Purple light filled Orion’s vision again and he saw himself looking into the darkened workshop again. At an angle. His shoulder hit the side of the tilted sarcophagus and he pitched forward, trying to land on his feet. But when his left foot didn’t hit the ground he fell forward and belly flopped on the hard floor.
“Ow! My tits!”
Orion heard what almost sounded like high-pitched snickering. He painfully rolled over and saw three of the wheeled rats staring down at him from a worktable, laughing at him. A chunky rodent was stuffing its face with more leather scraps as mocked him.
“Oh, you little bastards!” Orion quickly equipped his Rusty Pistol and shot at them.
The rats jumped in unison and scurried away. He saw that the back half of them were partly cybernetic, with little whitewall tires where the back legs should be. They had spoilers decorating the top of their metal butts and their long tails bent up in the middle to make whip poles. The poles had fabric scraps or food wrappers tied to the tip like little flags. They looked like rat dune buggies. Or cadillacs.
“Ha!” Orion laughed, “Ratillacs.”
Orion narrowed his eyes and examined himself. Starving to death hadn’t made him lose weight, but respawning had removed his prosthetic leg for some reason. Orion pulled himself up with a sigh and used the nearest workbench to craft a new leg. It took a few tries and the last of his bones, but soon he was on his feet again. So to speak.
As Orion worked his mind focused on readjusting his plans. He didn’t just need shelter anymore, he needed a reliable source of food and water. Checking his inventory, Orion saw he had five food and water rations. That would keep him going a while, but he’d have to think long term. He went back through the ‘Survival’ tab of the crafting menu and looked at available recipes. He didn’t see anything for food yet, but he saw a portable water recycler that turned urine into drinkable water.
Orion stared at the description with a horrified expression, “Oh, hell no! We still have to use the bathroom here? That is bullshit!”
Scrolling more he also found a recipe for a crude outhouse. So food was still an issue. Maybe he should try eating the leather scraps since the ratillacs liked them so much.
Skittering noises drew his attention to one of the far corners. There did seem to be a lot of ratillacs scurrying about. It was disgusting to think about eating them, but they were technically made of meat, mostly. They were too fast for him to shoot, at least at his current skill level. Orion looked up ‘Traps’ in the crafting menu and nothing came up.
Leaning on the table Orion thought about his options. He had too much to do to actively hunt for food, traps were the best option. Even if he couldn’t craft them in the menu he knew the basic concept. Just get a heavy box, prop it up with a stick and lay some bait. Even if most of them failed, if some of them succeeded it would be something at least.
He searched the piles of junk lying around the workshop. He scavenged whatever heavy containers he could find and used some of the wood supplies to make sticks with notches that could prop them up. He took the rest of the leather and cut small chunks to use as bait. The noisy varmints had gone quiet while he worked, and he hoped they weren’t smart enough to figure out his plan. He placed the traps randomly around the workshop and left.
Walking outside Orion decided to explore the area a bit more. He walked further than he’d been able to before crafting the prosthetic, checking out the hangars first. The rounded buildings were heavily damaged, the metal dented or punctured by rocks and logs. The hangars were empty except for the last one which contained a dusty tarp covering a large shape. Orion peeked under the tarp and saw what looked like a military tank with a weird weapon. Instead of the hollow barrel you’d expect to see, the muzzle looked more like a boombox speaker on the end of a pipe.
The collection of boulders to the south seemed strange. They didn’t look like a natural rock formation. The baked soil around the rocks was marked long grooves, almost as if the rocks had been thrown there from a distance. He walked around them looking for any signs of where they came from. This took several minutes and just as Orion was about to finish the round, something caught his eye. Near the top of the largest boulder were huge gouges and a full chunk taken off it. It looked as if something had taken a bite out of it.
Finally, he crested the big hill to the west of the base. He was winded by the time he reached the top, stepping onto the platform where the archway was built. He gasped in awe at the sight. Nothing had prepared him for what he saw.
He had visited Crater Lake one time while hitting the gaming convention scene. He and some friends had taken the trip up and done some hiking. He was taken aback by the beauty, clear water surrounded by a vibrant forest, and the island in the center. It felt like a mythic place, somewhere that would hold a secret lake monster or a portal to the fae realm. The pit below him looked like an upside-down bundt cake pan, a deep pit with an island rising up from the middle. Unlike Crater lake the valley below was dry, a literal dust bowl. Despite that, it was easy to imagine a meteor struck the ground here too.
