The morning sun cast a golden hue over the dense woods as Wayne, Sarah, and Officer Thompson ventured further into the unknown. The air was thick with anticipation, a mix of excitement and wariness, for they were explorers of a treacherous world. Wayne's thoughts drifted to his past as he walked, how he had gone from living on the streets fighting for every meal to now literally fighting for his life. He thought about some of these fights and how he knew he should have not survived them, yet here he was… He thought about his survival odds and he had an unsettling feeling.
‘What if the survival odds are in reference to something else, something that doesn’t include these new aggressive animals. Is something coming that we have to survive? Is that why when I figure out something that will help me survive my odds go up?` -- Wayne thought to himself as they walked.
“You know I’ve been thinking. You were on your own for almost two months before you came to our village, you survived walking from Atlanta to our smaller town, and you survived an attack from a bobcat… I don’t think your Survival odds are calculated correctly, I think something is interfering with or the system is having a hard time figuring you out… I don’t know but something just isn’t adding up.” – Sarah said looking over at Wayne.
Wayne chuckled “You know I was just thinking about my S.O also, I’m not sure what it means but it makes me worry about the future, what might be coming for us, or what we might have to face.” Wayne took on a solemn look, Sarah walked over and bumped her shoulder into his.
“Whatever is coming we can all face it together” She said as she smiled over at him. For a moment Wayne was lost in her smile and warmth spread though him as he was starting to understand what having friends really meant.
PROMPT:
Your connection with ‘Sarah’ has deepened, you don’t know what this means for now. +50 REP with ‘Sarah’
Wayne shook his head as they continued on. Their journey led them deeper into the forest, where the trees stood tall and ancient, their roots weaving intricate patterns into the forest floor. The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves served as a natural symphony accompanying their steps. The trio moved with caution, aware that danger could lurk behind any tree or within the underbrush. After hours of walking, they decided to take a break, Sarah and Wayne pulled some rocks to build a makeshift fire pit. It was early October at this point and though it was still warm out, the wind carried a chill to it. They built the fire and sat around it, eating on some of their food while the rested and prepared for the rest of the day.
“I want to thank you two again, it means a lot that you would let me come with ya’ll. I couldn’t stay in that town anymore… I would have gone off on my own if you had said no, I’d probably be dead now, so again thank you.” – Thompson said as he took a bite of some jerky he had. Sarah and Wayne looked at each other then both said “Uh, yeah no problem.”
Then Wayne Added “We’re glad to have you with us, oh actually” Wayne said as he reached into this bag and pulled out the pistol he had, it was a M9 Beretta, it looked like the previous owner had painted it cammo and honestly it didn’t look bad. “Would you be able to teach me how to use this? I found it on my way up here but I’ve never even held a gun before picking this one up, I used it for the first time when I was attacked by the bobcat and only hit it out of pure luck, I’m fairly sure I closed my eyes when I shot.” He laughed at himself as he said it.
Thompson stood up and walked over to get a better look at the gun. “Do you mind?” he asked as he held his hand out, Wayne shook his head and handed it to him. “This is a nice gun, the Beretta is a reliable firearm, we used to have them on the force before we switched to the Glock. Honestly, I’m not even sure why we did…” he trailed off as if lost in thought before coming back to the conversation. “You… found this you said?”
Wayne, understanding the tone, lifted his hands in a surrendering motion. “I found an abounded village, it looked like the people had cleared out in a hurry, some even left their suitcases. I found a house with a gun safe, and they had written the code down in a journal of sorts. The code still worked but the pistol and some ammo were all that was left in the safe.”
Thompson nodded, “We had heard that the military and come through and ‘suggested’ people leave quickly. I can teach you how to use this, but not here let’s wait until we are somewhere we can set up a range of sorts.” He said as he handed the gun back to Wayne, who tucked it back into this bag.
After they rested a bit longer, they put the fire out and started back on their journey. After serval more hours of walking they stumbled upon a hidden path, it was completely overgrown and they would never have found it, if Wayne hadn’t tripped over a root and literally stumbled, well more like face planted, into it. The path led them to a clearing, a meadow bathed in the soft glow of the sun. Grass danced in the gentle breeze, and wildflowers painted the landscape with a riot of colors. It was a peaceful haven, a stark contrast to the dangers of their new world.
“This place is beautiful, Wayne. It's like a piece of untouched paradise.” – Sarah looked around in awe.
