The air was cool and soothing, and the smell of something delicious permeated through it. There was also a soft scraping of movement, quiet voices, and the soft popping of a campfire. As I slowly woke back up, these were the main things I noticed. Of course, the system was still there, letting me know I was not doing well.
[Health: 0/1 (Regen 10 per min. {Active})]
[Stamina: 0/1 (Regen 10 per min. {Active})]
[Condition very critical. Please get to a healing station or designated healer. Please ingest nutrients. Please drink water.]
Groaning away the notifications, I slumped over off the wall I had been propped up against, too pained to do much of anything else. The sand I was sitting on shifted around, feeling soft and warm. I heard more talking, and I felt a large hand on my shoulder, gently pushing me up. Looking up, I saw what looked like a gorilla's body with the head of a furry lizard, or dragon. I was too exhausted to even be surprised. It spoke at me again, but I couldn't understand.
[Condition nearly fatal. Please get to a healing station or designated healer. Please ingest nutrients. Please drink water.]
“...water,” I managed to wheeze out, not sure if it could understand me. It spoke again, and I stared at it, still confused. “Wah...water,” I said again, hoping it would understand as I felt myself falling into darkness. Just before I passed out, I felt something being tipped into my mouth, cool, wet, and refreshing.
~~~
Sometime later
~~~
[Health: 0/1 (Regen 10 per min. {Active})]
[Stamina: 1/1 (Regen 10 per min. {Inactive})]
[Condition critical. Please get to a healing station or designated healer. Please ingest nutrients.]
I woke again to the system's alerts, letting me know I was still in bad condition. I found myself laying down on a bed now, a dragon-gorilla sitting to the left of me. I reached out to them, but I was confused. There wasn't a hand showing up where I expected. Was I tied down? I thought to myself.
Apparently the dragon-gorilla noticed something and started speaking to me as they rushed out the door. Or perhaps they were speaking to someone else. I don't know how long they were gone for, but they came back with a steaming bowl of something. They pointed at me, and I felt myself being propped up. Maybe they had some sort of medical bed? I mentally wondered. In any event, they then tipped the bowl into my opened mouth slowly. I began swallowing the food, not really able to taste anything. I did feel the warmth, as it spread through my body.
[Condition urgent. Please get to a healing station or designated healer.]
Well, I thought grimly, that's a bit better. Then I finished drinking the soup. Leaning my head back, I simply enjoyed the feeling of being full. It was just so nice to be resting for the first time in ... a week? Was it a week? Or more?
“...” The dragon-gorilla was saying something, and I could almost understand it. “... ... arm?”
[Translation complete.]
[Congratulations, you can now converse with any Zisse proficiently.]
[+5 xp.]
[Current progress to next level: 5/100]
“What?”
“Ah! You speak Zissu?!”
“Uh, I do now?”
“Wow! This is fantastic! A sublime revelation! We have much we wish to learn of the many native species. But first, are you in danger of dying?”
“I think I need a healer. I'm still in lots of pain.”
“Ah, we must apologize, as our healer is not able to perform major healing. He will only perform minor healing. I do not know if you should request such a service.”
“Why not?”
“You may still die, friend, on account of your arm.”
“My arm?”
The Zisse blinked at me, then pointed at my left arm. Looking down, I saw only a stump. Only a stump. Only a stump? “Only a stump?” {oNly A StumP?)
~~~
Sometime later
~~~
In a familiar feeling, I woke up again, on a bed with a Zisse next to me. It was focused on reading something and didn't seem to see me open my eyes. I blinked and looked down. I wasn't tied down or anything, but I was still feeling very weak. Shifting my head, I looked over to my left arm. Or what was left of it.
I would guess it was gone a few inches up from the elbow, the stump already rounded and thin. Removing the sheet I was under, I noticed most of my body was also very thin now. I wondered how many days I had been here now.
[Time left in global tutorial: 85 days.]
“...huh.”
“My friend! You have awoken again!” the Zisse exclaimed. They seemed to be very excited no matter what they said. “I worried you would not be able to survive!”
“Shock is a hell of a thing. Can I get some more food?”
“Of course!” The Zisse said, before dashing out of the room. He (I'm assuming) left what he was reading off of, a small plate looking thing, on my bed. Curious, I picked it up. It had an alphabet (presumably Zisse) and reacted to my thumb's movement like a touchscreen. Frustratingly, my translation ability didn't extend to the written word yet. Annoying, but hopefully I'd be able to fix that soon.
“Ah, you are taken with my disclet!” The Zisse had come back, carrying another bowl of soup to feed me.
“Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to snoop or anything. I was just curious. We have some technology like that too, actually, although we actually call them smart phones, or tablets.”
“Wonderful news! This will allow us much progress!” The Zisse was practically shouting now, overjoyed. “How are they made? How large are they? What do they look like? What can -”
“Easy, bud,” I responded, before starting on my bowl of soup. “Let me recover first.”
“My apologies, friend!” he said, his voice booming. He sat down, staring at me as I ate. I tried to ignore it as best I could, which wasn't difficult. I was having a hard time adjusting to not having a second hand to hold the bowl while I was eating from it. The spoon they gave me was also too wide, making it difficult to use. Finally giving up, I just grabbed the bowl and tilted the soup into my mouth.
