Beatrice had always been a woman of few words. She lived alone on the edge of the Frontier, her ranch the only thing separating her from the wild and untamed land beyond. It wasn't a simple life, but it was hers, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.
She had never been one to take in strays, but there was something about the young man who had shown up on her doorstep that made her reconsider. He was a strange one alright. A bit too trusting, a bit too naïve. But there was a strength in him she couldn't deny.
She shook her head, chuckling to herself as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror. The reflection staring back at her was one she knew well: wrinkles, red hair gone grey, and a weathered face that had seen more than its fair share of hardship.
But as she looked into her own eyes, she couldn't help but see the ghost of her younger self. A time when she was just as naïve and full of hope as the boy.
She had offered him a place to stay for the night, more out of curiosity than anything else. And now, as she watched him sleep, she wondered what it was about him that had made her open her door and let her guard down.
"Damn it," she cursed, splashing water on her face. "I'm getting soft in my old age."
He reminded her of her little brother, she supposed. The same wide-eyed innocence, the same willingness to help when asked. But where her brother had developed a hardness as time went on, the young man in her home had a gentle strength. A strength that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
As she stood there, hearing his soft breaths as he slept, she decided. She would send him out to hunt the wolves that had been pressing in on her ranch recently. It would keep him at arm's length, and if something happened to him... well, he was just a stranger, after all.
Promising herself she'd toss him out soon, she went out to tend to her chickens, gathering eggs from the coop, then checking on her cattle. As she worked, she thought about the young man sleeping inside her cabin. He was an enigma, that much was certain. And yet, there was something about him that made her want to know more.
As the sun rose, she made breakfast from some cured Dire Wolf meat. She recalled how difficult it had been to hunt them down before, and the pride she'd felt after taking one of them down. It was a memory that still brought a smile to her face.
As she stood there, watching the sunrise, she couldn't help but wonder what the day would bring.
----------------------------------------
Following a breakfast that included eggs with insanely orange yolk and a type of cured meat that had me drooling all over again, Beatrice presented me with her rifle. "Time to earn your keep! Take it and clear out them wolves in the forest. They keep attacking my chickens and cattle."
"Chickens? I didn't see a coop outside."
"You ain't seen half my ranch yet. All the livestock is out back," she grinned.
I shrugged and eyed the rifle, feeling the weight of a weapon in my hands again after so many years. The last time I'd been hunting was oddly out of place and yet familiar.
"You better get out there while the light is still good. Never know when a storm will decide to come by," Beatrice said, taking the mug of freshly brewed tea and pouring it into a thermos. "Here you go. Take this tea, it'll keep you warm and help with concentration. Keeps me alert when I'm hunting. And don't break my thermos. It's the only one I got, and I ain't in no mood to get a new one from the city."
"The city?" I prompted.
"Yeah, I've too much to do around here to be hassling with Quentin to find me a new one. Now, enough of your questions! Go take care of them wolves. There shouldn't be over three of them out there last I saw, but it's best that you keep an eye out."
"Thanks, I'll do that." I was beyond confused, but it definitely felt like some sort of quest. Even if the system hadn't prompted me with anything to confirm it.
"Oh, and don't die, okay? I don't want you losing my rifle neither."
"I'll do my best."
----------------------------------------
With the rifle gripped firmly, I ventured back into the forest, heading towards the large tree where I had originally awakened. As I headed away from the cabin, I noticed there was a mountain range in the distance and wondered about directions. Normally, I would open my map to check where I was, but it wasn't possible in this situation. Instead, I figured I could ask the broken AI.
"Eden, do you have information on which direction I am walking?" I asked. It wasn't incredibly helpful, but I thought asking would eventually get me a response.
"This information is not currently available."
I was wrong.
Heading towards the mountain range, I entered a denser part of woods. The floor was littered with fallen branches and the occasional fallen tree. A batch of glowing mushrooms shimmered in the shade of one of those trees. I never studied trees so I couldn't identify them and I knew even less about mushrooms, so I stubbornly tried the AI again.
"Eden, can I harvest those mushrooms and put them in an inventory?" I chanced the question.
"This information is not currently available."
"You're so helpful."
"You're welcome, Carrots." I could hear the smug smile behind Eden's response, or maybe it was just my frustration.
Without an inventory, I made a mental note of the mushrooms so I could ask Beatrice about them later. Examining the ground and my surrounding I focused on trying to find the spawn point for the wolves when I heard a rustling to my right.
Pulling the rifle up, I saw nothing other than more trees and some tall foliage that brought the word thicket to mind. The excitement had my heart thrumming in my ears. I felt my hands shaking in anticipation, and a sense of awe at the level of detail.
In an instant of lost concentration, a wolf sprang from behind a tree, charging at me with bared claws. I whipped around and fired.
The wolf yelped and fell in front of me. I could see a red stain on its forehead and some gore that confirmed a critical hit. My aim was far too accurate to be normal, but that was the least of my concerns as another wolf came out from behind a fallen log to my left.
I pulled the rifle up to my shoulder and aimed at the wolf before firing, but the sun broke through the tree cover at that exact moment. Dirt kicked up next to the wolf, and the creature hesitated, turning to run around me instead as I tried to line up another shot.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Wolves really do hunt in packs! I heard the rustle from behind me, so I ducked down, circled around with the rifle, and fired. As the second wolf dashed away from my wild shots, a thought crossed my mind. I was holding a single-shot rifle, but I hadn't had to reload yet. Looking down, and saw a small clip inserted just in front of the trigger guard. Panic shoots through me. I didn't pick up any other bullets, and I didn't know how many rounds I had left.
