Alistair felt his body expand, and then contract, over and over again. it was a strange and indescribable feeling. He saw light that reminded him of bacon and peanut butter, then smelled purple. He felt out of place and also exactly in place. He tried to speak but no words came out.
Whoosh…
Alistair felt as though he was being sucked away at a very alarming speed, lights and tastes and sounds all flashing inside of his mind all at once, and then… Darkness.
Alistair waited for what seemed like minutes for something, anything really. Then he noticed it, a strange buzzing sound. He opened his eyes and saw a long-necked beetle about the size of a quarter land on his hand, that was right in front of his face, blades of grass sticking out from between his fingers.
Alistair sat there watching the long neck beetle, examining it. What are you…
Dragon-Beetle (Insect) - Level: 3
A strange transparent box appeared over the insect with what its supposed name was, and its level?
“What the fuck is this?” Alistair said, his words seemingly startling the bug. It turned to look at him and opened its mouth like it was yawning. Alistair was in the middle of thinking how cute this little thing was up until it spit out what seemed to be a spark of some sort on his hand.
“Ow!” he yelled and swatted the beetle with his other hand smashing it in the process. “That fucking hurt!”
You have defeated: Dragon-Beetle - Level: 3
You have gained 3 exp.
Try picking on something your own size, huh?
“Try picking on something my own size? He fucking started it…” Alistair said as he tried to get up. His body felt weird. It felt both heavier and stronger. He sat up looking at his hand where the dragon beetle and spit that spark at him. It actually left a char mark…
Alistair sat there for a couple of seconds trying to get his bearings. he looked around, noticing all of the things around him. The grass, which was a deep emerald, and the trees with their white-pinkish bark with blue leaves. Flowers that looked to be watching him, all of them facing toward him.
That’s weird.
As he looked around asking himself “What is that” in his mind, he discovered that a transparent box appeared every time, telling him the object's name.
Emerson Grass (Plant)
Sprute Tree (Plant)
Stiris (Flower)
Alistair looked back at his hand noticing that the charred mark was now gone, the pain as well, not even an itch remained where the spot had been. he looked down and noticed he wasn’t wearing anything. He was sitting there in a strange forest in his birthday suit. Shit, I need to find clothes…
Alistair stood up and looked around. He saw the depression his body had made in the grass, but everything else around him looked entirely untouched. He thought about what he needed to do. He started making a mental list: Shelter, water, food, and clothes… his mind went on and on until a sound snapped him out of his train of thought.
Meeeooowwsssssss!
It sounded like a mixture between a cat meowing and a snake hissing. Either of which Alistair wanted to encounter naked in a forest. Luckily it sounded a fair distance away. Prioritize Alistair. Then a new list started to form, the most important things now at the top.
Weapon
Shelter
Water
Clothes
Food
Civilization
“Okay, I am in a new world, with new sounds, new things that make those weird sounds, and small insects that shoot sparks out,” Alistair whispered to himself looking around to find some kind of makeshift weapon for the immediate future, just in case. He found a pretty straight stick laying near a tree about the length from the ground to his shoulder. He picked it up and swung it around, testing its durability and weight. He wondered if this would work as a weapon and a prompt appeared in front of his vision.
Would you like to craft Stick (1) into “Makeshift Staff (Weapon) (Two-Handed Melee)” now?
Alistair nodded but the prompt did not go away. He thought Yes and the prompt went away followed by a very small and brief wave of light flow from his hand to the stick.
You have successfully crafted Makeshift Staff (Weapon) (Two-Handed Melee)
You have unlocked the crafting recipe for Makeshift Staff.
Quality: Poor
Damage (Type): 1-2 (Physical)
you have gained 5 Crafting Exp.
Look at you now, the mighty stick wielder. May your enemies tremble.