Having finished my food, the Zisse (I should really learn his name) took my dishes away. While he was gone, I decided to see how I was doing. Status, I thought to myself.
[HOMO-SAPIENS-8-67-5-309-12945/James 'Jimmy' Arthur, Rank F, Level 1]
Health: 0/1 (100*(.01*1)) (Regen 10 per min. {Active})
Stamina: 1/1 (100*(.01*1)) (Regen 10 per min. {Inactive})
Mana: 1/1 (100*(.01*1)) (Regen 10 per min. {Inactive})
Strength: 8 (-2 for current condition penalty)
Dexterity: 8 (-2 for current condition penalty)
Constitution: 8 (-2 for current condition penalty)
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Focus attribute: Your Health, Stamina, & Mana are forcibly capped at 1% of the lower of your current or maximum level achieved (level 1)
Focus attribute: ************************************************ *********************************************************************************(Locked)
I didn't actually realize that they had given me DnD stats, but I supposed that made sense. My physical stats being lowered sucked, but I couldn't do anything about that until I got healed. Speaking of, I was surprised to see I technically hadn't healed yet, given how much I should have been able to regenerate.
I was alive for five days, meaning I should have healed ten times the number of minutes that was. What was that, 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 5 days, move the decimal, I should be at 72,000 health? That was insane, given that the average person would only have one hundred health. What was ev-
I snapped back to my left arm, noting again that it was nearly at where I guessed my elbow would be. But that wouldn't make sense because I remembered the wolf grabbed me above the elbow, and then it was cut off above that. Was I regrowing my arm?!
I ripped off the covers and looked all over my body. I couldn't see a single cut, bruise or even a scar from all the places the horror ball grabbed me. What in the actual fuck?
“Are you well, friend?” The Zisse was back in the room, staring at me with concern. “You seem pale.”
Instead of answering, I held up my left arm. He looked at it, and then at me, confused. “Yes,” he said, “I know it is missing. This must be a -”
“When did you find me? Also, what's your name?” I asked, cutting him off.
He responded, slightly miffed, “We found you one day after the planetary reconditioning began, and my name is Doiracr.” At least, that's what it sounded like.
“Planetary reconditioning?” I asked, confused.
“You must know of it,” he said, his head bobbing back and forth. “It has now been five days since it began.”
“Oh,” I said, realizing what he meant. “The global tutorial. Obviously everyone calls it something different.” Then, shaking my head, I got back to the point I was trying to make. “Alright, Doiracr, how long was my left arm when you found me? Shorter than this, I'm guessing?” I asked, waving the stump around.
“...Yes. Yes! Much shorter! Your species can regrow limbs?! A most auspicious boon! How has this come to be?!” He was practically shouting by the end.
Laughing at his enthusiasm, I quickly replied, “No, we can't normally regrow limbs. I, uh, got a good SE focus.”
“You have a focus?! Already?! How?!”
“...uhh, don't you?” I asked, trying to think back to what I'd been informed of.
“No! We must earn them, from great feats!” He said, still very cheery.
“Well, I got one before this all started, actually.”
He blinked twice, the he unhinged his jaw and screamed. It was so loud I covered my ears with the pillows, nearly passing out from the pain. It finally seemed to end, so I peaked out.
There were at least twenty more adult Zisse in my room, and nearly as many little ones. They were all staring at me, eyes as wide as possible. As my ears were ringing, I'm pretty sure I screamed,
“Don't do that again!”
Their heads bobbed back and forth, which I took to mean they agreed. Slowly, I got back up, my hand still clutching the pillow. They all crowded in, trying to get closer to my left arm.
“You are god touched?” Doiracr asked, reverence all over his face.
“... I did get the focus from a god, if that's what you're asking,” I said, concerned at the attention I was getting.
“Which one? Which god has graced this presence?” Doiracr, and the rest, were shaking, almost desperate for my answer.
“...Watchmaker?”
I didn't actually know what I was expecting when I responded. Hopefully not another deafening scream. Whatever it was, it wasn't what I got. What happened was everyone just freezing, fear evident in their eyes.
“He who Inscribed Death Upon Your Soul?” said one.
“He who Poured the Tears of Time?” said another.
“He who Churned the Touchless Stars?” Doiracr finished.
“Maybe? I only know him as Watchmaker.”
They all stepped back, fear causing them to start shaking again.
“Is he a bad god?”
“NO!” they all shouted, causing me to cover my ears again.
“Apologies, my friend,” Doiracr said, gently helping me back up. “We cannot call any gods bad. But why would he bless you?”
“...I don't know. He said something about the ... Council. Wait, how do you all know of him? I'm sure no one on my planet did.”
Doiracr smiled sadly, saying, “This is not our first time with the System, friend. Most of the time, after a new integration, the species is not yet strong enough to fight in the wars. Thus, the system forces many species to grow by a certain amount within a set time. If they fail, they are placed in suspension, the system removed from them. When another integration begins, they may be placed on that planet, and the strongest might finally push forward.”
“What happens to the rest?”
“What else, friend? We were given two chances. The system kills us off, and then remakes our species, perfected to fight. We are bred in tubes, live short, meaningless lives in constant combat, and die.”