《How to Eat a Dinosaur [Slow Burn Survival Adventure LitRPG]》


 1: Craterborn

    Darkness was followed by an intense hot light enveloping my eyes. I winced at the intensity and pain that felt like a sunburn on my face. My ears were ringing to the point of disorientation. I motioned to stand up but struggled to move my legs stuck in the cratered dirt. That¡¯s when I realized my whole body was in agonizing pain.


    I forced my head down to see tattered clothes that clung to my mangled burned body. Well-done scabs covered areas where the gashes were oozing. To make matters worse, I was pretty sure that I couldn¡¯t move my legs from a broken spine. My forever insecurity of about an overweight body disintegrated after seeing what it looked like now. Funny how being fat didn¡¯t matter anymore when I felt inches away from death. After some hesitation, I tried to move my arms to help prop me up...


    Alright Col¡¯ try to get up...


    Struggling to get up, I heard a snapping sound and cringed at my now throbbing arm.


    ¡­Nope that ain¡¯t happening.


    The feeling of helplessness paired with the inability to move made it so I could only do one thing... look up. Towering trees swayed while thick branches rustled in the dense, warm wind. Countless vascular leaves populated the sky, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to block the harsh rays breaking through them. Through the cracks in the greenery, I could see what looked like shooting stars up above.


    Shooting stars? In the daytime? ...Neat


    The meteors entered the atmosphere with a low rumbling trailing in their wake. Despite lying in complete suffering, I couldn¡¯t help but admire the horrifying beauty of the fiery contrails crossing over the dense greenery above me before crashing into Earth.


    ¡­Is this even Earth?


    I was sprawled on the ground for what felt like hours, building a web of questions in my head starting with how I got here.


    One second, I was at work ¨C in the cooler Mouthfeel getting ingredients for dinner service -and now I¡¯m here, wherever here may be...


    The main question branched off into a million other ones.


    Did this happen to anyone else? Donny? Basil? .... Franki? Franki.


    A wave of emotional pain washed over me as I thought about her.


    God, I hope she¡¯s okay, please let her be okay.


    As I lay there helpless, tears slid down my face. Although racked with unanswered questions, all I could do was accept my fate. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My heart started slowing and a strange stillness wrapped around me.


    Then it happened.


    First a wave moved from my head to my feet. It pulsated then shot back up where it started.


    What followed felt like a biblical intervention. The burns on my body dwindled until disappearing to show untouched skin. The coagulated blood evaporated before my very eyes. The ability to wiggle my toes turned into being able to move my feet. My body was repairing itself and quickly at that. After mere moments, I was given a 1-up with my body completely healed. I felt momentary relief given that I wasn¡¯t going to die here ¨C at least in this specific spot. Once the shock wore off a new question was added to my backlog.


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    What in the fuck just happened?!


    After the surprise ran its course, I wiped the tears from my eyes and jerked my feet back into the dirt to help me up from the crater. I never felt better, pudge non-withstanding, except for a newfound growling coming from my stomach. Nevertheless, I felt grateful for what occurred. I quickly decided not to stifle this second chance and move forward.


    I had no clue where I was. But if Franki was out here too, I had to try to find her ¨C and preferably not die trying.


    As I stood up, I took a sharp inhale and noticed an immediate ease to fill my lungs. I didn¡¯t know if this was because my lungs were stronger from the healing process or because of the environment I was in. Intuition had me assume the latter. Later, I would realize that my growling gut was right.


    This doesn¡¯t feel like the air back home. This is not Earth.


    My concerns were becoming validated the more I saw; the lush and thick fauna took shape through colorful petals I¡¯ve never seen before. Shrubbery seemed to be breathing, and every inhale brought new aromas battling for a place in my nose. One smell took me back to the kitchen, where helping Donny prep herbs was the highlight of the shift.


    Donny... I bet anything he would know what to do right now.


    These unnatural oddities stretched down across a great span that created shadows in the thicket despite the now annoying light from above. I looked down, circling around ground zero where I could see charred, smoldering ash of whatever vegetation I rudely collapsed on.


    Sorry, I really don¡¯t know how that happened.


    While scratching my head, I continued surveying the area with nervous intrigue at the sights, sounds, and smells that I have never experienced. As the ringing in my ears was fading, new mysterious sounds reverberated from far away. A shockwave rippled from the sound and left my knees quivering. My body was good as new, but my brain was in shambles.


