"The dragons were the first of the mortal races and the interesting thing about them is they're self-made. They heard the Singer's voice and crawled out of the primordial ooze on their own to follow it. The Builder spotted them and decided to create his own race, the Hyperions--also called the Titans--who are these giants that are more stone than flesh."

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Alexa splashed water on her face from the fountain. The magic of the bonfire and Safe Zone had healed the small cuts on her feet and nothing looked swollen or infected. Her sleep had been surprisingly good. While the fire gave no smoke and perpetually burned on the small collection of branches and kindling that had been there since the start, it warmed the interior of the cave. While the floor was hard stone, Alexa felt none of the aches she normally would after sleeping on it. And while she would have loved a cup of coffee, her hunger was mild.

Night had given way to day, and sunlight had warmed the thin layer of frost on the ground. Only a few patches of snow remaining in the shade of trees. Alexa squinted as she stepped out of the warmth of the cave and into the cool air, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

After a few moments, she realized the dazzling brightness wasn’t relenting. The sun in this world was blinding even in winter.

Alexa moved down the rocky hill with hesitation. Her feet were rather tender and she wanted to see how far the safety zone extended. Twelve short paces and the loose stones gave way to soil and grasses. She stepped into the shadow of the first tree and blinked a handful of times as her vision returned to normal.

[Racial trait triggered: Sunlight sensitivity.]

Out of the direct light, Alexa could make out the words of her messages.

[Warning: Edge of Safe Zone reached]

“If I were standing right outside the cave and someone fired a gun at me, would I be protected from the bullet?” Alexa asked.

The message didn’t change.

Quickly checking that she couldn’t spot anything or one nearby, Alexa did what she’d come out here for. It seemed that drinking a gallon of magical water had the same effect as a gallon of normal water, and her new abode lacked a proper restroom.

Once she finished, Alexa explored the area beside the cave entrance, mentally mapping the boundary of her safe zone. It was several times larger than the cave itself so she didn’t have to be worried about being trapped within all the time. The area was clear of trees or even tall grasses. She couldn’t recall if it had been that way last night or not.

Her elven senses were keen—not only her vision but her sense of hearing and smell was stronger. The song of a bird, the buzzing of insects, and the movement of small rodents through the underbrush all reached her ears with shocking clarity. As long as she avoided direct sunlight, her eyesight remained sharp. From twenty feet away, she could count the petals of a cluster of blue mountain flowers, and even spot their different shades. A fat bee alighted on one of the flowers, stuffing its head inside with interest and Alexa followed the plant’s bobbing with ease.

Glancing skywards made her eyes ache until they started to tear. The sun had become far too intense. She would need to keep to the shade if she set out in the future.

Given she was now a ‘dark elf,’ Alexa wondered if she had nocturnal inclinations. But she had no plans on running around the forest at night, even if she’d been transformed into a bat-person.

This new body would take greeting used to. From the way her clothes fit, she’d lost an inch or two of height, and a great deal of fat and muscle. Figures—the one time in her life where having an extra fifteen pounds would come in handy, it was now gone. Alexa felt light on her feet; her elven body moved nimbly over the uneven ground around the cave, nerves as primed as her senses.

Alexa’s gray-blue skin distracted her at first. It looked unnatural and once or twice she gave in to the urge to try to rub it off. Her long brown hair had turned snowy white, and she wondered what color her eyes now were. She wished for a mirror to see how different her face was and whether she’d still recognize herself.

Exploring the area of her safe zone took a short while. Back at the neck of the cave, she sat down and no sooner had she done so than the message box reappeared.

[Awaiting command]

“Are you a person?” Alexa asked. It had somehow picked up on her wanting to look at it.

No reply. She reached out again and her fingers trailed through the words. It reminded her of a simple user interface, like that of a text adventure game.

“Where am I? Why am I here?”

It didn’t react. Alexa recalled she’d unlocked her lunar essence and that it had referred to her as a dark elf.

“What are my racial traits?” she asked.

[Dusk elf, also commonly called a dark elf. Transforming has enhanced your perception and dexterity, and lowered your constitution. You have slight magical resistance. You have slight darkness and nature affinity.]

“What is my current condition?”

[Normal. No known injuries, ailments, or curses. Within a safe zone.]

The attributes and resistances reminded her of a fantasy game. The trail of sparkling white light that led her here last night had looked mystical but was also similar to visual guides in various RPGs she’d played.

She wasn’t sure how to proceed.

[Path choices available]

Helpful, but also uncanny.

“What are my choices?”

The message box expanded until it was the size of a page.

Basic Paths Available:

Path of the Fighter

Path of the Novice

Path of the Builder

Path of the Sage

Path of the Entertainer

Lunar Paths Available:

Path of the Claw

Path of the Lover

Path of the Tides

Path of the Wilds

Path of the Devoted

Stolen story; please report.

