Theo 1.2

Theo got first-hand experience of life during the olden days. It was something he had always wanted. While he was only experiencing one period of time and one particular activity right now, it made him wonder if experiencing other eras was also possible. Of course, the caveat was that most of this was still made by a game company.

It was a lot more tiring than he had expected. The horses had been galloping all the way, which made him sore all over, with his legs and behind being the main victims.

Fortunately, there was a saddle, so it wasn’t the worst possible scenario. Not like it was of much help, though; he still suffered plenty. He got the hang of riding after a few minutes or so, at least. Really, nothing better than practical experience, right? To be fair, it was probably muscle memory or something of the sort. The devs probably made it so that the players retained some skills from the hosts; otherwise, it might be difficult to survive. The language, this horse-riding, and the way he walked and moved. Sure, the distinction was small, but it was still noticeable. The craziest thing he found was the language: even though he understood everything, he was speaking with and listening to an entirely new language. Probably Greek, or even fantasy Ancient Greek.

It seemed like an awful lot of work, and for what. The minds of geniuses are truly hard to fathom. Either way, it was uncomfortable. It was as if this was not truly his body; which was true. Hopefully, this feeling would go away, either with his mind adapting to this new body, or this body adapting to his mind. He’d rather the former happen.

Later, he’d have to check on other skills. Considering he was meant to be blessed by the Goddess of the Hunt, archery seems like a good option.

Despite the pain, he had refrained from acting out in case people found it suspicious. Katarina was always nearby, and if he screwed up badly, she’d start to suspect him. Sure, nothing might happen, but with how things have been so far, he’d rather not take any chances. Seeing someone be possessed by an alien of unknown origins definitely wasn’t pleasant. The original Theo probably didn’t know these people well, and vice versa; however, his point still stands.

He really did not want to have the reputation of the first to die.

Suddenly, Katarina stopped, following which she jumped off her horse and dashed into the woods on the sides. He blinked, before looking at Nikias in askance. The older man wryly smiled, before saying, “Just some small matters. Might as well stop now, there’s decent space. Get your stuff set up, once that’s done, come to me.”

Theo glanced at Adonis, who had already got off his horse and set up a fire. Probably magic. The man looked like the classic old wizard with a dark past. Though, he kind of hoped Adonis wouldn’t be his mentor, as the man did not look friendly in the slightest.

Now that he thought about it, for a man of his age, he was very fit. He was surprised his spine hadn’t broken in half along the way. Made him a little embarrassed, honestly.

He resisted the urge to drop dead out of shame and started setting his tent up. It had been a long day. Fifteen hours of constant riding. Or rather, galloping. Not riveting gameplay, but it is what it is.

Somehow, the horses were still alive. All the galloping did not do his thinking any good, either. Fifteen hours and he barely managed to think of anything apart from the above. God. He needed to do something about it.

“Hey, pass me a map, will you?”

Theo jumped, nearly falling flat on his face. He turned back, Katarina right in his face. She stared blankly for a second, before chuckling. “Don’t get so jittery, it’s just me. And do pass me a map.”

He glared at her for a bit, before nodding and rummaging through his pack. Thankfully the map was in the first bag he opened, thank God for small blessings. Or Gods, in this case. No need to sweat the small details, eh?

As he tossed her the map, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Didn’t I ask you not to do this anymore?”

“Well, it was a lot more fun than I imagined. Honestly, might be my new favourite pass time,” she shot him a shit-eating grin. Then, she started making a few marks on the map. “I’m pleasantly surprised, actually. I just had this feeling that you would give me the wrong one.”

He broke out in cold sweat. Thank the gods for small blessings indeed.

Just as he was about to say more, he noticed something red on her face. And her arms. And her clothes. It was pretty dark in colour, and it was slowly dripping.

Ye, that’s for sure blood. The smell was hitting him like a truck now. He simply did not realize it because he was dizzy from the ride and panicky from this menace.

He cautiously asked. “So… did you go hunt some beasts?”