    A constant barrage of sensations was assaulting me, making my head spin at the infinitesimal number of questions that were running through my brain. I could feel my hands clam up and I wasn¡¯t going to blame the humidity.


    Where was I? Who else is here? Did some divine intervention save them too? Did this happen to Franki?


    Another bellow interrupted my nagging thoughts.


    AND WHAT WAS MAKING THAT AWFUL NOISE?!


    Anger, anxiety, confusion and fear made my skull sear in pain from the overload of stress. I felt myself spiraling from what I lost and what I didn¡¯t understand. Gravity was starting to compete with the consuming nausea that took over my stomach. As I tried to control it, an image of Franki in a similar situation I was in hit me like a brick wall. What followed was vomit quenching the last pockets of hot ash on the ground with dry heaves following close by, all complemented by the painful hunger.


    Where could I get food around here?


    Shortly after that stupid thought, my eyes started violently twitching and bouncing in their sockets. With my vision starting to blur, I knew I was going to faint.


    Before blacking out, I heard a squelch in the distance; I giggled deliriously.


    Huh, same sound our dish guy made stomping critters in the kitchen.


    Losing my grip on reality, I darted my eyes toward the sound.


    Between the bushy thicket and tunnel of trees, I saw it. A flicker through the unknown brush. Golden as it was mystical. Gone as fast as it was there. Like the glow of a firefly in a summer¡¯s night.


    A woosh trailed the glow and carried a pleasant draft that hit my face. Finally surrendering to my bout of lunacy, my eyes rolled back at the refreshing reprieve and the new world faded to black. The gentle draft was just enough to knock me on my back and guarantee unconsciousness.

 2: Trial by Fire

    The bustling kitchen made it hard to focus, but I knew I had to get prep done if I wanted to help Donny. A server walked past me and grabbed my leg. She pinched it and gave me a sly smile. I gave a curious and awkward smile back.


    Who was that again?


    I shrugged and finished laying out the plates for Donny and hopped over to where he was working. Without missing a beat, Donny shoved a small plate up to my nose; ¡°How about this one.¡±


    ¡°Dill¡±


    ¡°And this one?¡±


    I paused to catch my breath and clear my nose. The kitchen was smokier than usual, and it was getting harder to tell what he had in front of me. I coughed through my answer. ¡°Smells to me like chili powder.¡±


    Donny smacked the plate down, ¡°You¡¯re a natural, kid!¡±


    I gave a shy, cocky smirk. Praise from the head Sous Chef, and my only friend, always gave me my daily needed boost.


    While looking at Donny¡¯s methods, the same server passed by again ¨C another sharp grab, this time to my upper thigh. I didn¡¯t know whether to be flattered or uncomfortable, no one else seemed to notice. Meanwhile, the kitchen was getting cloudier.


    Was something burning?


    As I looked around, I saw our ¡°Chef de Cuisine¡± mumble something loudly in my direction. I couldn¡¯t make out most of it ¨C except the dreaded nickname:


    ¡°Crumb¡­.Leto went to go takeapiss W--ch the grill ferrim!¡±


    Hmph¡­ boss must be buzzed again from the ¡°pressure¡± of running the kitchen.


    Without skipping a beat, everyone in the kitchen -including the server who made yet another pass and snatched right above my groin- laughed in eerie unison. Donny being the only one who kept focusing on his dish.


    Donny rolled his eyes for me and jerked his head towards the burner, not once did he take his eyes off his work. ¡°Get on, this could be yor big break,¡± he said sarcastically.


    ¡°I hate that fucking name, man.¡±


    ¡°Well, they gav- youtha name furareason. You nvr stanup for for yourself¡±


    The boss being drunk was likely ¨C if not a certainty. But Donny mangling his words was odd. He swore off anything that would affect his work a long time ago ¨C too much pride. I chalked up the weirdness to the increasingly smoky room and squinted towards my new temporary position. The smoke was getting thicker and it was harder to breathe. The cloudiness hazed everything¨C except the massive fire in front of me.


    I began sweating profusely and felt the sensation of my skin melting. The food on the grill was starting to scorch to the point of being inedible. Whatever I just burned to a crisp, I just torched my chances of reaching Sous Chef. While groaning, the server made another pass at me and dug into my stomach as though she was trying to gouge my gut.


    The smoke was getting unbearable as I was coughing between my annoyed exclamation ¡°can¡­.. YOU NOT¡­. please?!¡±


    I was never great at confrontation. After yelling, I instantly felt guilt.