“Yeah, it’s quite the find.” Wayne trailed off as he spotted movement in the trees on the other side of the clearing. “What is that?” he asked as he squinted and tried to see what was moving. Sarah and Thompson looked off in the same direction.
Creatures, resembling squirrels but noticeably larger and fiercer, emerged from their hiding places. They were at least 3 or 4 times larger than normal squirrels, they had spit dripping from their overly elongated teeth, they had a wild look in their eyes. Their fur was mated with mud or dried blood, it was hard to tell from this distance. They didn’t sound like normal squirrels but snarled more like dogs or wolves. One lifted its head as if listening for something then turned and looked right at the three. The other two behind it came up beside it and they all stood there for a minute staring at one another.
“What in the fuck are those things?” Thompson asked, and is if his voice was the shot of a starting pistol the squirrels charged them. “OH FUCK!!!!!!!” he screamed as he pulled out his pistol and took aim, he lined up the shot, took a breath and held it, then lightly squeezed the trigger, his first shot fired and he let enough pressure off the trigger to allow the pin to reset. His first round flew through the air and pierced the squirrel directly in front of him, it staggered a bit then got it’s feet back under it and started charging again, this time Thompson keep shooting, two shots to the chest, one to the head. The two in the chest hit but this caused the squirrel to drop and the third one missed. All this time combat prompts were appearing to Thompson but they were at the bottom of his vision, just in view but not distracting in battle. He had managed to cripple it and it would be a bit before it would get back up, while this was happening Sarah and Wayne were engaging their own enemies.
Sarah ready her machete as the squirrels charged. Their long claws were digging furrows in the ground as they ran. ‘I can not let them get me with those things… I’d be dead before my body hit the ground.’ She thought just as the squirrel reached her, she threw herself to the ground as it sailed over her, she quickly got to her feet and swung her weapon down at the enemy, it bit into its rear left leg and she swung again, this time going deeper, the leg went limp, and the squirrel spun around quickly swinging it’s claws at her. She dropped again and rolled away. Again, she jumped to her feet and this time thrust her weapon forward, it stabbing deep into the belly of the beast. It let out a loud scratching howl, the sound nails on a chalkboard, as Sarah twisted the weapon and sliced outward cutting thought the belly of it. Some of its guts spilled out and the squirrel fell to the ground clawing and scratching trying to run away, Sarah stepped up and brought her weapon down on its neck, cutting the head clean off. Prompts flooded her vision now that the fight was over.
Wayne sidestepped as the lead squirrel lunged at him, as he did he brought his weapon down hard on the back of the beast, it bit in deep hitting its backbone but didn’t cut through.
PROMPT:
You hit Squirrel (Evolved) for 15 points of slashing damage, you attacked the spine of the beast, its movement speed is reduced by 25%.
The squirrel spit and howled in pain as it turned quickly, Wayne still holding the weapon was flung a few feet away, barely managing to keep hold of the machete. The squirrel charged again but this time a bit slower and it winced in pain with every foot fall. Wayne scrambled to his feet. `What the fuck does it mean Evolved?!` he shouted his in mind just as the squirrel reached him. It lunged again but this time Wayne dived under it twisting his body and thrusting the machete up, it cut in and blood and guts spilled out over Wayne.
PROMPT:
You hit Squirrel (Evolved) for 15 points of slashing damage, you have disemboweled the beast, it will continue to lose 5 points of health until it dies or can be healed.
Wayne stood up, covered in blood and other bodily fluids. “Fucking gross.” He said as he look for his friends. Sarah had just cut the head off of one of the beast, and Thompson was doing the same to his. Wayne walked forward, “Well when in Rome” he said as he cut the head off of his enemy.
PROMPT:
congratulations you have slain a Squirrel (Evolved) you gain 5 experience points.
‘Hmm I guess it was level one, this is the first leveled enemy we’ve seen… I wonder if that means anything?’ He thought as he looked around the meadow. “Everyone okay?” He asked, still scanning the area.
Sarah walked up and wrinkled her nose. “You need a bath…” she said in a joking tone. “I got 10 experience for killing an enemy that was a higher level than me. It was a base of 5, but I got an extra 5 for the level difference.”
“Same here.” Thompson added as he was using the squirrels’ fur to clean off his own machete.
Stolen novel; please report.