“Hm?” She thought about it for a second, before smirking. “Yep, the worst kinds of beasts. The most rewarding to hunt, too. I wouldn’t recommend tasting their meat, though. Rather unpleasant.”

He felt a lump in his throat as he looked as she happily walked over to Adonis. The elderly man shook his head in approval, before taking out a towel and a flask of water. He began scrubbing away at the blood. It would look cute if it wasn’t for the human blood trickling down her face. He resisted the urge to puke.

By the side, Nikias laughed. “Even after years, you still make him do this stuff.”

“Jealous?” She said with a smirk. She then purred in contentment. “I’m not sharing, though.”

“Nah, I’m good.” He glanced at Theo and said in a smaller voice. “If possible, she always kept blood on herself after battles, so that Adonis would help her clean it. Not my cup of tea, but hey, if that’s what she likes, so be it.”

He did not need that piece of information, so he gave a half-hearted shrug.

“I see that you are mostly done, so, let’s go hunting. Might as well get some fresh meat, we probably won’t get the chance later on.”

“Sure…” Hunting might be a good test of his skills. And it might take his mind off of the morbidity that had just ensued.

He sincerely hoped that the “prey” here was not human beings, though.

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Theo learned a few things as they silently made their way through the woods.

His senses were exceptional, whether it was his sense of smell, his hearing, or his eyesight (yes, for all that, he still could not realize bloodshed when it stood in front of him). Especially his eyesight. In the real world, he had ruined his eyes by constantly staring at a screen. He was half-blind without glasses, and even with them on, his eyesight was barely adequate. Now, though, he could sense the slightest movement hundreds of meters away. Even the smallest of insects could not escape his notice.

That wasn’t even mentioning his night vision. Everything was perfectly clear for him, despite the trees over their heads, and the fact that the sky was pitch black. This was most likely an ability he was given. Artemis was a goddess of the moon, so that might be a factor. He wondered how Nikias managed to see through the night; he stored that little piece of information for later.

Either way, let’s not get addicted to his new senses. Because, it feels really good, to be so firmly aware of your surroundings. Not so unlike getting some sort of drug to enhance performance, only cranked up to insanity. Huh, he just realized that the company might be using this to keep people addicted, not that it was really necessary.

Snap.

His eyes darted toward a bush; his hands immediately drew his bow. He aimed for three seconds, before releasing the arrow. It struck home. An arrow through the head, the little thing wouldn’t be waking any time soon.

“Nice shot.”

Nikias then went to pick their meal up.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

A small but plump rabbit. The third in an hour. Not bad.

So, the other thing he learnt was his archery. How to shoot, how to aim, how to judge the wind, how to handle the bowstrings, all those things and more. And shooting arrows felt so natural as if an extension of his own self. Each time he made a good shot, he couldn’t help but grin.

In addition to archery, he also became aware of his hunting skills. Tracking, how to remain silent, how to find water (since that’s always a nice hunting spot), how to stay downwind (to avoid detection), how to dismantle a carcass, and where to set up camp. The knowledge kept trickling into his mind, the more he moved about, the more he lived in this body. It was surreal, but not unpleasant.

This might be the future of education, honestly. However, once again, that was a problem for others to consider.

Every time he did something, he felt more in sync with his body. With time, he believed this would be indistinguishable from his own… and, perhaps even better. He sighed.

“Why the long face? Still not satisfied with your shot?”

“It’s nothing.”

Nikias shrugged and said, “It’s time to go back, we’ve got more than enough.”

He nodded, and they slowly made their way back.

The other man led the way since he was the one who had done all the tracking and whatnot. Sure, Theo himself was capable of those things, and he remembered the path quite clearly, but, Nikias insisted. He did not intend to waste his breath arguing about that.

“So, why didn’t you participate? I feel kind of bad, hoarding all the fun.”

“No, no, don’t worry about that. Tracking is relaxing, for me at least. Not to mention,” he pointed at the spear on his back, “rabbits don’t handle spears very well. And hurling spears is the only thing I can do. If there was better game around, perhaps I might have been able to flex a bit, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. Still, seeing your family’s archery is a joy all on its own.” The man gave him a friendly slap on the back. “I’m sure you’ll be able to make our Goddess proud.”