What the fuck is with these comments… Alistair swung and hit one of the trees beside him. Smack! Alistair was surprised at how loud the sound was coming from his Staff. “Yikes, I’d hate to get hit with this thing,” he said, imagining the welts he would probably get from being hit with this.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Alistair looked around, wondering which way to go. “The sound of that snake-cat thing was that way” he mumbled pointing towards the direction of the sound. “So let's go that way.” He said pointing in the exact opposite way. And so he began walking, listening, and looking for anything that could be used as a shelter or resources that he could use to make one.
About a 30-minute walk in the general west direction, he guessed seeing as he didn’t know what time it was or if the sun rose in the east or west or anything. He just called it west because it was away from the sun and he thought it may be morning. And well, assuming that the sun did in fact rise from the east. He will figure all of that out later.
Where the fuck was this helper I was supposed to get.
“I’m here.”
Alistair whipped around looking in every direction. “What the fuck, who said that?!” Alistair said swinging his staff as he turned.
“I’m inside your head.” The voice said.
Alistair, finding that he was indeed hearing the voice inside of his head instead of hearing a physical sound, dropped his staff and covered his ears.
“What the hell do you mean inside my head” he screamed.
“You don’t have to yell, in fact, you don’t have to speak at all, I can listen to your inner thoughts.” the voice said.
The voice sounded a bit high-pitched for a guy and low pitch for a girl but not quite neutral either.
“What are you doing in my mind?” Alistair asked, starting to freak out.
“Calm down Alistair, I’m the helper you were told about.” It said.
“She didn’t say the helper would be in my head…” Alistair tried to recall the conversation.
“Who said? And I bet they didn’t say I wouldn’t be in your head either.” It replied.
Ahh, a smart ass then. Alistair thought.
[I guess you could say that, however, I can change my personality at your request. This is just the default setting.]
That is weird, you sound a little different now. Alistair thought, the voice not changing per-say but getting clearer.
[Ahh yes, I’m now not using the inner thought style but the direct input style. With this method, I can better communicate because not only will you hear me clearly but you will feel a bit of what I feel and vice versa.]
What do you mean feel what you feel and vice versa?
[Well, if I am to help you navigate and learn this new world, I need to be able to answer questions you have. Sometimes those questions involve feelings, sensations if you will. This way I can feel what you feel when you ask about said feeling and help answer more effectively. on the other hand, sometimes the answer to a question is a feeling or a sensation I can simulate so that you can experience it.] It went on. [For example, if you were to ask what sadness feels like, I can impart what I feel when I feel sad, like this.] It said. Suddenly a wave of immense sadness filled Alistair. After some resistance from Alistair, it went away.
“I don’t like that,” Alistair said out loud.
[Who likes being sad?] It replied. [that was just an example, however, you can control what you feel from me, you have to allow it in a sense. I was only able to impart that sadness because you were not expecting it. now that you are aware of it and are on guard you can block it.] It explained. [Here, for another example, I will show you what I feel what grass feels like when you walk on it.] It said.
Nothing happened.
I don’t feel anything different. Alistair replied.
[Well I guess that was bad on my part for two reasons. The first being you are already standing on the grass. And the second was I was trying to show you that you were blocking me now.] It said. [Now that you are aware of the connection it has shut instinctively. You have to allow the connection again.] It said.
How do I do that? Alistair asked. not sure if he should even allow it again. It felt like an invasion of his most inner private parts. heh, that’s what she said.
[That’s what who said?] It asked back. [I’m sorry I think our link may be still calibrating.]
Uhh, nothing it was a joke. Alistair thought.
[I am well aware of jokes and understand them more often than not, but I do not know how “That’s what she said” is a joke.] It said.
No I mean I thought about something and what I thought about was a bit childish I admit but the words “inner private parts” and I chuckled and out of habit I thought the words, “That’s what she said.” Alistair explained.
[Ahh implying that when a woman says those words it would be making a reference to her making a sexual innuendo of sorts.] It said. [I get it now, I agree a bit childish but funny nonetheless.]
