Cal's eyelids snapped open, the grogginess of sleep vanishing. He rolled his shoulders, feeling a vitality that was unfamiliar yet welcome coursing through his veins. Sitting upright, he flexed his fingers and sensed the latent power in his grip.
"Temp," he called, voice steady and expectant, perhaps even hopeful that his AI was no longer a chair.
The AI, still a chair, dematerialized from its spot by the door with a soft whir of unseen mechanics. "Analysis complete, Cal," Temp's voice held the mechanical lilt of its nature but carried a new undertone of curiosity. "Your physical parameters have exceeded the baseline. The titles acquired indeed influence your physiological state."
"Good to know we got something out of it." Cal rose to his feet, the newfound strength alarming.
He cast a quick glance around the sparse room, etching its details into his memory—another precaution of his training—and then moved towards the door. He had to be thorough this morning, leaving no traces that could lead unwanted attention to his makeshift hideout.
He tried to take his mind off water, but his throat was parched, and the sound of the nearby stream caused him to fixate.
Cal looked towards an interesting anomaly. The room switch - the light switch still worked. This inconsistency would have to be explored later. For now, he switched the light off and stepped outside.
"Let’s try this again."
The forest loomed, and Cal could still hear its whispers.
Fear of more hogs was a luxury Cal couldn't afford – he would die of thirst otherwise. He assessed the tree line, noting the sturdy branches that webbed above.
Cal made the tactical decision to use the heights to his advantage.
"Stay sharp, Temp." he murmured as he gripped the rough bark of the nearest tree, hoisting himself up with ease. Surprisingly, his leg had healed from the encounter yesterday.
"Always am," came the crisp reply from the AI.
Cal moved from limb to limb, scanning the ground below through breaks in the foliage, every sense tuned to the pulse of the forest.
His destination was clear: the water source so loud in his ears, a beacon that he intended to claim. The forest spread beneath him, a living carpet of greens and browns that concealed just as much as it revealed.
He paused, crouched on a gnarled limb, and addressed the, until now, unasked questions.
"Temp," Cal said, his voice low and even, "back at the hospital, why'd you take the box?"
Static pricked the air before Temp's answer came. "Uncertain. The box... it called to me. A directive beyond my understanding."
"An AI with intuition," Cal mused. "That's new… What was inside?" Cal remembered the elusive but real sense of power inside the box.
"Perhaps more than intuition – it seems odd to me as well, that I would pick it up. And that Cal… I cannot say." Temp added, its tone tinged with what hesitation.
Cal's eyes narrowed thoughtfully but he stored away the anomaly for later consideration. Can not or will not. His gaze returned to the ground below, searching. There it was—the carcass of the beast he had slain the day prior. It lay undisturbed, its hide a dark smudge against the earth.
"Curious," Cal remarked, descending gracefully to the forest floor. "No scavengers, no decay."
"Allow me to scan," Temp suggested, transforming back into a chair.
"Go ahead. But, uh. How?"
“Just stick me in.”
“Like right in there? Seems in poor taste, no?”
“Yes Cal.”
Cal moved to place Temp on top of the carcass – silence. “Cal... inside.”
“Are you sure you won’t break?” Cal used his knife to make an opening. Cal once more lifted Temp up and smashed all four wooden feet inside the creature. Cal sighed inwardly – this was bad precedent; even in the ancestral WWE scripture, unprotected chair shots were banned.
Temp emitted a soft hum as it seemingly analyzed the still form of the creature. Cal watched, his mind ticking through possibilities, strategies forming and dissolving with each new piece of data Temp displayed on the hog’s constitution.
"Find anything regarding its strength?" Cal finally broke the silence, his eyes drifting from the corpse to their surroundings—ever vigilant.
"Scanning complete." Temp's light dimmed back to standby mode. "Results are inconclusive, yet strange."
"Speak plainly."
"The creature," Temp started, "As you’ve noticed, I’ve identified clear weak spots, such as a soft spot behind its neck, but there are anomalies. Its strength is not entirely natural."
Cal knelt beside the hog, his fingers tracing the contours of its rough hide, perhaps he could use this as armor; he could at least use the tusks. The air was still, the only sound being the faint whir of Temp's scanning as it peered through the beast's secrets.
Temp's voice continued, flat yet tinged with a note of intrigue. "We can confirm that it is stronger than a baseline class 1 warrior from New Earth."
"Was it the system you mentioned – does it even work on beasts?" Cal queried, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
"Possibly. It most directly appears to be attribute superiority through an anomalous source of energy," Temp directed Cal to move it towards the wound where Cal had struck the final blow.