“Don’t flatter me.” Yet he still flushed. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he should be proud when the skill was not earned.

As they laughed, he couldn’t help but think about the spear on Nikias’ back and the callous arms that were right on Theo’s shoulder.

He was certain this hand had slaughtered many and ordered the death of even many more. Nikias had probably hurled more spears into the flesh of men than that of beasts.

He honestly didn’t want to think this way. Sure, he knew that this was, at the end of the day, just a simulation. Still, his senses told him otherwise. He could feel the warmth of his own blood, and the warmth of his fellow companions. And knowing that this bunch were cold-blooded killers is quite harrowing. The feeling only strengthened knowing that he would join their ranks before long. Maybe slice-of-life farming would not be so bad.

…

To be completely honest, he was more concerned about having to kill others, instead of the fact that people were dying. Perhaps he could get the others to deal the final blow? They were quite familiar with death already, what’s a few more.

Yeah, he was a bastard that way. A dirty little bastard who was not willing to dirty his own hands.

At the same time, if he were to tell himself to just ignore it all, and just enjoy the experience, he wondered what that said about himself.

God. He hated his own mind, sometimes, many times. It really spent too much time thinking about unnecessary things.

These were all simulations, at the end of the day. That was what he told himself, despite barely believing in the empty statement.

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Night fell, and with it, his musings came to an end. Theo and the gang were sitting around a small fire, eating rabbit stew. The meat was gamey, not his taste, but it was nice enough. Even better, knowing that it was hunted by yours truly. The first time he ever hunted, and it was all done in a game. Still, the experience today still invoked within him a desire to hunt. He wanted to hunt down some magical beasts. Did they taste any different? Perhaps some magical flavour that Earth knew not of?

In addition to being his first hunting experience, it was his first time camping, too. The crackling of the fire, the smell of the woods, the cool air brushing past his ears. And the sky, it was quite the sight. A half-moon accompanied by a tapestry of stars, surrounded by a circle of leaves. It was his first time watching the stars, too. A magical experience that he never knew he needed. It made him a tad sentimental, of the fact that something like this would not be visible outside.

Either way, it made him feel like all that hard riding was worth it. Somewhat.

“So, what did you find earlier?” Nikias said, as he stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.

“Just a few bandits, scouts. They didn’t escape fast enough, but I didn’t get to their base, either. I marked this spot, and Adonis had sent a message. They’ll hopefully be dealt with, but that probably won’t happen. These bastards definitely ran away already. They seem decently smart, not going for us. Perhaps they have a witch with them? Or the old man’s mask gave himself away, or anyone of us, really. We didn’t exactly try to hide our appearances, nor the news that we were traveling.”

Huh, these seemed remarkably competent for a bunch of thugs.

Nikias chuckled, “You two might be new to this, so you wouldn’t know, but most large and well-established groups tend to know who to go for, and who to avoid. Kind of necessary to survive. Those you caught, probably just some new blood whose legs were too short.”

“That blows,” she then held up three bloody ears, “still, getting a few souvenirs is nice.”

She noticed Theo staring, and said, “Don’t worry, I finished them off. They’ll do some good as fertilizer.”

“No, I’m just wondering why you took the ears.”

“Like I said, souvenirs.” She then grinned. She pushed the ears into his hands. He instantly jerked away. “Don’t you like my gifts?”

“Fuck off.”

“You hurt my feelings.” She then tossed the ears into the blazing flames. They crackled a bit, before turning into ashes.

Nikias smiled wryly, before saying. “With that out of the way, anyone wants to hear a story? Perhaps some of my own.”

“Preferably not… do you have anything you want to hear about?”