Firekeeper Paths Available:

Path of the Warden

Path of the Magistrate

Path of the Liberator

You may choose two Paths. Due to your covenant, you must choose one Lunar Path.

“Is this like a class selection?” Alexa asked, scanning the list. “Are there other paths I can unlock? Am I limited to two forever or is there a way to get more?”

The box floated dumbly in her vision. Alexa rested her chin in her palm and looked over the list. Whatever this system was, it seemed limited in what it could do.

Nothing said she had to pick a path right now. If she was correct and paths were like jobs or classes in RPGs, then she’d be foolish not to pick one up, however.

“Show me the Path of the Novice.” That would probably give her a broad idea of what Paths could do.

[Do you want to unlock the Path of the Novice?]

“What? No, go back,” she said hurriedly. That was the least interesting one offered; she didn’t want to waste her choice on that.

Alexa tried again to see a path without unlocking it, wording her request in several different ways, but it was not to be. She was expected to choose a pig in a poke.

As she must pick a Lunar Path, those were the choices Alexa concentrated on. ‘Tides’ and ‘Lover’ didn’t seem useful, though she was curious as to what Path of the Lover would do for her. ‘Devoted’ sounded religious to her. Of all the Paths offered, she suspected that was the closest to a priest or cleric.

Alexa had been a healer/support in a few MMOs and knew their power levels could vary significantly. If she were sitting beside an inn, she’d have been tempted to take that one. But she was stuck in the middle of the woods.

Wilds and Claw seemed her best bet.

“Path of the Wilds,” she finally said. Hopefully, it was a straightforward boost in her situation.

[Do you want to unlock the Path of the Wilds?]

“That’s what I said.”

[Path of the Wilds--

Abilities added: Identify Plants and Animals, Ritual Casting, Nature Sense

Skills unlocked: Survival, Woodcraft, Athletics, Hunting, Beast Ken, Fey Ken

Rotes learned: Moonbeam, Lunar Imbuement]

[Path Tasks

Identify a dozen plants

Hunt or trap a small beast

Make contact with a dryad

Give offering within a shrine]

That answered a few questions but raised a host more. Also, fey and dryads existed in this world.

While the skills were nice, they appeared to include things Alexa already had. It would be difficult to imagine a healthy adult who didn’t have some athletic ability. She jogged in place beside the bonfire, trying to notice any difference in her athleticness. It was easier than usual but could be attributed to the change from human to an elf, or whatever magic healing the pool had provided. If it could slap down a virus, perhaps it could clear out her arteries or strength her lungs

Alexa recalled a cluster of mushrooms growing in a patch of moss outside and she returned to them. They had a yellow, waxy look that reminded her of a banana peel.

"Are these edible?" she asked. No reply, perhaps she could... "Identify."

No, nothing there. Alexa rubbed her fingers over the gills of one of the mushrooms and then mentally brought up her 'condition.' No poisoning. She harvested a handful and grabbed a small stick. Returning to the cave, she rinsed the dirt from the mushrooms, speared them, and held them over the fire until they softened.

She took a tiny bite and waited. Even toxic mushrooms were rarely deadly, and if she were poisoned, the bonfire's magic might heal her. Checking her condition again, there was no poisoning. She ate the rest of the mushrooms – they had a peppery flavor. Enjoyable, once you realized they weren't going to kill you.

[Plant identified: Chanterelle. Wildly spread across the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa. Edible. The False Chanterelle is a darker orange and bitter tasting.]

If it only told Alexa about a plant or animal after she’d eaten it, this wasn’t as handy an ability as she’d like.

After drinking some water and waiting a bit longer to verify she wasn't ill, Alexa returned to the woods. This time she has a mission: gather every flower, berry, and mushroom she could find.

There was an abundance of them. While plucking what looked like tiny, orange plums from a bush, Alexa heard the tromp of heavy feet through the grasses. She crouched down and pushed herself into the plant she'd been harvesting. The branches scraped against the skin on her arm.

The sound grew louder and a massive creature appeared from the forest. It looked like someone had crossed a boar with a grizzly bear and then covered its back with bony spikes. It sported a set of nasty-looking tusks as long as Alexa's forearm. As it traveled, it made a grunting, sniffling sound.

[Animal identified: Dire boar. Aggressive and territorial.]

It passed within four feet of her, close enough that she caught a whiff of it. Alexa held perfectly still as it walked by, seeming to not notice her.

'Thank goodness,' she thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

The dire boar stopped in its tracks.

Lifting its massive head, it began to sniff the air. Not good. Its wet snout flexed as it breathed in the scents around it. Alexa looked right at its small, black eye, and realized it couldn't see her while she was still. But it must smell her.