"Show me," Cal demanded, his hand outstretched.
"Here." A light flickered inside the corpse, illuminating a stone-like organ nestled among the sinew and bone. "This is unexpected."
Cal reached in without hesitation, his fingers closing around the cold, hard object. The moment his skin made contact, a surge of latent energy prickled at his senses. It was raw, untamed—powerful.
"Energy readings spike considerably," Temp observed. "This is no ordinary organ."
"Clearly," Cal agreed, wrapping the stone in a piece of cloth from his small pack. Its hum vibrated against his palm, promising secrets to be discovered.
"Analysis?"
"Later." He pocketed the bundle securely. "For now, let’s finish what we came here for."
Temp gave an affirmative click, and Cal stood, looking ahead towards the stream.
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The forest watched in silence as man recalled chair and continued onwards.
Cal vaulted into the trees once more, his limbs finding purchase with the ease of long practice. Leaves whispered secrets as he passed from branch to branch. The forest's emerald canopy stretched endlessly before him, but his destination was clear: the stream that promised life-giving water.
He arrived, breath steady, at the water's edge. There, the babbling brook murmured, but Cal's keen eyes focused on the discord in this natural symphony—a rustle where there should be stillness.
In the underbrush, a smaller hog crouched—its coarse fur bristled, tusks glinting. It lay in wait, its beady eyes fixed on the stream, hungering for the unwary creature that might come to drink.
"Temp," Cal thought, "eyes on the hog."
"Smaller, likely lesser strength," came Temp's reply.
"Got it."
Cal measured the distance, muscles ready. He knew the dance of death well—the swift drop, the silent strike. With a predator's grace, he launched himself from the tree, an arrow shot from the bow of the forest itself.
His descent was a blur of motion. The hog startled, its snout twitching, but it was too late. Cal landed upon it like fate's own verdict, his blade directed towards the soft spot behind the neck of the beast.
The hog's squeal pierced the quiet as it bucked wildly beneath Cal's unyielding grasp. A quick thrust, precise and sure, and the hog's squeal was cut short.
Muscles flexed, honed by the recent and inexplicable enhancements, and with a swift jerk, the creature ceased its struggle. Its life force ebbed away, and Cal exhaled, the sound barely audible over the rustle of leaves and the gentle babble of the stream.
Its body shuddered beneath him, and then stilled. The scent of wet earth and fresh blood rose around them, mingling with the metallic tang of victory.
"Efficient," Temp affirmed.
"Let's not overstay our welcome." Cal scanned the area, senses alert for any other hidden threats.
The stream flowed on, oblivious to the life that had just been extinguished beside it. Cal's gaze lingered on the water, but only for a moment. Survival called for caution, for constant movement.
He stood, surveying the water’s edge. No other threats presented themselves. Time was precious, and he needed to move.
He approached the water, canteen in hand. The liquid, clear as crystal, flowed into the container with a soft gurgle. Droplets clung to the rim, glinting like tiny diamonds before succumbing to gravity's pull. He drank his fill and then once again refilled the canteen.
"We will need to build an extra water sac out of hide so we don’t have to come back and forth," he noted, sealing the canteen.
Cal turned back to the hog, now just meat and fur. He slung the beast over his shoulder with minimal effort. Each step towards the room was measured, his senses casting wide nets into the forest around him.
"More thorough analysis of this hog can begin once we are secure," Temp suggested.
"Agreed." Cal quickened his pace, the familiar weight of the dead animal a grim reminder of the dangers lurking within this alien world. His path unaverred, leading him back to the seclusion of the room that served as temporary sanctuary.
Cal knelt, hands clawing the soft earth beneath a sprawling tree. His fingers traced the perimeter of what would become a shallow underground pit for a fire hole—his culinary haven for the afternoon. He worked with precision, carving out a space just deep enough to cradle the flames he sought to conceal.
"Why not light a simple fire, there is no one around," Temp commented.
"Smoke draws eyes, and we don’t know if anyone is around," Cal replied, setting aside a clump of soil. "Why risk the trouble."
With the hole prepared, he gathered twigs and arranged them into a careful structure and arranged stones around the boundary of the makeshift hearth. Cal struck a spark, watching as it caught, tentative at first, then bolder, hungry for air.
The hog's carcass lay beside him, its bulk an unspoken promise of sustenance. With a blade drawn from his belt, Cal set about the task of skinning and butchering, movements practiced and sure. The meat sizzled as it met the heat, a chorus of cracks and pops rising into the stillness.
As the beast meat cooked, the aroma filled the clearing, rich and gamey. Cal's stomach responded with a growl, more primal than any sound the forest had offered this afternoon. He tore off a piece, steam curling upwards, and tasted. The flavors burst upon his tongue, wild and untamed.
