Fuck.
The icicle thuds down onto the ground next to me, with no one to drive it forwards, the only thing affecting it now is gravity.
Then, the body falls.
I flinch.
Sensors have detected you have killed a [Human] for the first time. Due to the noted absence of [rudimentary] knowledge during species-wide datamining, the System is offering a one-time example of [harvesting] to help [Humans] overcome [naive] preconceptions about each other’s [flesh bodies].
You cannot consent to this example of [harvesting]. It is a gift!
NOTE: The System cannot be held liable for consequences arising from this act of [harvesting]. The System encourages [Humans] to use [sustainable] practices and continue to emulate [harvesting] in the future. Do not try to hold the System liable for any repercussions from this or future acts of [harvesting].
Beginning [harvesting] in [8] seconds...
I stare blankly at the floating text box, the words reflecting in my eyes but not sinking in. I look at the body, laying across from me. The hilt of the makeshift claw dagger is sticking out of her eye socket, blood slowly oozing down her face like macabre tears.
My hands begin to tremble.
You did that.
I didn’t- I was just trying to survive-
You killed her.
She attacked me first, I needed to defend myself-
You don’t even know her name.
What was I supposed to do, let her kill me? I-
Why not? You tried to kill yourself. What right do you have to take her life for trying to do what you couldn’t get done?
I throw up, dropping onto my hands and knees as the nausea overwhelms me. There’s nothing in my stomach, so the only thing that comes up is caustic acid, leaving a trail of fire up the back of my throat.
You’re a murderer now.
I begin to sob, great heaves racking my entire frame. When I jumped, I just wanted the pain to stop, but it hurts even more now.
You should have let her kill you-
“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” I scream, interrupting my runaway thoughts. They go silent, but I can feel them there, like a group of ambush predators waiting to pounce.
To swarm me and pull me under.
I gasp for air, coughing out the mucus in my throat and fighting against my spasming lungs. Thick drops of water slide off my face, splashing onto my bloody hands against the ground.
*DING*
[harvesting] has begun. Please pay close attention to the process! In the future, the System will not hold your hand through this again.
I glance at the body out of the corner of my eyes.
It starts… dissolving.
I continue watching, more so because I don’t have the energy to look away than because I feel curious. Little particles rise off of her, faster and faster, swirling up into the air before disappearing. She… crumbles.
Like she was a sculpture made of sand, rather than a living, breathing person.
I throw up again, acid mixed with saliva dripping out of my mouth. I get up and stumble towards the lake, leaving the disintegrating body behind me. Crashing into the water, no longer caring what’s in it, I dunk my head below the waves.
I keep my head down there, past when the oxygen in my lungs gets used up, past when my brain tells me it’s time to surface, until the fear hits and my body’s survival instinct overcomes my commands. I jerk my head out of the lake, inhaling in greedy gulps until my muscles quench their thirst.
I don’t want to die, I remind myself. Whenever I get in a situation where death is imminent, I can’t help but fight against it.
And yet, if I don’t want to die, why does it hurt so much to keep living?
I look down at my hands, still bloody, and begin scrubbing them off. There’s vomit in my hair, too, that I need to get rid of. While I clean myself, I continue to struggle with the question.
When I turn around and slog my way back to shore, I still don’t have an answer.
The body’s gone now. The robe, bow, quiver of arrows, and claw are left behind, sitting in the dirt like nothing ever happened.
I stare at them for a moment, still struggling with myself. Part of me wants to choose a random direction and run for as long as I can, not looking back.
Another, quieter part of me speaks up, stopping that from happening. Put on the coat, it says. You’re wet now, and there’s still a breeze blowing. You need to protect yourself. It’s not like she’s going to come back and need it. What’s done is done. You can stand here, you can run, you can freeze to death. Or, you can move forwards.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
I stand there, shivering, still uncertain.
I know it hurts now, but you used to be happy. You can get there again, Kira. Keep walking, put one foot in front of the other. One day, you’ll look up, and you’ll realize how far in the past you’ve left the pain.
The voice inside my head now… it doesn’t sound like me. It sounds like my Grandpa, whispering the same words he said the day he came to pick me up.
I crouch, scooping the piece of clothing up. It’s a mix between a robe and a coat, with a high, stiff collar and long, flowing sleeves. It’s thick, too, which is what I need right now. I glance at the treeline around me - does modesty really matter at this point - then strip off my sopping wet shirt. I stand up and shrug the robe on. It has a belt, which I cinch tight around my waist then snuggle inside of the robe. She- The previous owner was a little shorter than I am, so it doesn’t quite reach my calves… wait.
I watch, incredulous, as the fabric extends before my very eyes, shifting from a bright blue to a muted gray. With the added length, the end now hits me mid-calf on my legs.
What the fuck? Did she have… magic clothes?
I feel a surge of anger at how unfair that is, which quickly dies down when I remember what it looked like when her face started dissolving.