“It’s odd that these are the first Level One creatures we’ve found, Hell even the Feral Humans were unleveled.” Wayne said still looking for something, but unsure what. ‘We also got three times the experience for killing them though, I really hope this system isn’t trying to get us to kill one another.’ He thought to himself.
“Uh Wayne are you okay? I don’t think there are any more beast around, surely they would have come or run away after hearing the gun shots.” Sarah asked, looking at Wayne in concern.
Wayne finally stopped looking around looked at Sarah. “I’m not sure, I have an odd feeling… and don’t call me Shirley.” He said in a serious voice looking directly into Sarahs eyes. She opened her mouth to say something and then he started laughing. “You asshole!” she said laughing also.
Thompson was now walking along the tree line looking for any more enemies. Wayne finished laughing then walked over to him. “Do you feel it too?” Wayne asked looking over at Thompson.
“Feel what?” Thompson asked, looking confused.
“There is this… strange feeling in the air, I can’t explain it but it feels like…” he trailed off as a prompted appeared.
PROMPT:
New Quest!!!!!!
You’ve found a place of interest. The beasts here are stronger, meaner, and deadlier. You’ve managed to kill three of them so far. Determine if there are more, if so kill them, if not find the cause for their growth.
Clear Condition: Kill any beast that have been affected by the place of interest. Discover the reason for the growth.
Congratulations, you’ve unlocked the Quest tab! Your path will be long and dangerous and on your path you will be offered chances to grow your power, or not most of these are optional and some will probably be boring fetch quests! But if you choose to complete the quest you get rewards! Good luck survivor!
Wayne pulled up the Quest tab:
Quest
Meadow of the Fierce Guardians Clear Condition: Kill any beast that have been affected by the place of interest. Discover the reason for the growth.
‘Hm it only shows the clear condition, that’s nice for a quick read but what if I want to go over the whole thing?’ He thought then another prompt appeared.
PROMPT:
Would you like to review quest ‘Meadow of the Fierce Guardians?’ Yes, No
‘No.’ He thought and the prompt disappeared, he closed the quest tab too.
“Did ya’ll just get a quest?” He asked the group.
“Uh no? Did you?” Sarah asked.
“I did not either.” Thompson added.
PROMPT:
Would you like to share the quest with your group? Yes, No
Warning: Rewards will be split evenly among the party members.
‘Yes.’ Wayne thought not even worried about the warning right now.
Both Sarah and Thompson read over the quest then they both selected yes.
“So I guess we need to explore the area? And what is with the name ‘Medow of the Fierce Guardians?’” – Sarah asked, looking around.
They came together to discuss a plan moving forward.
“So we saw the direction the squirrels came from, should we check that area?” Wayne asked.
“That seems like a good place to start.” Thompson added.
“Ok then, you two go and check that area, I’ll check the bodies to see if I can find anything that might suggest what caused them to evolve.” Sarah said, as she started walking towards the bodies. Wayne and Thompson watched her for a second before turning and heading towards the wood line.
As they approached the trees, Wayne noticed something glowing under the bark of one of the trees, as he approached a feeling of unease washed over him, but he kept walking forward. “Do you see this?” He asked Thompson, not looking away from the tree. It took a minute for Thompson to reply.
“I don’t see anything but trees, but I don’t think we should continue this way, I’ve got a bad feeling.” Wayne didn’t notice but Thompson had stopped moving forward.
Wayne now at the tree, took his machete and cut away the bark revealing glowing glyphs. They didn’t look like anything he had ever seen before and just as he was starting to wonder what they meant a prompt appeared, this one was in a different color thought and only said one line.
Waring: This is going to hurt.
As soon as he finished reading it, a mind splitting pain raced through him, it started in his brain and traveled along his spine, and out towards his fingers and toes. He dropped to the floor writhing in pain, he opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. His eyes rolled back and his back arched. It felt like he had been struck by lightning. His insides felt like they were boiling and every part of him hurt. Then blackness overtook him, and he passed out. Thompson ran over and picked him up, moving him back to the center of the meadow, Sarah ran over.
“What’s happening to him?” She shouted as she knelt down beside him.
“I don’t know!” He said he saw something, then cut away some bark on the tree then just dropped, I ran over to him and pulled him away in case something was attacking him, but I didn’t see anything and nothing attacked me!” Thompson said a bit of fear creeping into his voice.
They sat there watching Wayne, after another minute he settled and stopped moving, Sarah checked his pulse and saw that he was at least still alive. She pulled out his sleeping bag and wrapped it around him.