I pulled the clip from the rifle to check my ammo and saw there were at least two rounds left. I figured I'd have to make them count.
I dropped to a crouch on one knee and looked around. I spotted another wolf. Taking aim, I fired, hitting it in the center mass. It yelped and stumbled to the ground. The second wolf lunged at me. Turning towards it, I fired.
Miss!
The impact was the first thing I felt as the wolf hit my shoulders. I lifted the rifle, keeping it from biting my face off. Drool and spittle sprayed with each snap. With all my strength, I shoved the wolf to the side, letting it slide along the rifle barrel towards the firing end. Then pulled the trigger with my thumb.
A bang, then a yelp echoed in the forest.
I lay there for a while, panting, washed in wolf spit and my sweat. The rifle was a few feet to my left. My thumb and wrist were throbbing. After what seemed like a rather long time, I finally stood up.
"Eden, how do I access my inventory?"
"This information is not currently available, Carrots."
"Seriously!?"
----------------------------------------
"Oh wow, you brought one back!" Beatrice's eyes were wide as she opened the door to let me in. "And you definitely smell like you've been hunting."
It was true; I stank to high heaven.
"Figured we could skin it and harvest the meat," I replied, dropping the wolf's leg.
"Oh, that'll be great! Wolf meat sells well in town since most of the folks around here avoid them. I'm actually a bit surprised you could hunt them without a knife or traps. How'd you do it?"
"It wasn't exactly easy, but I managed." I didn't want to elaborate on my terrible skills in case it would limit the quest line from continuing. "I got a few lucky shots in and picked them off one by one." More like, I fired wildly and hoped to the game gods I would hit the beasts.
"Which way to the restroom?" I asked.
"It's the door on the left, but I'd recommend you head back out there before you shower. There's some spare ammo on the counter if you need it," she said, dragging the wolf around the side of the cabin.
Reloading the cartridge, I headed back into the forest to find the other wolves. The day had become overcast since I left so I couldn't get my bearing on direction, but I had a general idea where I'd come from. Plus it helped that I'd left a path from dragging the wolf.
As I trudged into the forrest, the weight of the rifle pulled on my shoulder where the strap held it in place. The encounter with the wolves had left me shaken, but I couldn't let that stop me. The tutorial had to end sooner or later and I needed to get back to leveling up or Butes and Alex would forcefully disconnect me! I was determined to complete what I'd set out to do and prove that starting off as a Citizen, I'd still get the most out of my gaming sessions.
The forest was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of leaves and the occasional bird breaking the silence. Their calls were sporadic and urgent. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as I scanned my surroundings. The dim light filtering through the thick canopy above casting long shadows on the forest floor, making it difficult to spot any signs of movement.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees, sending a shiver down my spine. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. There, in the distance, a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared at me. The wolf had found me.
My grip tightened around the rifle as a white hot sensation coursed through my arms. With a deep breath, I raised the weapon and took aim. The wolf lunged towards me with incredible speed, but I squeezed off a shot just in time. The bullet tore through the air, finding its mark, causing the wolf to yelp before collapsing to the ground and sliding to a stop.
Breathing heavily, I stood there for a moment, my body trembling with exhaustion and relief. I had taken down four wolves without having to pick up some special skills. Hunting them down wasn't pretty, and I had definitely underestimated the tactile feel of firing a weapon, but at least I wasn't dead yet!
Turning back towards Beatrice's cabin, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Despite the initial struggles and doubts about my chosen class, I had proven that even as a Citizen, I could face danger head-on and come out on top. Maybe being a jack-of-all-trades wasn't such a bad thing after all.
With newfound determination, I made my way deeper into the forest to retrieve the carcasses and head back to the cabin, eager to share my triumph with Beatrice.
The feeling didn't last long as I dropped off the three wolves only to get a passive, " Get washed up, I'll prep these."
----------------------------------------
Deflated, I entered the restroom and discovered what appeared to be a typical bathroom. It was pretty obvious that the civilization the developers had crafted wasn't anywhere near as sophisticated as I had initially presumed, but hints of technology gave me hope.
"Eden, can I see my stats?"
"That information isn't available, Carrots."
"Fine. Tell me my user information?"
"Username, Carrots. Role, Citizen. Rank, one."
Instead of fighting with the AI, I figured I'd take a shower. The water was warm and soothing as I stepped in. I blinked for a moment and two things became very obvious. One, I didn't have my glasses and I could see perfectly. Two, I had a six-pack! I never expected the game to change things so much, but I wasn't complaining. Chuckling, I finished cleaning the scent of dead wolf off myself and basked in the luxury of a very long, warm shower.
Once my fingers were pruned and my muscles relaxed, I reached out with a towel around my waist and realized my clothes were missing, so I opened the door and called out, "Beatrice!" They were missing, so I opened the door and called out, "Beatrice!"
"Yeah?"
"Where are my clothes?"
"In the wash."
"Umm, what am I supposed to wear then?"
"I've some extra pajamas in the cabinet. They're oversized so they'll fit alright."
"Uh..." I hesitated as I looked at the cabinet she was referring to.
"Guess I'll be wearing some pajamas for a bit," I muttered to myself. Pulling open the cabinet, I winced. A set of pink pajamas with little giraffes and purple elephants lay in the drawer.
"Yay," I deadpanned.