    It didn¡¯t seem to bother the server as she just responded to me with a blank stare. Before I could say something else, she opened her mouth and started chattering her teeth in a hair-raising rhythm.


    Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, okay.


    I turned away to continue watching the food that was now engulfed in a larger fire than before. As I started smelling sizzling hair, my right arm was also feeling dipped in molten lava.


    ¡°Donnnnlet that shtt brnn Crumb!¡±


    No kidding Matt.


    One 5-star review in the local paper and our kitchen manager thinks he has his own cooking show. I always hated how he managed the team. It didn¡¯t help that his penchant for stupid jokes helped him give me my kitchen nickname that everyone adapted.


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    I was as anxious as I was annoyed. Although I didn¡¯t like the guy, I didn¡¯t want to disappoint him either. Too many mistakes were holding me back for so long, I couldn¡¯t fail this too.


    Trying to maintain the out-of-control heat, I turned the knobs only for them to not work. Flustered, I touched my hand to the hot grill, and it seared in pain. I looked around for Donny¡¯s help, but he was gone. All I saw were the rest of the staff look at me and started in chorus,


    ¡°CRUMB CRMB CEERUMB¡­


    As the chanting continued they all slowly started falling out of rhythm, now just yelling over one another. It also sounded like crackling now more than the dreaded label I¡¯ve been given.


    ¡­CERRRRACCCMB CRKLE¡±


    Once I opened my eyes and looked around me, the heckling chant finally ceased and turned into the popping of flora and shrubs. Once tall and sturdy, branches gave way to the scorches they caught and started snapping from the massive trees above me. Sap in the flowers was bubbling under the boiling conditions. Ash and embers danced in the air as I was finally coming to from the nightmare I just had.


    Feeling pressure build on my chest, I figured a panic attack was coming but I couldn¡¯t be more wrong. I looked down to the sight of a huge beetle-like creature with even bigger pincers, chittering at me right on top of my abdomen.


    I tried to let out a scream but instead let out violent hacks as smoke filled my lungs. The beetle was dancing on top of me moving its legs ready to attack, startled at my pathetic attempt at a cry for help. Adrenaline kicked in as I pushed the eight-legged freak off my body where it keeled over beside me upside down, now struggling to flip itself over.


    WHAT¡­. THE¡­. FUCK!


    Realizing now wasn¡¯t the time to have a breakdown, I used what was left from my miraculously healed body and managed to pick myself up. The smoke was dense when I stood straight and had no idea what to do except get away from here.


    Vivid colors of blazing red and orange were surrounding me. I jumped away from the bug that was clearly not a server at Mouthfeel, running in the direction that I knew would save me.¡­. through the fire. I felt tar forming in my lungs and what remained of my clothes starting to get charred as I jumped through the flaming wall. My body was begging me to stop running to catch my breath, but I knew I had to get away from the engulfing flames and whatever that thing was.


    Before I felt I was reaching a safe distance, my left leg gave out and I tumbled to the ground. I rolled over and looked down to see massive bleeding gashes, two in my shin, two in my thigh, and four more spread out across my lower torso. That monstrosity was trying to make a meal out of me. Finally noticing the wounds sent a surge of pain through me. I rolled over onto my mutilated stomach and saw the relentless blaze pursuing me. Feelings of defeat and hopelessness were shoved back into the dark crevices of my brain.


    If you want to live, you need to get the fuck up right now.


    I breathed in what air I could on the ground and shot up while holding my breath. Agony flowed through the left side of my body as my stomach wounds were starting to soak what was left of my shirt in blood. I used my right arm to put pressure on the gaping holes, only to see it was fried from the fire getting so close to me.


    You are standing up, you survived a crash, you can survive this.


    My newfound survival instincts gave me the strength I needed to turn my hobbled walk into an injured skip, trying to keep the weight of my lacerated leg. Luckily, the humid weather made it so I was able to outpace the fire with my awkward gait. Then, as if fortune favoring the bold was a prophecy, I saw light at the end of the tunnel¡­. Literally.


    Gasping for air, I saw an unveiling light through the dense trees and my canter turned into a gallop. I was far enough from the fire where it wasn¡¯t too much of an issue, but I still wanted to leave the radius of it and the monster that was without a doubt stalking me.