Or, did it? Didn't people use pigs to find truffles? What if it was smelling one of the mushrooms she held?

The beast drew closer, snorting at the ground. Alexa waited until turned its head so she was out of its sight, and tossed her collection of flowers and mushrooms to the side. The small bundle fell into a nearby bush and the sound of it hitting drew the boar's attention.

It continued to sniff eagerly. Yes, it was after one of the plants, not Alexa. It might leave without ever realizing she was there. It shoved its meaty face into the bush the plants had landed in. Alexa could feel the heat radiating from its scarred brown hide. If she reached out her hand, she could touch its flank. Crunching and smacking sounds came from where the boar had shoved its head. It chewed through the rough shrubbery with ease.

It looked like she might make it out of this without issue. Alexa eased backward while its head was buried and it was focused on its snack.

Then the stupid pig swung its head, sniffed at her, and released a comically deep squeal as it realized another animal was inches from its face. Alexa sprang from the bushes only to stumble and fall. The dire boar opened its cavernous mouth, revealing fat, stubby teeth and breath that could melt steel beams.

"Path to bonfire!" she yelled as she scrambled back up. The familiar white markers appeared and she took off like the wind. Crashing sounds came from behind her as the boar followed. Alexa’s feet flew over the ground, faster than she'd ever moved before. It felt as though she spent more time airborne than touching the forest floor.

She could hear the boar gaining on her, smashing aside small trees as it barreled down on her. If it weren’t for her light, quick elven form, Alexa would have already been gored.

A stream of hot air hit her back and Alexa instinctively threw herself to the side. As she tumbled, Alexa glimpsed the boar's tusks rip a bush from the ground. For a second, it continued to attack the helpless plant. The sight of it gave her another burst of energy; she got to her feet and sprinted out of the forest edge and up the rocky hill.

She tossed herself into the cave and continued running until she hit the other end. There she stopped and stood panting, dripping sweat, and shivering from adrenaline. Outside, the beast growled, roared, bellowed, and made a host of other ungodly noises.

Inching to the entrance, Alexa peered out. The boar looked even larger in the open. It was tearing through the ground and knocking down trees in frustration. The magic of the Safe Zone kept it out, and for that, Alexa was grateful.

Collapsing back beside the fire, she rubbed her face. How could she hope to survive? She'd imagined slowly build up her skills, exploring, and crafting primitive spears or bows. The first animal she'd encountered could have easily killed her, and she doubted a spear could stop it. Even with an elephant gun, she'd be hesitant to take that boar on.

It left after about ten minutes of trashing the forest, but Alexa couldn't bring herself to venture out again. She'd manage to cut the bottom of her feet while running back. They were shallow wounds and only bled lightly, but she rinsed them the best she could in the small basin and then sat with her feet turned towards the bonfire.

Inside the cave was a variety of loose stones. She found a couple of pieces that looked like flint and began striking at it with a rock, trying to carve herself a weapon.

[Patterns available.]

That was interesting. "Patterns," she said. It worked–-images flooded her vision. The amount of information was disorienting, and she pressed her eyes closed as it washed over her. Hundreds of techniques and diagrams unfolded in her mind like origami flowers.

Alexa concentrated on a random pattern and the others flowed out of her immediate awareness. The pattern was of a crude bag she could make from the skin of an animal and its sinews. As she focused on the pattern, she understood what components it would need and how to assemble them. After absorbing that knowledge, she tried to browse to a different pattern.

Slowly but surely, her mind crawled through what could only be described as a database. The items available looked to be based on her Survival and Woodcraft abilities—most were crude and primitive. But how was her mind accessing this? The more she tried to mentally explore, the harder it was to concentrate. While trying to figure out a fishing spear, Alexa felt a sharp pain in her temples.

Mentally, she pushed the database away and stared at the blank wall of the cave until the pain subsided.

Picking up a different flint rock, she tried to summon the stone knife pattern. As she delicately held it in mind, her hands began to work, carving at one rock with another. The action was autonomic, like driving a car along a familiar street. First, she used a larger stone to roughly shape the knife, then a smaller one for finer work, and finally she simply rubbed the edges.

It took almost an hour, but the result was remarkable. Alexa held an eight-inch stone blade. The handle fit in her palm perfectly, and its point and edges were suitably sharp.

If she faced the dire boar again, it would be useless. The creature could simply gore her and rip her in half. Even if she stabbed it, the flint could easily snap. The knife was not a weapon, but a tool. With it, she could craft other items.

Smiling, she got to her feet and hurried outside. The boar's violence had left broken wood of all sorts of sizes. Alexa gathered up a dozen different pieces and got back to work.