The group awoke the following morning a ragged mess. Those who didn’t get jumped by a disgusting bug had slept in the dirt. Something none of them had done in a very long time. Their bones ached, their bodies chilled, and their stomachs rumbled with a fierce determination to score some food.
The ones who did get jumped by said bug were much worse off. Calvin felt twenty years older as he tried to roll up to a sitting position. He was stiff all over and things hurt he didn’t even know he had.
As they lumbered out of their makeshift beds… really just piles of leaves in the dirt, they mulled over the plan for the day.
“I’m starving.” Seth groaned. “If you see another one of those bugs, I’m about ready to eat it.”
Amy curled her nose at Seth but relented as she thought more about it. “Gross… but understandable. We really need to find something to eat.”
The plan was simple. The group would go out together, and slowly pick their way through the jungle close to camp looking for anything that even remotely resembled food. Seth used to be an Eagle Scout, so they had that going for them, and Calvin had been on a few hunting trips with his grandfather in his teens. Back then they had guns, now they had sharpened sticks and whatever heavy-looking stones they’d found rummaging around.
Phase two of their plan was to try and find something small and safe to fight to gain some experience. The literal Experience Points kind, as well as the figurative team-fighting, tutorial-surviving kind.
Marshall had jokingly announced his desire to stumble upon a hovel filled with XP-laden bunnies. Food and power all at once. While Amy was sour on the idea of smashing in the door to a bunny village, it did sound a hell of a lot better than stumbling across one of those beetles.
So, they began their preparations to head out for their journey. Calvin picked up the spinecharge spear, testing it in his hands. As he did so, he noticed a slight tingle in his body and quickly decided to check his stats.
Hmm…this gave me a small boost to my speed stat, he thought.
“Alright, so it looks like this gear can improve our stats. Maybe we’ll find some more out there. We could certainly use some armor, or at the very least a change of clothes, Calvin said.
They equippedthemselves with the various items lying around. Seth, Ian, and Marshall all grabbed a javelin each. Marshall gave his a few experimental throws into the dirt. Nodding in satisfaction, he recovered his weapon and waited patiently for departure.
Amy felt drawn to the spikes. She had no clue why, but when she picked them up, they felt right in her hands. She nervously looked out into the forest, apprehensive about the coming events of the day.
Calvin placed his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I know this sucks. God knows this is about the last place we all want to be right now. Let’s be smart about this and I’ll watch your back. We’ll be careful out there, get our supplies, hopefully get some levels, and be back here in time for dinner.” He ended it with a sly smile. Dinner… of all the motivating words to be chosen, that one had some serious impact. Amy steeled herself, tested the weight of the spikes in her hands, and nodded back at him.
The day began pretty uneventful. They’d found some berries and roots, and tried chasing a few small jungle creatures down. But they were just too nimble for the lumbering humans.
Freya wanted to dart after them, but Calvin recalled her swiftly. He didn’t want Freya stumbling into another dangerous fight without them being ready for it.
They found their opportunity just a little while later. The group crested a small hill and looked down over the other side. The hill sloped down towards a pond of sorts. A small creek flowing into it from across the way. Nestled up on the edge of the pond was a pair of little furballs that bore a striking resemblance to a nutria. Just about Four hundred lbs larger. One of them was happily munching away on what appeared to be an alien jungle approximation of a fish. It was a nasty little creature about 3 feet long. It looked somewhat like a snake with fins. Large bulging eyes protruded from the top of its head. Those eyes popped as the large creatures munched away at them.
Two pieces of good news. First, they found some food. Second, the food of their food could also be food.
“Alright. Here’s our chance. These things don’t look half as screwed up as that beetle. I say we take them on as a group.” Calvin said.
Amy and Seth peeked back over the hill at the not-so-dangerous-looking jungle dwellers and nodded back toward Calvin, “Sounds good to me.” Seth said “The quicker I can get one of those things in my belly, the better. Got a plan?”
Surveying the scene, although the situation wasn’t exactly tailored to their strengths, Calvin still tried to formulate a strategy.