Yikes…
[Now that we are connected we can convey much more with each other in the future, even without words. If we can get the connection working properly and you learn to trust me, and I you.] It said. [This is a two-way connection I’d like to state.]
So It has emotions and feelings? Wait… Are you a sentient being and not an artificial Intelligence or something?
[Well, Yes I’m sentient. When did I say I was an AI?] It answered, then asked.
I guess you didn’t, I just assumed.
[Well, you know what they say about assuming, you make an ass out of you and me. Ha ha]
Wow, I guess you do get the humor. This might not be so bad. Alistair thought. Then a sudden dread filled him as he thought about never having privacy again and this thing always talking in his head.
[Wow, whatever you just thought about was extremely troubling. Can I ask what it was you thought about? Because that was scary, and what I assume to be a creepy feeling.]
Nothing, just this new world and how alone I feel in it. Alistair thought, not sure he should share his inner thought on what he felt was an invasion of privacy.
[Look, Alistair, this connection thing will get better with time and practice, but I must let you know that I can feel when you are untruthful.] It said. [On the other hand let it reassure you that the same works both ways, you can feel if I am untruthful to you if I were to ever be it. I do not see myself ever needing to be however because I know you would see right through it.] It finished.
I see, I apologize, I am not used to having someone live inside my head, knowing my every inner thought. It just feels like an invasion of privacy. Like what happens when I need to use the bathroom? Do you watch me? Do you comment on its frequency and amount? Will you grow to resent being with me and use this connection to hurt me? Alistair’s thoughts prattled on.
[Whoa, whoa, whoooaaaa. Let's just go through these one at a time, cause they are starting to not make sense. First things first. What is “Going to the bathroom?”] It asked.
What do you mean? Alistair asked in return, confused by the question.
[I don’t get what you said by “Use the bathroom” Do you mean bathe? If so, yes I will accompany you and will try and hold my comments to myself about how much you bathe and how often if that is what is so troubling. As for the resentment-] It said before getting cut off by Alistair.
No, going to the bathroom refers to relieving oneself. It's what happens when humans need to let out the waste their bodies accumulate after eating and drinking. Do you really not know what going to the bathroom means? Alistair explained.
[Eww, what are you talking about.] It asked sounding a bit disgusted.
I do not know how to explain this any clearer than I have done so far. Alistair said, feeling a hint of disgust by this conversation. It's what people have to do after eating, their bodies take in the food and drink, filter out all the good stuff like nutrients and minerals and such that the body needs to sustain itself, and then it works down till it reaches the end of the road. This is where people go to the bathroom and expel the waste, through certain orifices in our bodies. Alistair thought, wishing this conversation he was having, with another being that was supposedly living inside of his head in the middle of a forest, on an entirely new and potentially extremely dangerous planet, would end.
[Okay, many things are wrong with what you just stated, the first being people here do not do that. Like, at all. Do people on Earth really do that? Eww. Anyway, the second thing is Food and water here are used to maintain your mana regeneration. Mana is what powers your body, keeping you alive, well in a broad sense. Mana is cycled through your organs to produce HP or Health.] It explained. [Lastly, there is no waste that your body makes unless you are referring to what is expelled when one goes through an upgrade.] It finished.
Wait… So you are saying that in this new world, there is no pooping, peeing, or anything? What about sweat, do people still sweat here? Alistair asked. Feeling overwhelmed by the information he was receiving from his new friend here.
[Certainly, no pooping or peeing, whatever that is, there is the occasional vomiting if the food is bad or poisoned. However, depending on your resistance to those conditions you won't even need to vomit then either. Sweat is still a thing here, it is used to maintain your body’s temperature, but mainly only while still in your base form, or rather before your first upgrade. I have heard of people that have trained their resistances high enough even in their base form that they no longer need to sweat.] It answered.
Okay, this is getting silly, here I am talking to a living being inside my head and all the while I keep referring to them as “It,” and I would like to stop imagining a freaky-looking clown every time I do so. What. Is. Your. Name?