“Let me think.” Theo then glanced at Adonis, sitting next to Katarina. The man was eating in silence, the area around his mouth was open, his mask slid down. He winced, seeing the scars, the wrinkles, the blackened skin. And that was just the mouth alone. He hesitantly asked. “How did you become like this? How did you begin to wear the mask, and the cloak, and whatever else? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

Katarina frowned, her eyes looking at him with a dangerous glint. “You must know the story already. Why bring it up? To annoy him?”

“No but hearing it from the person himself is always better.”

She narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Nikias glanced at the two, before chuckling, “Hey, it’s nothing. He probably just wants to listen to his music. Anyone would want to.”

Theo nodded blankly.

Adonis did not seem particularly offended, though it was hard to know without seeing his actual face. Once the others have stopped talking, the old man brought out his lyre from behind his back. Its main body was made from a turtle shell, green and black. It should be just a simple shell, and yet it gleamed like gems and jewels. From it rose two arms, elegantly curved, and made of black wood, that too, gleamed despite its color. In between were 10 strings, seemingly invisible to the eyes. Even as ignorant as he was, he knew this was good stuff.

And then, the music started. Within seconds, his soul was enraptured, his mind lost in the beauty of it all. There was nothing else, but pure music. Not the crackling of fire, not the rustling of leaves. His smelt nothing, he saw nothing, and he heard nothing, except the lyre.

It was elegant and relaxing, and in his mind, he started to feel. Feel the story. It was vague as if hidden behind a layer of mist. But he could still feel it. A story of a man with beauty beyond reproach; a master of words, with a tongue sly enough to fall any lady. He could almost see him, his mind conjuring up images after images. The first portrait was of a handsome man with emerald green eyes, pitch black hair, and a perfect smile. His body put even gods to shame. He was the very definition of lust. Ladies, maidens, and even the ever-arrogant witches had come to him in search of love. But he rejected them all, his mind intent on mastering the arcane arts. Women were nothing but a pastime, playthings for him to toy around with, to juggle with glee.

The music changed, rising up, fast, intense, making him lose his very breath.

A woman had approached him, with beauty rivalling his own. She was the most beautiful person he had ever witnessed, until this very day. And yet, for all that, he played with her and left it at that. He saw her no different, just a more memorable conquest. And then, she shined, her radiance outshining that of the sun itself. A God stood before him, with snow-white hair, skin, and wings. Anteros.

On his journey, the man rejected the daughter of a goddess. And in turn, he enraged the deity, who saw him as an arrogant fool, who thought himself better than the gods high above. And that deity was Aphrodite. Anteros, under his mother’s orders, and because of his own rage stemming from the essence of his divinity, had come to punish this pretentious man.

The music slowed. It became painfully slow, and yet, still retained a certain sharpness, as if slowly cutting at the hearts of its listeners.

With one flap of his wings, the God ripped apart his perfect skin, and then fixed it all up like a child patching up a toy. Once a world-class beauty, the envy of men and the love of all women, he had now become a hideous abomination.

With another flap, God decreed that he was to forever be silent. No sound could escape his throat, not even his current cry of loss.

With that and a passing laugh, the God disappeared, as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t ruined the life of another being, whose crime was no crime at all.

The music slowed to a standstill, and the sense of loss, the emptiness of the heart was never clearer. He suddenly realized that the song had stopped, and he could now taste, taste the salt of his own tears. He had never been one easy to cry, not at stories he knew did not exist, and yet, he cried all the same.

Theo looked at the hooded man, who looked back at him. The elderly man played a few short notes, and he suddenly sensed something: Satisfy-You-Request?

He blinked, and said hollowly, “Yes…”

Others-Sleep-Private-Talk-Me-You

Only now did he notice that the others had gone to sleep, with tears still trickling down their faces. Especially for Katarina, whose head now lay on Adonis’ lap.

You-Soul-Change

His eyes widened. Was this… supposed to happen?

[Soothing] No-Worry-Secret-Safe-Me

[Warning] You-Danger-Group-You-Death

He swallowed his saliva, before dumbly nodding. The man smiled, before playing a short tune of joy. He then played a few notes.

First-Watch-Me-You

And with that, his day came to an end.