    As the light got brighter and wider, I found myself breaking through the trees. The rustling leaves I was pushing through were getting sparse and easier to manage until the sound stopped completely, and I broke through an open area.


    Leaving the sound of chaotic crackling, I was greeted with the calm constant of a river in an opening of the forest. Airy drafts filtered from opposite side of the forest pushed cool spritzes on my face. I looked up and exerted a sigh of relief. I hobbled over to the crystal stream and took a pause.


    This looks like water, but is it?


    Weighing my options, I figured whatever happened next couldn¡¯t be worse than getting burned alive. As I dipped my bloody leg into it, another gleam of hope swept through my once again burned mangled body.


    It''s cold, refreshing; but most importantly, shallow.


    I put my other leg in, carefully not putting too much weight on my damaged limb. Through a knee deep current, I started treading to make it past the width of the river. The flow of the river was strong but not enough to drag me through the current. It also helped that large stones were scattered around to break up the speed the stream was going.


    You have about 20 feet until you reach the other side, But what if¡­


    I tried to ignore the question that something even deadlier might be waiting for me on the other side and used the massive rocks anchored in the water to help me push forward until finally I clutched onto dry land. Pulling up, I dragged myself onto salvation and rolled over, trying to inhale every fresh breath of air I could. Using my intact arm, I propped myself out and looked over the river to see smoke billowing through the forest in front of me. That fire could get as big as it wanted to be, but I couldn¡¯t see it possibly hopping over the river. It didn¡¯t take a meteorologist to see the wind pushing the smoke away from me so even if embers were traveling in the sky; they were going the wrong way. I had narrowly survived my second brush with death¡­ in the same day.


    Why was I never this lucky with lottery tickets?


    I crab walked back and laid against a damp but comfortable mossy boulder; finally taking a physical and mental inventory. With the searing pain in my open wounds and my inability to catch my breath through clogged lungs, I didn¡¯t even notice the buzzing in my pocket.

 3: Sometimes You Gotta Get Angry...

    My eyes were glued to the open sky with strained breathing. More meteors were slowly rumbling past the canopy opening where I was resting against my nature cot. Blood was still oozing from my wounds, but slower. It was probably because I was running out of it. While waiting for death or hopefully another miracle to come, I decided what better use of my time but to make a hypothesis about the meteors.


    I had to be one of those. And if that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s gotta mean the ones in the sky right now are unlucky newcomers to wherever this place is.


    It was a rare moment to be confident about something, but I was sure of my assumption; given that when I first woke up here, I was all but a disintegrated pile of rubble.


    I stared for about five minutes and saw the last meteor fly past. I counted seven. In the distance, crash landed meteors echoed muffled explosions upon crashing.


    So, seven newcomers. Scattered throughout this sweaty crap hole.


    I tried to recall how many meteors I saw when first arriving but the recent memory of escaping the inferno pulled me back. It had to be about fifteen minutes since I outran the forest fire, and the smoke was still billowing through the bushy thicket across the river from me. My heart rate was jacked from the situation and anxiety took over.


    I wonder what¡¯s going to try to kill you next?


    On top of all this, now that I was numb with agony; I noticed how famished I was getting.


    I don¡¯t think I have ever been this hungry before.


    My lips were also crackling from how dry they were while baking in the sun. My eyes looked towards the running stream, and I licked my lips. I was getting thirsty and I bet that water would feel great on my scorched insides.


    But knowing my luck, I¡¯d drink it and promptly shit my guts out after.


    Water and food were the main things on my mind right now. I knew I needed both of those to survive this humid hellscape. And shelter too. Those three things encapsulated Maslow¡¯s Hierarchy of Needs. I gave myself an imaginary pat on my back for my astonishing ability to withhold stupid information.


    I thought about where I saw the sign of Maslow¡¯s needy triangle. It was in Matt¡¯s (or Coozy as we liked to call him behind his back) little shanty manager¡¯s office. I think he was telling me something about how my plating sucked and I needed to get better at it¡­ I don¡¯t know, I was ignoring the smug string bean. Only nodding in compliance when he asked ¡°Okay?¡±


    Thinking about him only made my heartbeat faster in frustration. As I was certain this wasn¡¯t doing any goodwill for my wounds, I decided to think of a more pleasant moment.


    I looked to the smokey sky filled with grays and blues and recalled a starry night with trailing smoke from the cigarette in my hands. Donny was going off about some team he watches. I didn¡¯t really like sports, but his enthusiasm made anything interesting. We just finished a horrible shift, so I was happy to just blow off some steam in the back of Mouthfeel while Donny chatted me up.