“Well, I’ve got a spear, so hopefully I can keep them occupied, and preferably not get jumped.” Calvin offered. Thinking back to the encounter with the beetle, “I’ll engage them first while Seth, Ian, and Marshall move to the side and try to get a good throw in. Amy, hang back with Freya in case we get into trouble out there.”
“No way, Cal. You said it yourself last night, we need to be out here gaining experience. If you all are going to fight, I’m fighting too. Am I scared shitless? Yeah. But it doesn’t seem like I’ve got much choice in the matter right? We all need to get stronger, and we’re all a team, so I’m going in with you.” Amy said.
Freya yipped as if agreeing with Amy.
Sighing, he relented. Amy was right of course, he just hated the thought of her being in danger out here. It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much of a choice in that regard, life was obviously going to be a constant danger.
Calvin looked back at the creatures. “Fine. You’re right. After I get their attention, two of you guys huirl javelins at them. Don’t throw all of them though. Keep something back in case they charge. Amy, after they throw, try and move in on any that are wounded. Be careful and don’t take any risks. Freya… you’re a dog. Just… be safe.”
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What am I even doing, ordering my dog around. That’s absurd. Then again, maybe in… Systemville, or wherever the hell we are now, she can actually understand me? Wouldn’t that be something? I’d finally be able to talk to her, Calvin thought to himself.
It was go time. The group charged over the hill, their expertly crafted plan in full execution phase. Calvin, spear held in front of him closed the gap while Marshall, Ian and Seth flanked off to the right. Amy and Freya pulled off towards the left remaining slightly behind Calvin.
As expertly crafted plans tend to go, it went to shit rapidly.
Calvin’s original vision of charging down there, sticking one with a spear, letting the others bombard them with javelins, and ending the fight before a fight could even start was a fantastic vision… Too bad it failed to account for the fact that these were creatures in an alien jungle, probably dodging predators on the daily.
The fish-eating water bear dropped its meal and charged at Calvin with a speed unbefitting its rotund body. It smashed into Calvin’s spear thrust, throwing him backward onto the ground. He smashed hard against his back knocking the wind out of him.
The spear bore intohe creature; wounded, it diverted its charge back to its companion and went on the defensive. The unwounded creature turned towards Amy and Freya, crouching low, seemingly preparing another charge.
Seth was quick on the uptake and hurled his javelin in the creature’s direction. He missed.
It wasn’t a total loss, however, as the water bear momentarily paused its windup, turning towards the group flanking from the right. Just as it turned, a javelin sank itself deep into its eye. Marshall scored a direct hit.
And as expertly crafted plans tend to go after falling to shit… the team pulled a miracle out of their ass.
Calvin was back on his feet, stomping back towards the water bear that initially charged him. He scanned the situation quickly, noting that the other creature was gravely wounded but not out of the fight yet.
Leaning into his spear, he rammed it with all the force he could muster into his target. It roared in agony and rage, stood up on its hind legs and it lifted Calvin up into the air, who then dropped unceremoniously to the ground, scrambling away from the crushing blow that was sure to follow.
BOOM!
The creature slammed its front paws down on the ground, sending a shockwave around it that kicked up dust in a furious uproar. Calvin continued to scramble out of the way, not wanting to get flattened before dinner.
Freya broke off from the charge with Amy and hurled herself onto the back of the creature trying to stomp Calvin into paste. Her jaws found their grip on the back of the creature’s neck and her back paws raked wildly along the bear’s spine. Deep wounds formed and blood spilled down the creature's sides.
Calvin took a breather and sat up, examining the field around him. Freya had the larger water bear occupied for the moment. The smaller, wounded creature was slowly getting back to its feet. Obviously severely diminished in capacity with a large stick protruding from its eye.
Calvin’s spear was still lodged in the creature engaged with Freya, and he had no other weapon. He desperately wished to get back into the fight. He looked to his left and saw Amy charging in towards the wounded water bear. Spikes at the ready. He called over to Ian, “Ian, move in! Stab that thing with all you’ve got!”
Ian’s face was a mask of fear, but he charged in as ordered. As he closed the distance, Calvin’s eyes found exactly what he didn’t know he was looking for. The javelin that had missed. He got up to his feet and stormed down towards the discarded weapon, desperate to get to Amy’s aid.