“Let’s let him rest, we should gather some stuff to make a fire and set up camp. We can cook the squirrel meat, I didn’t see anything that would indicate it was unhealthy.” With that Sarah got up and started clearing an area to build the fire. Thompson got up and headed back in the direction they came from, gathering logs and sticks. While they worked Wayne slept.
Thompsons eyes shot open and he looked around, all he could see was blackness, then a voice rang out.
“Hmm less than 1% survival odds and yet here you are. Curious, you knew you had almost no chance and yet you still decided to try the trial. Was the tutorial so bad this time that you’d rather die then live in your new world?” – the disembodied voice asked but then it made a sound “tck, I see… You are not here by chance then; you are indeed quite lucky. Welcome Enlightened.” And with that the voice disappeared and Wayne passed back out.
Sarah and Thompson had finished setting up the camp site, they moved Wayne closer to the fire.
“It’s been almost 3 hours, are we sure he’s not in a coma?” Thompson asked looking over at Wayne as he ate some of the cooked squirrel.
“We don’t know, all we can do is hope he is ok.” She said looking worriedly over at Wayne.
As they continued to eat and talk, Wayne slowly awoke. He groaned and sat up, his head was pounding, and his body ached all over. He felt like he had just competed in the strongest man competition, as a competitor and as the weights. His eyes focused and unfocused a few times before he finally saw Sarah and Thompson sitting looking over at him, they were talking but he couldn’t hear them for some reason. Then there was a pop, and he could hear them, they were yelling at this point. Wayne flinched and lifted his hand trying to get them to stop. He groaned again then stood up and walked to the fire, he grabbed a piece of the squirrel meat and began to eat. He was starving, he felt like he hadn’t eaten in a month. After he finished his third piece and finished his second canteen of water he finally looked up at the group.
“What happened?” was all he asked.
“Uh you said you saw something, when you investigated what ever it was, you just dropped.” Thompson said.
“Yeah, what happened, do you remember anything?” Sarah asked.
Wayne thought for a moment but all he could remember was the glowing light then the prompt.
“Not really, I saw a light then a prompt appeared, it was weird normally the background is a purple color but this one was blue for some reason, it just said ‘Warning: This is going to hurt.’ Then I was in pain and then just nothingness.” Wayne finished.
“Purple?” Thompson said, “Mines a greenish color.”
“Mines pink.” Sarah said.
“Uh okay, are those your favorite color or something? Because blue and purple are not mine” Wayne asked.
“not at all” they both said, then laughed a bit.
Wayne sighed. “Really wish we had a tutorial to help us know what the fuck is going on.”
PROMPT:
Tutorial was disabled for Earth integration, you have been told once already.
“Okay I guess my new color is blue for some reason. This system seems to be getting weirder each day. It just gave me the prompt telling me the Tutorial was disabled again, then mentioned it had already told me that.” Wayne sighed and ate another piece of meat. He decided to check his stats while he ate.
Status
Name Wayne Race Human (Enlightened) Level 1 {EXP 30/158} Lifetime EXP 150 Strength 4 Wisdom 6 Speed 4 Defense 2 Luck 3 Survival Odds 0.2% Health 100/100 Stamina 100/100
Wayne sucked in some air then started coughing as he choked on his meal. After spitting out the food and taking a few breaths he wheezed out. “My survival odds have shot up, it’s now 0.2 instead of 0.02, and my Race has…” before he could finish a prompted appeared, with another splitting headache.
PROMPT:
Unable to share information with Un-Enlightened beings, this is your only warning.
He dropped his meal and grabbed his head. “Fuckkkkk” he screamed, and then as quick as it came it went away.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked jumping up and running over to him.
He shook his head for a moment, then looked up at her. “Yeah seems like there might be some lingering effects from whatever happened to me.” He smiled up weakly at here.
“Just try and take it easy okay, I think we’ll just rest for now and we can worry about this quest in the morning. Hopefully by then whatever happened to you won’t be affecting you anymore.” She said before walking back over to her food.
They spent the rest of the meal quietly eating. Once it was done Thompson said he would take the first watch while the other two slept. They came up with a two hour guard cycle, meaning you’d get four hours to sleep before your shift. As they settled into the night Wayne couldn’t help but worry about what this change meant for him.
Meanwhile…
Two people received a new prompt.
PROMPT:
A third enters the light.
PROMPT:
A third enters the light.