Orion could see about half a dozen vehicles partially buried in the ground below, looking almost identical to the strange tank he found in the hangar. Sharp rocks poked through the cracked earth like broken teeth. The center mound of earth had a dusting of purple on the peak, though he couldn’t distinguish what it was.
Just beyond the concrete walls of the structure was a long, metal suspension bridge. It too appeared to be on its last legs: with broken panels, snapped cables and more debris scattered on it. It connected to a large facility that centered over the mound in the middle of the crater. The compound had industrial architecture, with large empty docks and several buildings on the flat platform. There was a kind of round tower in the center, with windows and catwalks along the outside. The immense tube extended down through the docks, where Orion could see a cylindrical device jutting out through the bottom. The machine was tipped by a large drill bit, though the screw glowed like a spiral laser.
Two more suspension bridges connected the strange structure to other points on the crater’s edge. They seemed evenly spaced, and while damaged they still held the building aloft. The persistent wind blowing up from the crater did cause the whole thing to sway ominously. Orion made a note to avoid exploring it for now.
From where he stood, Orion could barely make out some landmarks on the lip of the crater. At the edge of the bridge to his left, he saw what he thought was a roiling dust cloud filled with dark shapes. The cloud took up much of that sector of the crater, and flashes of lightning crackled throughout the cloud. Near the end of the bridge to his right side he could see a dark carpet of foliage, like a tangle of massive brambles. That might be a good place to farm materials, though the brambles reminded him of the skeletal trees in the Sea of Souls.
Orion was startled as he realized he remembered the Seas of Spiritus game. He used to be a Vtuber! How had he forgotten? He used to play video games with his friends to entertain people. His avatar was still an Orc, but much different. That beard, such a magnificent beard! Orion rubbed his smooth jawline thoughtfully, mourning the loss of such the stunning facial hair. Orion ran thick fingers through his blue tresses, admiring the starlight effect he had given it. The name Starbeard didn’t exactly describe him anymore, but it felt familiar and comfortable. Now Orion understood why.
A World HUD window flashed in front of his eyes, interrupting his thoughts.
[You have successfully caught an animal in a trap. 'Warden' Vocation unlocked.]
“Vocation?” Orion asked aloud, “What, like a job?”
Orion was surprised by the sudden revelation that Cosmic Horizons must have a class system. The game hadn’t asked him to select a job in the character creation screen, so he’d just assumed there wasn’t one. He clicked on the highlighted Warden link and the CODEX entry appeared.
[Warden: Survivalists and Explorers who are capable of thriving in a variety of biomes. Specializing in long-range rifles and traps, they can immobilize targets and then attack from a distance. Wardens can also tame creatures to act as partners to complete a variety of tasks. Partners can be used for crowd control, tanks or added DPS. Partners can also serve as work animals or simply companions.
Accept Job? Y/N?
Warning: Once selected, Vocations cannot be easily changed without the assistance of a Trades Master]
Orion’s heart pounded. Survivalists? That was exactly what he needed! If he was going to live in this gods forsaken desert he needed all the help he could get. And animal pals? Yes please! He selected ‘Y’.
[Orion Starbeard is now a LVL 1 Warden!
Please choose a vocation specialization. Specializations can be reset by a Vocational Master.
'Packleader' skill tree unlocked:
Packleaders can have an increased number of active beast companions during combat. 'Beast Affinity' ability allows them to borrow skills from their partners.
'Wrangler' skill tree unlocked:
Wranglers are experts at mounted combat. 'Stampede' ability increases defense to maximize trampling damage for a short time.
'Pharmacologist' skill tree unlocked:
Pharmachologists are survivalist specializing in herbal remedies. 'Veterinarian' ability increases the chance to heal beasts and add buffs.
+1 Combat Partner slot available]
Orion really wished he had some kind of tutorial or someone to guide him through the choice. Pharmacologist sounded good to increase his survivability, but he hadn’t seen much plant life here. He hadn’t seen any animals big enough to ride, either. The only logical choice was Packleader. Maybe he could tame a ratillac and borrow their ability to eat garbage. With a resigned sigh, Orion made his selection and the window closed.
Orion took a deep breath. Oddly enough, after becoming a warden the air didn’t feel quite so thin. It still had a weird aftertaste but he didn’t feel like he was fighting for each breath. “Ahh,” Orion sighed, smacking his lips. “Gross. The air tastes like pennies.”
Orion tried to pull up his new warden skills, the HUD window appearing in his vision. The screen glitched out and his brain implant shorted out so badly he went blind in his right eye for a few seconds. He’d have to wait to fix his implant before messing with his new abilities.
