Drew rolled over to avoid the bright overhead lights of the janitor closet. A strong smell hit his nose and hot air periodically blew into his face. After a few minutes of this not stopping, he opened his eyes and was face to face with a slightly different looking Nurgle. He had turned from a spindly little creep to a little less spindly creep that was currently breathing in his face.
“Morning little dude.” Drew wiped at his eyes to clear them of the crust that had developed due to the irritation caused by the gas. His mouth was dry and his stomach was empty. All around, it was an uncomfortable wake up call. He stood up and was immediately greeted by some new messages that had appeared in his sleep.
+68 xp for Scuttle sucker x34
[Summon small monster] has inherited the xp in your place. 20/100 xp Level Up!
Nurgle evolves into [Infant Cyclops]
“I guess that explains the bulk up you had. So you'll become a cyclops if we keep killing stuff huh. Now where did those kills come from?” Drew peeked out of the closet and the reception room smelt fowl by his standards, but comparatively more bearable than when he checked previously.
The lack of a kill message for the parakeet thing was confirmed as no body was left sitting in the lobby. Apparently the gas had been strong enough to kill the bugs that had taken up residence in the time they had originally left. It made sense with how acrid it had been to creatures much larger than them, but now he was out of chemicals and only had empty bottles.
He grabbed Nurgle and the bindle full of empty bottles and started towards the exit. Nurgle struggled out of his hand when they reached the desk and started to hunt down the dead bugs that had been left untouched by the bigger creature. Halfway through his third morsel, Drew’s hunger got the better of him and he started looking for the little insects with a vigor he never thought was possible for him.
The scuttle sucker had curled up on its back under a leaf looking as unappetizing as any large hard shelled bug would. He took a small bite of the side of it in a hope that small bites would fight off the foul taste he was certain it contained. A pleasant crab-like flavor hit his taste buds and his mouth watered at the prospect of eating the rest of the creature.
He threw the rest of the creature into his mouth and crunched down on its surprisingly tender shell given its previously indestructibility while alive. Something left it much more palatable in death compared to its life. Maybe it was the starvation kicking in or actually a pleasant flavor.
Regardless, Drew ate 4 more of the things and collected a dozen more in the bindle. Nurgle came over looking as full as could be and the room had mysteriously become devoid of the morsels. They made their way outside, looking both ways as they fully exited the building.
Going the opposite way they had gone previously in hopes the large creature had returned where it came from, they found an empty street that quickly became more and more wild than he had thought possible for a city.
Wandering about the abandoned street, the noises of the wilderness were becoming more and more commonplace. It was a nice reprieve from the previous silence that the buildings offered. Birds were hopping around the ground and bugs were wandering across the animal paths they were following through the streets.
Beyond the plate sized spider things that would awkwardly hop across the paths, the journey was uneventful for hours. Casually snacking on the scuttle sucker snacks and looking around for any danger was tense, but, after waiting for the enemies to present themselves to no avail, it left his nerves in disarray. .
The constant vigilance since he had arrived kept his mind from wandering to the worries of life, fully focused on survival. The shuffling of grass beside the trails and random hisses from insects kept them on edge for hours at a time.
The travel was put into an abrupt hold as trickling water hit Drew’s ears. “Finally something to drink.” He glanced down at the creature in his hands. “Do you even need to drink Nurgle?”The blank eyes of the infantile beast stared back up at him.” Guess we’ll see.”
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The well traveled path led them straight to the waterway. The animals that frequent the area offered them a reprieve from having to search through the dense forest. A common ditch entered their view as they stepped around the last bend. Crystal clear water reflected the sunlight that shone through the canopy.
Clear banks and slightly rough stone led down to the water level. The same rock that made up the visible splotches of the streets made up the ditch the water ran through. The well worn path seemed to have carved deeply into the side of the street and the flood line could be seen by the random branch on the sides of the stream.
“Probably part of the storm drainage system for the city, eh Nurgle?” The little guy had hopped down and hobbled over the water to take large gulps of water. Drew grabbed him by the waist to keep him from being swept away by the fast flowing water. “We don't want you getting spirited away by some monster fish lying in wait.”
Almost on queue, a school of bright red and pink fish the size of his hand came shooting down the ditch right past them followed by a much larger fish that looked like a modern coelacanth. That wouldn’t have been too strange given the current situation if not for the fact that it was so large it would have been incapable of turning around in the tight confines of the ditch and the oddly hand-like features of its lobed fins.
As it raced by, the creature's eyes flicked back towards them and seemed to slow down as it disappeared from view, blocked by the foliage.
“Ugly bastard. Swear that thing gave me the side eye.” Drew stepped down to the side of the water and began cleaning out the bottles of chemicals that he had saved from the janitor closet. It took many flushes of water to finally get rid of the smell and many more to get the odd taste out of the water. The fear of bad water was far surpassed by the thirst of having no water for the last day and a half.
After having his first few bottles full of water and filling up 4 more, they took time to relax along the smooth banks and listen to the bustling forest. Nurgle picked up a small stick and started swinging it around, hitting branches and leaves. The wind was swooshing around the bat as he swung with surprising force for his diminutive size.
“Maybe you’ll get good enough at swinging that to knock out the octopus parakeet.” Seemingly enthused by the encouragement from Drew, Nurgle picked up the pace. “Just don’t get carried away.”
He reclined against the hard ground and used the bindle to rest his head on. For the first time since arriving, he wasn’t exhausted or scared for his life due to the messed up world he found himself in.
The rare peace let Drew’s mind wander to his situation. How does time work here? He saw a sun passing overhead but he had yet to see night time having probably slept through it. He would need to find a safe place to sleep again. The janitor closet was an option, but the possibility of that creature coming back for revenge was not out of the question and having to step quietly for fear of their lives weighed heavily on his mind. If time is passing here then time is passing back home too.
His family was waiting for him to hopefully return while he was fighting off death on this literally godforsaken planet. His cat was lonely, his friends were probably wondering where he went, and his grades were going to start plummeting. He had a test right around the corner too.
“This isn’t fair. Why am I the one that was brought here? I don’t deserve this, my family doesn’t deserve this. They shouldn’t have to worry about me while I struggle to live in this shit hole.”
Time is not linear. You will return home having completed the orientations stated goal at the time you left with a fitting reward.
“I thought there weren’t any admins to answer my question! Why answer me now?”
Common questions require automated responses. Your despair is not new but you do not need to fear. This is very common and, along with your party, suitable entertainment will guarantee your success.
“She didn’t say any of that! I just want to go home!”
Good luck and have fun!
“Menu!”
No admin support available. Have fun!
The chipper message cut off and Drew was left with nothing but a pit in his stomach. The vague messages did nothing to assuage his discomfort with the situation.
“I’m really stuck here. I think I'm going to cry.”
The birds chirping, bugs clicking, water rushing, air swishing from Nurgle’s club, and branches breaking acted as a backdrop for his quiet depressed musing. Drew covered his face with his hand in defeat. The incessant swinging was riding on his nerves more and more and the snapping sounds were adding insult to injury.
“Can you stop that Nurgle?”
Snapping branches continued to hit his nerves while the noises of nature continued on.
“ Stop breaking stuff for me too dude. I just want a little bit of quiet.”
The breaking noises didn’t stop despite his insistence so he got up and turned to Nurgle who was sitting beside him with his stick held in his hands. Before he could speak further, the breaking sound came from behind Nurgle. The bushes near the stream started to shake despite neither of them doing anything.
“I just can’t catch a break.”