    ¡°- and trading him is probably the worst idea they can do.¡±


    ¡°Why? Because he¡¯s the best player or something?¡± I took another puff of my cigarette and blew it into the air.


    Donny dramatically fanned around him as if I threw the smoke straight at his face. ¡°No¡­. while not the best, he could be used as a great bargaining chip when they¡¯re in actual need of a trade. They¡¯re number one in their division; they don¡¯t need anything right now. Why rush it¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what he was talking about, but I just nodded and tried to segway the conversation, ¡°What are you doing in a kitchen when you sound like you should be a manager for a major league team.¡±


    Donny punched my arm, ¡°Who else is gonna defend you when Coozy is giving you shit.¡±


    I didn¡¯t react to the punch but I winced at him mentioning our boss, ¡°I hate him, such a dick.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Matt isn¡¯t all that bad. There¡¯s a reason he¡¯s running the whole kitchen while you¡¯re doing inventory on silverware.¡±


    I relented while giving Donny the finger, ¡°He worships the ground you stand on, of course you don¡¯t think he¡¯s bad¡± I flicked my trailing ash off my cigarette and took a frustrated drag.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Donny seemed to be admiring the visible stars in the sky, ¡°That¡¯s because he knows not to mess with me.¡± He then turned to me, started poking my chest and I knew he was going to start lecturing me. ¡°Something you need to learn how to do to get people off your back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s whatever, I just hate that nickname he has for me and how he¡¯s always riding me.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s going to keep doing it if you don¡¯t stick up for yourself. Plus you¡¯re capable of more in the kitchen than you think.¡±


    I typically ignored praise that I didn¡¯t believe true, ¡°So what then, you want me to throw fists with him?¡± I asked sarcastically.


    Donny started cackling and squeezing the skinny fat sinew on my arms. ¡°No no,¡± Jackass was wiping away tears as he started explaining, ¡°Sometimes you have to get angry, and other times have to remain calm. You know, to show you mean business¡­ Anyways, as I was saying, this stupid tra¡±¡ª


    Was that the secret?


    I snapped out of reminiscing and closed my eyes. Though my lungs were on the verge of collapsing, I attempted to pace my breathing. I envisioned the absence of gashes on my legs and ignored peeling skin on my arm. The crackling fire, water crashing into rocks, and wind rustling the unburnt leaves were starting to fade away.


    All I wanted to focus on was being relaxed. I soon could feel my heartbeat lower to a more stable level. I worked harder to drop it lower, counting backward in my head to relax. Finally, it happened.


    The wave started at my head and moved towards my feet. It pulsated and then shot back up to where it started. I opened my eyes at the familiar event occurring.


    First, I let out a mighty hack. Phlegm shot out of my mouth all over the ground as I keeled over from the burning coughs. Black paste painted the area between where my hands were holding me up. I gasped in as much air as I could then let out a massive breath of relief. I then looked at my arm and realized fresh skin was already covering the burns. Before I could even sit myself up and set my sights on my legs and belly; they were mostly closed. I was brand new again save for my tattered and burned clothes.


    I was in disbelief. The first time wasn¡¯t some miracle. It was a mechanic set on this planet to heal me from any wound.


    It seems all I need to do is get my heart rate down to a certain level and I¡¯m go-


    Before I could even conclude the rules of the restoration process, I keeled over from a new type of pain in my body. My arms wrapped around my abdomen, and I could only guess what this was from. That continued feeling of hunger but even more painful.


    At five foot ten and 240 pounds, I¡¯d never known real hunger¡ªmuch less whatever this was. So yeah, something else was at play.


    The compromise has to be energy for healing, there¡¯s always a tradeoff¡­.


    I had to find some food eventually or I could be in a good amount of trouble, worse than getting jammed with pincers the size of my arm. As I recalled the invasive monstrosity, the trees across the river started rustling. Despite my worsening hunger, I was calm enough to focus on the details of the multi legged stalker stepping out from the brush.


    You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­


    The beetle with the massive pincers and creepy chittering was crawling towards me. Still weak from the intense hunger pains, all I could do was watch him close the distance.


    I swear if this thing can walk on water.


    It couldn¡¯t walk on it but was happy to jump in and wad its way through the stream. Rocks were stopping it from going down the river further, but the beetle had wings that helped it tread in and out to reach its destination, me.