Orion turned to look at the disheveled base below, “Oh well. Right now? It’s Lunchtime!”
After catching the first initial ratillacs in traps, Orion had to figure out how to cook them. He’d seen in cartoons and TV shows that if you put them on sticks and rotated them over a fire you could roast them easily enough. Except he couldn’t just skewer the ratillacs easily with the back half being mechanical. Orion searched the crafting table menu for cooking utensils, settling on a standard survival knife.
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Orion stared at the rats in the bottom of the barrel he’d stuck them in. He’d been able to catch three and they milled about, blissfully unaware of the danger. Orion snatched one up and quickly stabbed the blade into the ratillac’s side, pushing through tough flesh and sinew. The ratillac squealed with pain, startling Orion badly enough that he dropped the wounded animal back in the barrel.
Orion ran to the outhouse as a wave of nausea hit him. The game was too real! It had really felt like he was cutting into a living creature. His hands shook but he finally managed to compose himself. Walking back he watched the other rataillacs licking the wounded one’s side while it lay there trembling.
Gritting his tusks Orion took a deep breath. “Sorry guys, it’s you or me.” Orion tried to be merciful. He grabbed the injured one and snapped its neck, his new body barely straining at the effort. Orion did the same with the other two and then slumped to his knees, his whole body shuddering. Steeling himself, he picked up the knife and inexpertly peeled away the fur and metal from the hide.
[Trapper skill tree activated: New Trade 'Skinning' unlocked! New Trade 'Cooking' unlocked!]
When he picked up the second ratillac, a new minigame appeared over the corpse. Focusing on slicing along holographic lines, tugging at the pelt when indicated and cutting meat and bone where instructed helped distract Orion’s mind as he butchered the animal. He did the same to the last two ratillacs and then followed a third set of minigame instructions on how to roast the meat. The first two attempts failed and produced 50% less meat, but between the three Orion had a decent meal in him. He also gained a level in the process.
Water was still a problem, but Orion built one of the Portable Water Recyclers and drank one of his water rations. Eventually nature would take its course and the situation would resolve itself. He didn’t like the idea of drinking recycled urine, but if it was good enough for astronauts then it was good enough for a space Orc.
The food problem momentarily taken care of, Orion got back to work. He laid down several more traps, some of them back in the warehouse but a few more around the compound in likely spots. His Survivalist skill highlighted animal tracks on the ground, so he placed more traps around to cast a wider net. Even if he still couldn’t see his status screen, if he had enough food and ate regularly Orion could avoid starving to death again.
A few days passed in much the same way. Every morning he would check his traps, prepare food, clear debris, and scavenge robots. His little lean-to got upgraded to a shed, and he was able to use ratillac pelts to make a decent bedroll. He moved his chest inside the shack, needing to craft more to store all his supplies. Improving his mining trade earned Orion more materials from breaking down the rocks and robots. From the boulders he started to get orgite, a bronze-like ore that could be used to improve and forge new equipment. From the robots he started to gather [Machine Parts]. Between the orgite and the parts he was able to upgrade his little workbench with a small forge attachment. His list of craftable items nearly doubled.
The days were boring, sure, but Orion was proud of the progress he had made. After days of work the yard was finally cleared, all the robots removed, the rocks and logs gathered and the piles of dirt smoothed out. He had gone through many tools, building new ones to improve his crafting skill and unlock better gear recipes. With the improved workbench he was able to smelt orgite into [Orgite Bars] which he used to construct orgite tools with increased durability. The orgite tools even decreased the number of hits needed to gather resources, making the work much faster.
Days passed and the yard was mostly cleared, leaving only the large rock outcropping he had named ‘Bite Rock’. Orion cobbled together a rudimentary stretcher out of some pipes and fabric to carry any alien bodies left in the open away. There was a hill to the northeast of the compound and he had started to dig a crude Boot Hill style graveyard. Orion marked the graves with crosses, not knowing what else to do. A few bodies with personal items near where they fell and Orion hung them on the crosses as a memento. Each grave marker was labeled with the name tag from the uniform, be it guard or prisoner. Feeling helpless, Orion honored them with a moment of silence.
Satisfied, Orion turned to the main base with a sigh. The only thing left now was to clear out the robots and bodies from inside. He’d avoided going back in. With the crowded halls, the flickering lights, the strange sounds from broken machinery, the facility felt like the setting for a horror movie. But none of his crafting recipes had any kind of farming options unlocked. His best bet was to figure out how the building got food and try to repair it.
