone who does that goes straight to the top of my shit list.” I clapped my hands together, the sound reverberating around the room. “So, where’s their camp? I’ll head out now, maybe catch them unawares.” I fall silent, musing over options.
“North, about an hour's walk.” Marley said hesitantly.
“Excellent! I’ll be back soon.” I grinned and made for the door, eager to get back into the sun. When I reached the door, I turned back to Black and called out, “You coming?” He stared at me.
“Are you talking to me?” he asked, pointing at himself.
“Yes. I need a guide and you can fight damn well.” Black shook his head vigorously.
“No. I’m not going. They nearly killed me. Old Mrs. Mellie stayed up all night trying to keep me from dying.”
“Go with him, Maurice.” Marley said. “I don’t know if I fully trust this human, but if he’s offering to help, I’ll take it. Maybe he’s what we’ve been praying for.”
A screen popped up in my vision.
You’ve been offered a quest: Save Some Sisters. The sisters Rose and Elizabeth have been kidnapped by Arno Adler. Find and Rescue them.
Success: Find and Rescue the sisters
Reward for completion: Increased favor with the citizens of Milania. Unknown.
Failure: Let either sister die.
Cost of Refusal/Failure: Loss of favor with the citizens of Milania. Unknown.
Jesus, this place has quests? It really is like a Tabletop. Oh well, someone still needs to save those girls. I accepted the quest without a second thought. I turned to Black, apparently named Maurice.
“Alright, buddy. You ready?” Maurice stared at me, eyes filled with fear. He violently shakes his head in objection.
“No. I refuse to go.” I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly. “I will not!”
“Fine, you don’t have to fight. Just take me to their camp. I’ll handle the rest.” I opened the door, ready to usher him out, when a familiar, yet lesser, pain exploded in my shoulder. Somebody just shot me! A growl tore itself from my throat as I turned on the fucker who shot me. A man stood in the middle of the road, a bow held tightly in one hand. The other moves to a quiver on his hip. He drew another arrow and nocked it in one fluid motion. He steadied and loosed, the arow slamming home into the same shoulder. I now had two arrows sticking out of me, one from the back and one from the front.
“You fuckin dick!” I hollered at the man. I reached up and tore the front arrow out. I then threw it at the man, whose eyes went wide. I followed close behind the missile, rearing back for a massive haymaker. The man turned and ran before I could get there, though. “Get back here!” I tore off after the man, my long legs devouring the ground between us. I tackled the man to the ground, mounting him and whaling away on his pock-marked face. I felt his nose crunch on the fifth hit and blood explode around my fist. I stopped, sitting back and breathing heavily. The man’s face was bloodied, his nose destroyed, and he snored loudly. I rose and looked around, trying to get my bearings. It was just the two of us and an empty street, but Maurice and Marley soon rounded the corner. They slid to a stop, barely keeping their footing as they got tangled in each other. Maurice stared at the unconscious man on the ground and Marley stared at me.
“Seems like you can do this. Maurice, you need to take Micheal to their camp. He can rid us of them!” Hold up, how’d he know my name? Maurice looks fearfully between Marley and me.
“No, Marley, I can’t I can’t do it it’s too much!” Maurice started to hyperventilate and Marely squared his shoulders.
“Fine. You don’t want to go, I will.” He looks at me. “I’ll take you to thier camp. Follow me.” Marley turns and marches down the street the way the man was running. I glanced at Maurice who still stared at the ground.
“Whatever, man. Yo, Marley, wait up!” I jogged after the chicken man. “Question for you.” I said when I got next to him.
“And what’s that?”
“How’d you know my name? Is there like some identification magic or something?” Marely stoped dead and looked at me like I was an idiot.
“It’s on your shirt.” He said after a minute, pointing to my left breast. I looked down, and sure enough, my new name was stiched onto my pocket.
“Huh. How ‘bout that.”
“You’re an odd one.” Marely said and resumed his march out of town. “But you can take a beating, that’s for sure. I’ll take you to the outskirts of their camp, but after that you’re on your own.” We passed beneath the gates on the other side of town than the one I entered through. A forest was laid out in front of us, the trees thick and wide. “They’ve made their camp about an hour’s walk into the Archikin woods.” Marely leads me down a well-worn trail, expertly dodging twigs and tripping hazards. I, on the other hand, trip over almost everything that one could. It seemed like I hit every branch, twig, knot, hole, and root that I could. After five or so minutes of stumbling and cursing, a prompt flashed in my vision.
Horray! You’ve discovered a new skill! HIKING. Now you can walk through the woods without looking like a dumbass. Good for you.
I need a skill for hiking? What the hell is this place? I closed the message and focused back on placing my feet on solid ground. We continued our hike for another twenty minutes when another message popped up.
Horray! You leveled the skill HIKING to level 2. You can walk in the woods a little better now.
Wow, these messages really sucked. I could feel an improvement, though. I broke less branches and stumbled on fewer roots. I leveled the skill twice more for a total of 4 levels before we reached the camp. Marley stopped short and I nearly crashed into him. He turned a withering glare on me and shushed me.
“Sorry!” I whisper yelled. He grunted and turned to the clearing we had arrived at.
“There they are. The Adler Brothers in all their glory.” I peered through the foliage and saw what looked like a normal camp. Tents, a fire, wagons circled up. You know, a camp. A dozen people, ten men and two women, milled around, doing various tasks. Three people drew my eye, however; a man, a woman, and a child. The man said something that I couldn’t hear, the woman responded, and the man backhanded her across the face. The woman, a Rabbituan with ruby red ears, stumbled a little but glared at the man in defiance. The child, a girl with sea green hair, rushed to the other and hid behind her. Wait a minute, I know that hair. That’s the same green hair girl that was loading the wagon when I entered the village.
“I assume that’s who were here for?” I asked Marley, pointing to the two Rabbituans. He nodded, going tense as he watched the man get in the woman’s face and scream at her.
“Aye. Rose and Elizabeth. Rose is the red head, and her younger sister Elizabeth is the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. She brings cookies to the guards every other hour.”
“What did they do to make Maurice so afraid of them?” I asked. How had I not thought to ask that sooner?
“Arno,” Marley gestured to the man currently dragging Rose to a wodden pole in the middle of the camp. “can use fire magic. He came into town spouting a bunch of shit about us owing them protection money. Maurice confronted him, and Arno set him ablaze. Didn't even touch the poor man, just snapped his fingers and now there’s a pillar of fire where my friend was. It took Mellie all night to save him. Others weren’t so lucky.”
“Anything else? What about the other one? I don’t remember his name.”
“Joltin.” A new voice said from behind us. Marley squawked and whirled around, and I jumped damn near four feet in the air. A tall man with a scar over his left eye was holding a crossbow aimed at Marley’s chest. “My name is Joltin.”