    Increasingly irritated, I mustered the strength to lift myself from the kneeling position and thought of Donny¡¯s reprimanding words.


    ¡°That¡¯s because he knows not to mess with me¡­. something you need to learn how to do to get people off your back.¡±


    I ignored my hunger pains and started pacing towards my pursuer.


    It¡¯s not like I have anything to lose.


    As soon as I got within distance, I used every ounce of strength I could and kicked it square in the head catching it by surprise. Pain shot through my foot as the head was like kicking plywood. It seemed to be enough as the beetle flipped over on its back and struggled to roll back over. Without hesitation, I used my other foot and started stomping it on its abdominal area.


    ¡°STUPID ANNOYING BUG¡­¡±


    Its carapace was sturdy and hard to break through. But I continued stomping.


    ¡°¡­TAKE A DAMN HINT¡­¡±


    It¡¯s armor finally breaking a little as liquid from its body was squirting out. My foot felt like it was cracking, but I wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°¡­AND QUIT FOLLOWING ME¡­¡±


    The bug making panicked chittering noises that I barely noticed as I was seething with rage now ignoring the pain coming from my foot.


    ¡°¡­YOU UGLY BASTARD¡­¡±


    The bug stopped making its sounds and the gushing was more prominent. I was breaking through.


    ¡°I AM NOT IN THE MOOD!¡±


    My foot finally broke through the armor and sunk straight into the beetle¡¯s innards. Insides were wrapped around my leg as I pulled my foot out of the beetle. As the bug let out it¡¯s last sounds, I ignored them while trying to shake off the guts as if I just stepped in dog crap.


    Once the adrenaline wore off, pain was shooting through the gut-drenched foot.


    I limped back to the wet rock, trying to keep weight off. Once I got against the rock, I instinctively closed my eyes and tried to control my heartbeat¡­


    Bzzt Bzzt Bzzt


    ...only to lose focus at the sound of buzzing nearby. My eyes could only roll so far in the back of my head.


    What now?

 4: The First Step

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 5: The Shape of Things...

    The glow faded, the leaves rustling back and forth from the shockwave calmed down and the fire was all but dissipated in the distance. I fell back speechless on the mossy rock sprawled out. It was an experience I never had before, and I was taking it all in. Somehow, I felt more in control of my situation and had a bit less fear.


    Maybe I wasn¡¯t so screwed out here.


    The PocketPal was buzzing in my hand even after I collected the rewards. I looked down at it with an almost unfazed stare.


    I guess there was still more to look at.


    [ YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 1] >


    The notification coming from an old tiny device like the PocketPal was almost comical. No loud trumpets or horns, no flashy lights; just a little 8-bit jingle ear worm that was now stuck in my head. I felt a rush of endorphins throughout my body and for a moment; I felt like I had everything under control.


    Did I just¡­. level up?


    It was all starting to make sense; the instant regeneration, the quest completion prompts, rewards. Any man in his mid-thirties knew video game mechanics when he saw them, and I was seeing them.


    The Pocketpal was buzzing again, letting me know there was more to go through.


    [ Map Locations Unlocked // Time Survived Unlocked // New Quest Unlocked] >


    Not even bothering to question how this device had all this new stuff programmed on it, I moved to more important things, like finally learning where I was. I clicked the fourth button on the PocketPal.


    [ Planet: Novar // Region: Genesis Isle] >


    I saw Genesis Isle before but now I was finally able to confirm I wasn¡¯t on Earth. Sure, the weird looking flowers that had pools of sap in them and the massive beetle the size of a German Shepherd kind of gave that away, but this all but confirmed it. A wave of relief was combating one of fear as I now knew I wasn¡¯t home.


    Welcome to Novar I guess¡­


    I clicked the fourth button again.


    [Time Survived: 6H:23M:57S]


    I¡¯ve only been here for six and a half hours, but more things have happened in that time than in the last 5 years of my life.


    I wanted to feel scared and hopeless; to grieve at the incalculable distance I was from Franki¡ªand even Donny. I wanted to lie down and hope this was all a bad dream.


    But the sensation of leveling up wouldn¡¯t let me. It surged through me like wildfire. I was fighting to tame it, and there was a confidence riding alongside it that I couldn¡¯t even put into words.


    It felt amazing.


    And it was addicting.


    If this is what power felt like, then I wanted more.


    I moved to the next screen ready to see what else this planet had in store for me.