Orion hesitated as he spotted the lengthening shadows on the ground. Looking up at the setting sun, he realized edge of his vision was starting to turn red. He must have worked all day without eating again. Even if working in the mostly dark base weren’t so dangerous, it would be hours before he could locate a source of food. Not looking forward to another dinner of gamey rat meat, Orion reluctantly made his way towards his shed to rest for the night.
In the morning Orion got up and checked his traps as normal. His trapper skill had gotten better and he was able to track more animals outside. He noticing most of the trails led to burrows near Bite Rock, with a few others leading to the hangars. Orion had upgraded to a kind of spring-loaded conibear trap that would kill the ratillacs for him, leaving him with the grisly task of processing the meat.
Orion had become less squeamish about the process of hunting. He’d gotten into the habit of thanking the rats for the food before every meal. He’d seen this practice in anime, and it just felt appropriate to be grateful to the prey that was keeping him alive. He just hoped he wasn’t overhunting the population.
Orion couldn’t get used to drinking the recycled urine. Sure it tasted like literal nothing, but the knowledge of where the water came from still didn’t sit well. It hadn’t rained once since Orion had woken up here, which made sense given the cracked soil surrounding the compound.
He was checking the final trap at the bottom of the crater hill when he paused. Behind the stones he’d left as a hiding spot for the burrow, he found a blood trail. Hairs standing on the back of his neck, Orion crouched and approached cautiously and drew his shotgun. The trap had sprung, and there was a tire axel still in it. The trap itself was badly damaged. Blood had gotten splattered on the rock, and the ratillac body had been carried off.
Orion noticed some larger tracks moving away from the blood trail. He couldn’t identify them with his trapper level, but he saw that the paw print was bigger than his hand. A cold sweat prickled on his brow despite the heat. He wasn’t the only predator here.
Orion tracked the prints for a while, climbing the hill. He lost the trail when the tracks led him to the bridge over the crater. Unwilling to cross the rickety bridge, Orion took one last look around before turning back to make breakfast.
Once he was properly fed, Orion returned to the base and the tedious process of breaking the robots down began. Orion just zoned out at this point, smashing the piles of metal with what amounted to a sledgehammer. Meanwhile, his mind drifted off to things he had to do.
Orion had already made some replacement peg legs and sat them next to the sarcophagus. He’s also placed a few bedrolls in front of the door to try and cushion the fall if he had to respawn again. He idly wondered if he had a limited number of respawns, or if the Cosmic Horizons had your standard MMORPG infinite lives mechanic. He needed to spend some time reviewing the crafting tab to see if there were different cooking options. Not that he had anything to eat except ratil-
Something grabbed Orion’s foot and pulled hard. Too surprised to even brace for the fall, he crashed to the floor with a metallic clang! He only took two damage, but the shock of the fall caused Orion to scoot back. He didn’t get far because something was clamped to his ankle.
Orion shook his head to clear it and gasped at what he saw. Under the pile he was breaking down was half buried robot that was still very much alive. The robot's face was bloated with bulbous protrusions over the left eye, the right one glowing bright orange. It opened two sets of mouths and roared with what sounded like a prop engine underwater.
“Shit” Orion yelled.
Orion quickly equipped his shotgun, the weapon appearing in his hands, and opened fire. The plasma buckshot pinged harmlessly off the thing’s metal face, some of the energy blasts ricocheted back and struck Orion, causing further damage. The robot roared again and the vice-like grip on Orion’s ankle tightened, grinding bones together.
Panicking and rapidly losing health Orion pulled away, trying to put distance between himself and the metal nightmare. Digging his fingers and peg leg into the floor Orion somehow managed to drag the robot back. The sound of tortured metal scraping along the floor increased, and the pile shifted. The robot’s free hand tried to pull it forward, disturbing the scrap mound precariously. The pile shifted and crunched down, scissoring the robot in half. Orion found himself dragging his attacker now, leaving a shiny oil slick behind it.
Growing desperate, Orion kicked at the misshapen face with his peg, dealing no damage until the bone spike drove into the thing’s eye socket, shattering the glowing lens. The torso reared back and roared, snapping a few inches of bone off the prosthetic. The grip loosened just enough for Orion to rip his foot away, leaving the space suit’s boot in the monster’s grip.