Amy was just feet away from her target, tears streaming down her face. She’d never killed anything before and now here she was about to kill whatever this thing was. Her face was an amalgamation of fear, disgust, and severe apprehension. She arrived. With a scream, she jammed her spikes into the neck of the wounded water bear and ripped them out, trying to cause as much damage as she could. A large, gory wound was torn into the creature’s neck, spraying blood as it whipped its head around to roar at her in defiance.
The water bear was a sight to behold. Standing there, back legs in the water, barely able to stand. It had a javelin protruding from its left eye, blood pouring from its neck, and fierce roars echoed out from its mouth. Saliva and blood sprayed as it announced its defiance towards Amy’s killing blow. Turning towards Amy, it prepared itself to take her down. It knew it was going to lose this battle, but it was taking one of these filthy invaders down with it.
Calvin arrived just in time. As the creature tried to chomp down on Amy before she could escape, Calvin rammed the discarded javelin right up through the bottom of the bear’s chin and into its brains. The full weight of the bear fell onto the spear as the bear’s lifeless body collapsed. The weight drove the spear further into the corpse as it fell sideways. The squishing sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bones sickened Calvin as he yanked his spear from the bear’s skull. Gore poured forth from the wound, depositing the bear’s brains onto the soil beneath. His hands and forearms with sticky with blood and brain matter. Calvin had just outright murdered this creature. Is this what we will become? He wondered.
Amy scrambled backward, retrieving one of her dropped spikes, and crouched, sucking in air as her lungs heaved. Calvin looked back at the remaining bear. Ian was there now with Marshall and Seth close behind. His javelin planted firmly in the bear’s side as it began to topple over, losing balance under the weight of the fierce dog on its back and the force of Ian’s strike. As the bear fell onto its side, Marshall ran over to Calvin’s spear, still stuck in the chest of the creature, and ripped it out, jamming it back into the creature's throat, over and over, and over, each blow spilling the creature’s life out into the soil.
EXPERIENCE REWARDED BASED ON CONTRIBUTION
The plan did not go as smoothly as they’d hoped. What they originally thought would be a turkey shoot, was anything but. On a positive note, except for Calvin’s bruised spine, bruised ribs, bruised butt, bruised arms, and slightly bruised ego, they escaped without any major injuries.
The group collected themselves, many of them taking deep gasping breaths as they collapsed in a sitting pile around each other.
Amy was still in shock from what she had just done. Looking down at the blood on her hands, tears streamed down her face. “That was horrible, Cal.”
The group looked silently over at her, not disagreeing in the slightest.
“Hey, Ames.” Marshall began. “This really sucks. I saw what you did though, and you did exactly what you had to. It was either them or us. You really crushed it out there.”
“He’s right. We’re in a fucked-up situation out here, but each of us really stepped it up. I doubt it’s going to get any easier for us, but we’re all here for each other. I’m glad to have you watching our backs and from what I’ve seen just now, you’ve definitely got what it takes.” Calvin said.
Amy took in everything they were saying. She knew they were trying to be reassuring. She also knew that this was just their lives for now. The thought of plunging those spikes into that creature sickened her but looking at her group of friends, she knew she would do it again. She wasn’t going to let everyone stumble around trying to take care of her. She resolved herself to getting as powerful as she could out here. I’m not going to be some glass princess in this world. I’m going to kick some ass, she thought.
After a brief rest, the group noticed two major areas of concern. First…
“No loot?” Marshall complained. “Isn’t that some shit? We worked our asses off for that.”
Second… they now had several hundred pounds of water bear corpses to lug back to camp.
“Maybe the creatures themselves are the loot. I got the feeling that chest we got from the beetle was a ‘welcome to the tutorial’ gift.” Calvin suggested. “They’ve got meat, I’m sure the hides will be useful, and who knows… maybe they’ve got magic bones.” The last part was a joke, at least partially. I really hope they have magic bones. Calvin thought.
They set to work, creating makeshift sleds from sticks and vines nearby. They loaded their rewards up and set off back towards camp. Calvin was right. They would be back just in time for dinner.