I look down, and I notice that not all of her clothes were left behind. Just her weapons, the robe, and…
I squint at the ground, then crouch again. Right in the center of where she was, there’s a little blue marble, about the size of the nail on my pinky. I pick it up, curious, and then almost drop it out of surprise when I realize it’s warm.
I stare at it for a second. Fuck.
I mentally look inside myself, where my own little ball of warmth resides in my chest. I’ve been calling it a core in my head, but the idea of mana cores dropping as loot puts a sour taste in my mouth. Because that’s what the harvesting process has to be, a System rebranded looting mechanic.
There’s one more thing on the ground, located where her throat would have been. I pick it up and tilt it around, confused. It looks almost like a harmonica, except the openings in it are narrower. It’s also a little floppy, with a waxy consistency.
This… this is some sort of weird fucking body part, like the thing in my eyes, isn’t it? I shudder, then quickly drop it in one of the pockets of my new outfit along with the core. I can’t help but consider the implications.
In a game, loot is something valuable, something you would want or use in a crafting. When you get a body part type drop, you often have to craft it with other things to turn it into something useful. If… if the System is dropping modified body parts when it ‘harvests’ someone, then… is it turning parts of our bodies into ingredients for recipes?
That implies crafting using body parts exists, either System-assisted or as something that’s been learnt and passed down like any other trade. Are… people hunted for crafting? Like how a gamer would grind hedgehogs to get their spines or something, are water affinitied people slaughtered for these strange harmonica things?
A more pressing question immediately presents itself. Will I be hunted for my eyes? Or my core?
I grit my teeth and stand up. That’s at least one more reason to get stronger, as if I didn’t already have a doomsday timer ticking above my head. I pull it up so I can check.
[00:02:09:38]
And I’m already Level 4. I feel uneasy about it, simultaneously feeling like I haven’t earned it, not wanting to think about how I got here, and upset that I’m experiencing fucking imposter syndrome about level ups, of all things.
I look around me again. There’s no sign of anything approaching, so I move back towards the lake. It was actually pretty clear when I was- when I was cleaning myself off earlier, and I definitely swallowed some when I first got hit by the water. There’s none of the floating detritus or pieces of unknown greenery that I’d expect to see on the shore of a normal lake, so I let myself drink my fill. The water is cold, and my stomach is empty, but I can go longer without food than I can without water so I drink up. My belly sloshes unpleasantly when I stand back up, but it settles quickly as I begin moving.
I grab the bow and arrows, struggling for a moment as I figure out how to attach the quiver to my belt. The weapon is what I would call a typical fantasy longbow, with the limbs curving forwards from where you’re supposed to hold the bow steady and then swooping backwards to create an arc, the end of which has the string attached. It's made of a dark wood, without any carvings or ornaments. I’ve never used a bow before, besides that one time in high school gym class where we used foam tipped arrows. These arrows are the real deal, triangular heads, sharp at the point, and with feathers from an unknown bird fletched at the ends. The bow and arrows don’t give any indication of magic fuckery when I pick them up, so I’m not sure why they stayed behind. Then again, my claw didn’t disappear either. I pick it up too and slide it into my belt. Maybe it’s because they’re both classified as ‘weapons’ by the system? Or did she take the bow and arrows off of something, like I took the claw?
I’m curious, but there’s nothing I can do at this point to figure it out. What I can do is look at my level gains. I start heading towards the treeline and think, ‘Status’.
Name: Kira Uhrmacher
Level: 4
Race: Human
Affinity: Time
HP: 24/24
Mana: 3/46
Time: 0/49
Stats:
Unassigned Points: 6
STR 10
END 11
PER 12
INT 20
VIT 12
WIL 4
AGI 12
WIS 18
Titles: [N/A]
Traits: [Passed Down Through the Centuries], [Nothing But Time], [In a Split Second],
[Badge of Participation] (New)
Abilities:
Passive: [Weight of Time],
[Split Second] (New)
Active:
[Unbound Eyes of Time] (New)
[Extended Moment of Clarity] (New)
[Improved Mana Manipulation] (New)
Skills: [Restorative Meditation]
Huh?
I read through my ability list to make sure I’m not missing anything. All the abilities I just used in the fight have tiered up, but I don’t have any new ones. I just gained two levels at once, and not a single ability? No, wait, there is something new, except it’s a trait called [Badge of Participation] not an ability. I summon the description, ‘Badge of Participation.’
[Badge of Participation]: The System has noted your work towards furthering the goal of SAD and your commitment to its principles. As a reward, the System has given you this Trait as a mark of distinguishment. You’re welcome!
* This Trait cannot be hidden.
* This Trait will automatically be displayed when someone uses [Analysis] on you.
I freeze, reading the description. Commitment to its principles? Furthering its fucking goal? This, this is what it meant when it thanked me in that death notification. Oh, fuck, shit, people can make you display your traits?
They’ll see that I killed someone.
Fuck.