Orion scrambled to his feet and equipped the hammer, hitting the robot with it. The blow did some damage, but this just seemed to enrage the robot. Still blinded, the monster’s mouths gaped open and flames began to belch out of the twin maws. The robot started to turn a smoldering crimson from within, the cracks in its armor blazing with heat as it lit up like a furnace. The bulbous growths started to bubble and increase in number as gouts of flame erupted from the creature. The oil below it caught fire and the room started to fill with smoke.
Orion flinched from the sudden heat. He briefly considered equipping the Pocket Nuke, but the risk of serious damage to the building was too high. He knew the hammer was the best way to destroy the robot, but the standard tools weren’t going to cut it. If he didn’t act fast the whole compound would catch fire.
Orion turned and ran toward the entrance, the bone stump causing him to stumble. He pulled the makeshift crutch from his inventory and used it to swing himself towards the exit. He had to figure out a way to deal more damage in a shorter amount of time.
He burst out into the noon day sun and hobbled towards his shed, slamming open the door. He stowed his crutch and quickly equipping a fresh leg. Orion sat heavily on a chair and booted up the crafting table, typing ‘Hammer’ in the search bar. The tool tap popped up and he was scrolling through it when something caught his eye. There was a ‘Weapons’ tab! He clicked on it and it showed him a few recipes he hadn’t noticed before. He clicked on the last image and read the stats.
[Orgite Battle Sledge:
Two handed weapon
15-25 Bludgeoning Damage
100/100 Durability
One Mod Slot]
His current hammer only did half that damage. The tool could actually be used as a component to craft the battle sledge as well. He quickly got to work, nearly messing up the minigame in his haste. The crafting game took only a minute but it felt like hours. Orion, skin slick with perspiration, finished and quickly ran out again to face the fire-belching robot again.
A good portion of the entryway was on fire as Orion pounded down the hall toward the robot. The robot still crawled closer to the entrance, so bloated that the red hot sides of its body scraped the surrounding walls.
Ignoring the flames licking at his exposed face and forearms, Orion charged and swung the Sledge down at the creature's head with every ounce of strength he could muster. The sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the building as Orion smashed the grotesque mass of metal cysts into the robot's molten skull. It roared again, one of the metal mandibles hanging off the hinge. Orion pressed the attack, swinging wildly at the head and body. He looked for weak spots, aiming for joints and cracks in the armor.
Orion knocked the robot’s right arm out of its socket, more oil and cables spilling out. Orion gave a grunt of satisfaction that turned into a scream as the creature’s left arm grabbed his side with white-hot fingers. The claws dug deep into his flesh and searing pain wracked his body. He kicked at the thing’s elbow and the claw jerked back, but not before taking a large chunk of scorched flesh with it.
Wishing he could see his health bar, Orion did the only thing he could think of. He activated his 'Overclock' ability. Orion grunted with discomfort as his muscles strained and bulged considerably. Thick veins stood as his skin turned a maroon red, the LED freckles glowing yellow. His body felt incredibly light but a dull ache that reminded him that he was taking damage the entire time he used the ability.
Orion wasted no time in attacking the monstrosity before him. Blow after blow rained down in rapid succession, caving in the robot’s back. The claw reached for him again but Orion swung the Sledge like a baseball bat and crumpled the thing’s arm like an aluminum can. In one last ditch effort the robot breathed a gout of flame directly at Orion, severely burning him. But the stream of flame abruptly cut off as the robot’s head was pounded flat in the next few seconds.
The robot’s body slumped and the surface started to cool. Still on fire, Orion dropped the sledge and then himself, rolling around to try and put out the flames. Shaking, Orion mentally turned off Overclock and lay there panting as his body deflated into its normal bluish shape. Orion was a bloody mess, clothes damaged, physically and mentally exhausted.
[Orion Starbeard has lev-]
Orion’s implant shorted out painfully, adding insult to injury. Completely exhausted Orion just wanted to pass out, but he still had to put out the fires. Just as he struggled painfully to his feet, an alarm sounded in the facility. Red lights flashed and a fire suppressant system started spraying a cooling foam onto the fires. The robot’s corpse hissed and steamed as the suppressant hit the still hot surface. Despite himself, Orion started to laugh as the fluffy foam covered him.
“Pfft!” Orion spat foam out of his mouth. “Too bad this wasn’t a sprinkler system. I could have gotten some emergency water.”
Orion shouldered the Sledge and limped back toward the entrance. He could feel his regeneration already knitting his wounds back together. Orion was starting to get a clear picture about what happened to the people living here before. If even a handful of these robot things could mutate like that, then Orion had some serious training to do.