    [ Find the tool that will help shape your path]


    It was a basic riddle but given the circumstances I was in; the next logical step was getting something to defend myself with.


    A tool, like a weapon?


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I started to think about all the video games I played where I could pick what I wanted to be. Some of my favorite memories were storming dungeons as a warrior with a weapon in each hand, bashing down enemies in front of me before my teammates could even join the fray. But other times I wanted to play a sneaky assassin type and attack from the shadows before my enemies could even see me. My old life was dangerously slipping away as I was imagining this new life on Novar.


    I snapped my fingers and rummaged through my other pockets and pulled out a folding pocketknife. I fearlessly pointed it forward and mimed stabbing motions viciously at the defenseless humid air.


    So, something like this, huh?


    ¡­Nothing.


    Hmmm guess that¡¯s not it. Kinda small for some killer weapon anyways, I guess.


    I figured since I pulled out the knife, I had some more moments to see what else I had.


    I went through my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. I looked at it in pity and turned it around a couple times; the corners were slightly charred while the whole wallet was damp from being in the water before.


    Don¡¯t really think I¡¯ll be needing to worry about my debts any time soon.


    I put it away in my pants, still trying to hold on to the mission that I would one day need it again. I finally pulled out my small flashlight¡ªthe one I used during service to check how clean my stations were. This was going to come in hand-


    ¡­aaaand I forgot to charge it, per usual.


    The flashlight was still working but just a little. Though daylight still, you could see the amount of charge left on the light where the indicator was by the button. I figured I¡¯d get about four to five good uses with it before it died. I shrugged,


    Even fading light has value here.


    I looked up to see that the sun was waning as well. The flashlight was definitely going to come in handy within the next few hours and I needed to make it count.


    Finishing up my inventory, I noticed the euphoria of the level up was waning. My desire for instinct and awareness was increasing and I was more aware of my surroundings. Distant chirps and caws were polluting the vicinity, leaves shifting in the distance, and soft groans were echoing about.


    These sounds made me feel uneasy, but with my revelations of my current situation, I figured I had a fighting chance.


    Something happens to me; I can just heal and maybe stomp the beasts down just like I did that bug.


    The air was getting cooler as the sun was lowering.


    Fuck, I durdled for too long. I gotta get out of here.


    I knew I had to decide on what to do next. I couldn¡¯t just stay in this part of the forest forever, out in the open like this I was a sitting duck.


    Relying on any hints or queues, I clicked on the fourth button again on the PocketPal.


    [ Find the tool that will help shape your path]


    I needed to go somewhere I could find a weapon, I knew that much. But I just didn¡¯t know where that could be. I looked at the river in front of me and felt clearer in my thinking and decision-making skills.


    Maybe the quest can wait, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s other people like me out here that are trying to do the same things. Maybe I should find them first and we can group together.


    I was impressed with my plan and strained that thinking muscle once more on which way I should go.


    Going downriver might be a good idea; at some point I¡¯d have to find people considering this looks like a fresh source of water.


    As I finished considering what I should do, up in the distance, a signal was looming over the trees and getting bigger.


    It was smoke again.


    Another fire?


    No, this smoke was different; it looked straight, thin, and most importantly controlled. My heart raced as I figured I found possibly a camp or group of people that I could join. I imagined what it would be like if I could act as a leader of sorts as a warrior and save us all from this prehistoric planet.


    Figuring this was the best thing to do I stopped and looked at the stream. With my mouth still dry from today¡¯s activities I considered how far my healing abilities would go.


    Couldn¡¯t hurt right?


    I leaned over and started slurping from the river. Water slapped me in the face as I drank but I didn¡¯t stop. It was clean tasting with a little metal after taste. It was better than drinking out of a hose. I wiped my face and looked towards the escalating smoke.


    Maybe they have some food, I¡¯m starving.


    With my gear check behind me, a new lease on confidence, and a head full of delusions, I started pacing toward the smoke.


    But just before I stepped into the darkening forest¡ªdrawn by that clean, man-made plume¡ªI caught a whiff of something in the air.


    At first, it was ashy.


    Then it turned thick. Sharp. Copper-like.


    I paused. Took another breath.


    Meh, just another weird smell from this planet


    I snorted at the name Novar, kept walking. The distance of the smoke told me I wasn¡¯t too far.


    A cocky smirk was glued to my face¡ªcompletely unaware of what was waiting ahead for me.