Cal nodded, chewing thoughtfully. Above, the canopy whispered secrets to the sun above. Below, the fire crackled its silent vigil. Cal savored his meal, every bite bringing him back to life —energy that would see him through the dangers yet unknown. Cal took out his canteen. It was already half-empty - he sighed.
It was still mid-day, but with a full belly, there was more he could do to ensure his survival. The first order of business was mapping out the environment - Cal tasked Temp with tracking the environment and putting together a working map of the explored region so far.
Temp hummed softly, its AI mind processing the data from their surroundings. Lines and contours began to form in Cal's consciousness, a map pieced together with meticulous precision. The projection shimmered into existence before Cal, a glowing blueprint of their journey thus far.
Cal studied the map, tracing their path through the dense forest, the winding stream they followed, and the space where they now rested. His eyes scanned for vulnerabilities, high ground for observation, and any notable landmarks that could serve as reference points.
Cal knew this would be a long-term undertaking, but identifying any future potential hideouts would increase Cal's range of exploration in unknown territory, especially with the looming system quest indicating this was a trial ground with other hunters, whatever that meant.
Cal also took the opportunity to pull out the energy organ he had harvested earlier. The organ, pulsating softly in his hand and seemed to defy the natural order of things. Its energy hummed against his skin, a force both alluring and unsettling.
"Temp, analyze this. Find out its properties," Cal commanded, placing the organ on the chair.
"Understood," Temp replied, its form shimmering slightly as it absorbed energy from the organ. Data streamed across Cal’s vision - meaningless without Temp to interpret, analyze and categorize it.
Cal took a moment to lean back against a nearby tree, his senses keenly attuned to any hint of danger. He took a moment to lapse into thought about Sari, about his sister and father. Did they know he was gone? He couldn't help but feel untethered - to his bloodline, to his home, and to his family. The agent inside pushed it down and away from thought. Survival first - when he could breathe, he could grieve.
The forest around him seemed to hold its breath, waiting with bated anticipation for what was to come. Minutes passed like hours until finally, Temp spoke up. "Energy readings suggest this organ is a power source unlike any found on New Earth. It emits a unique signature that could potentially be harnessed for various purposes. Cal when I absorbed the energy, I was able to detect minute increases in my attributes. I suggest you attempt to absorb some energy as well."
Cal regarded the energy organ with a mix of fascination and caution. The idea of absorbing its energy was both tempting and unnerving. Yet, in this foreign world where survival required every advantage, he knew he had to take the risk. It might be an easy way to replenish his stamina in battle.
Without hesitation, he reached out and placed his palm on the pulsating surface of the organ. A surge of warmth spread through him, like liquid fire coursing through his veins. As the energy flowed into him, Cal felt a surge of power unlike anything he had ever experienced. His senses sharpened, his muscles thrummed with newfound strength, and his mind cleared with a startling clarity. It was as if he had tapped into an ancient wellspring of vitality, drawing from it the essence of life itself – the organ quickly dimmed and crumbled.
Temp observed the transformation, its AI mind whirring with analysis. "Increase in physical attributes detected."
"I've calibrated some of your status to that of the system with this recent addition of data. I am unable to discern what your corresponding system level would be, but I can make an educated guess. If we take my stat growth as a baseline, this would put you around lv 30 out of 50. What happens at 50, I am unsure. We still do not have a clear understanding of what intelligence and wisdom correspond to as well.”
----------------------------------------
Name
Cal Run
Titles
Bigshot, Mortality, Noncombat, Wastrel, Foolhardy, Mortal combat
Strength
Vitality
Vigor
Dexterity
Intelligence
Wisdom
Base attributes
45
26
22
41
15
62
Total attributes
56
37
33
52
26
73
----------------------------------------
Cal was still reeling from the shocking surge of pleasant energy that passed through his soul and back into his body as nutrition. It was a feeling of harmony and rightness. Intoxicating – and Cal’s mind was overwhelmed by a sense of greed.
“From what I have observed, your vitality and strength were enhanced after absorbing this energy – “
While Temp was talking Cal went over to the cooked beast, digging to find another organ, but there was nothing to be found.
“– This was significantly more efficient than when I absorbed the energy. We will have to test further."
"Cal, there are no anomalies within this beast."
As Cal stood up once more, he decided that the remainder of the afternoon would be spent surveying the surroundings and carefully setting boundaries that would alert him of intruders. Cal took out his canteen once more for a sip.
Cal knew now that his canteen was really half full, "I think we know our path forward."