《Will to Live》


 I will live!

    It is dark. Very dark. My back is pressed against something cold and hard as stone. Thoughts fill my head ''Where am I? Who am I?'' are only the most prudent of them. I can''t move my body, but I can move my fingers and toes, so I am not paralyzed. I can feel the tips of my fingers pressed against the cold surface I am lying upon. A word springs into my mind.


    Floor.


    I get the feeling that I am in a room, though I have no idea how I know that. My mind seems fine and I feel alright, though it seems as if I''m simply missing pieces of information such as my name and where I am.


    A sound enters my ears, breaking me from my thoughts. It is muffled but constant, stopping and starting in random moments. It takes my brain a second to recognize the sound.


    Words. Someone is speaking, though it seems to be a distance away from me if it is muffled. First I try to speak, to call out for some help, but my lips won''t move, just as the rest of my body. It is an aggravating thought, but at the same time I feel calm.


    This time I strain my ears, trying to pick out the individual words that are being spoken. It is faint, but I''m able to pick out some.


    "...intermittent....system....begin sequence"


    Words I am familiar with, but at the same time, I don''t remember why I am familiar with them.


    Unfortunately, I don''t have much time to ponder this new information. Another sound enters my ears, one that is much closer. A soft humming, coming from directly behind my head, constant and comforting.


    Fear. That flashes through me. I''m afraid of this sound...but I don''t know why.


    Then a flash, but not from around me. It is as if the flash came from behind my eyes. From there, it traveled down throughout my body, combined with a soft heat.


    Pressure all around me, pushing on every inch of my skin. I''m being compressed, slowly pushed more and more into a tiny little ball. It isn''t painful, just slightly uncomfortable.


    Then I''m standing, the pressure, heat, and humming all gone. I''m not even in the room anymore, though I''m not sure I''d recognize it even if I could see it. But this is different, I''m standing in a forest...or at least what my memory tells me is a forest.


    I can move as well. Not just my fingers and toes, but my arms and legs, my head, everything! Elation runs through my body like a wild fire and I laugh. I take a deep breath of the clean, slightly cool air and stretch.


    My arms come into view as I do so. It is not a skin color my memory is familiar with, though my mind tells me of similar colors. My skin is black, but it isn''t a shade, it is the same abyssal black as my previous dwelling. Part of me doesn''t know if it is even reflecting light.


    I touch my arms, the skin is smooth and soft to the touch, underneath I can feel muscles defined and well built, even though I don''t have any memory of exercising to produce these.


    My nails are a slightly lighter shade, more grey than black and slightly pointed, like little knives, though they weren''t sharp at all.


    I shake my head. I feel so good, even if I don''t remember much about myself. A flash of silver falls in front of my eyes, catching me by surprise. Then I chuckle and reach up, touching the soft feathery substance that was draped over my eyes. It is hair. I have silver colored hair. Running my fingers over my head, I can gauge it''s length.


    Not too long or short, just barely brushing along the nape of my neck and just long enough to fall over my eyes, but not to hinder my eyesight.


    Turning my eyes away from myself, I begin to look around my surroundings. I seem to be in a grove of some sort, surrounded by trees. Light dances all around me, bouncing of the dark green leaves of the trees. It is very beautiful.


    The ground underneath me is a much lighter shade of green, a moss of some sort. It is very soft on my bare feet.


    It was only this moment that I realized that I was nude. Part of me said I should be alarmed, but the rest of me didn''t seem to care.


    "Oh wow...never seen a monster like this before"


    A voice enters my ears and I immediately turn to face the direction I heard it come from.


    Standing there are five people, two women and three men. My memory informs me of their genders and affirms that mine is male, as indicated by the appendage between my legs.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "It is the first time anyone''s gone this deep into the Alare Forest, there is bound to be some that no one has seen before" a higher voice came from one of the women. She was wearing a sort of robe, black with red trimmings. It clashed with her bright blue hair and green eyes.


    "It''s kind of...big" the other woman said staring at me. She was a little bit normal, black eyes and long brown hair tied into a pony tail, though her choice of clothing was still strange. She was wearing leather armor, a padded piece over her chest and a black shirt underneath that. Her leggings were of a similar leather as her armor.


    She was right, even at this distance I could tell I was taller than them by a good foot. Then again, maybe they were just very short. My memory is of being the same height of everyone else, so I don''t really know.


    "Not bigger than me!" the first voice, coming from what I assume is their leader. He had black hair, nearly as dark as my skin and bright blue eyes. What was strange was that he was wearing a full set of armor. A large sword was resting on his waist, the hilt a mixture of silver and gold. His face was slightly red and he looked angry.


    Upon looking them over, he noticed that they all had a weapon of some kind. The girl in the robe had a wooden staff with a small jewel on the top. The girl in the leather armor had a bow on her back and two small daggers on her waist.


    The other two men seemed to be wearing the same armor, with a eagle painted on the front. The word ''Hired Help'' entered my mind.


    "Feeling inadequate?" the girl in the robe said grinning at her companion. It was at this moment that I realized that they hadn''t been speaking of my height.


    "Lets just kill it!" the man said with a deep frown "Maybe it''ll drop something good"


    "Yeah, maybe it''ll drop an enhancement" the other girl laughed, though they began to get into position, each drawing their weapons.


    [Danger!]


    The word this time, didn''t appear in my mind, it appeared at the corner of my vision.


    [Hostility Detected: Initializing HUD Readout]


    Strange bars appeared in the left side corner of my vision, each a different color. Red, Blue, and Green. Each also had a word underneath them. The red was Health, the blue was Mana and the green was Stamina.


    The memory of something called a ''Game'' filled my head. This was like that, breaking down life and abilities into numeric value.


    I wondered if I could do other things, but I didn''t have the knowledge or time to figure it out. I was already being attacked.


    The battle was quick and painful. The girl in the leather armor pinned my feet to the ground with her arrows and made it impossible for me to move as their leader rushed forward and buried his sword in my chest. The pain in my feet was completely ignored as the greater pain in my chest grew.


    I could feel my heart be pierced. Though by this point I was on the ground, the arrows had broken in my feet and let me fall when the man removed his sword.


    Blood gushed from my chest and my vision faded.


    "Wow...he was really really weak" the man chuckled, his voice filling my slowly fading mind "How did something this weak even survive out here?"


    Weak..that is what I was. Anger filled my body, but I couldn''t move it.


    "...failure..." and then I was back in that dark room, unable to move as I had before. Fortunately the pain was gone and I could breathe properly once more.


    For the longest time, I couldn''t hear anything. Whoever had been speaking was either too far from me or wasn''t speaking anymore. This quiet gave me time to think. I understood some things.


    I had died. I remember that feeling, of my consciousness fading, my heart no longer supplying blood throughout my body. It was a terrifying experience, dying. I didn''t want to experience it again.


    Then the humming began again. Now I understood the fear I had felt before. It seemed to be the fear of death. It was here I resolved myself not to die, I wanted to live.


    Even as I was crushed into a small ball once again, I continued that thought, like a mantra.


    ''I will live. I will live. I will live!''

 Help me.

    I died again. I''ve died every single time! Anger fills my mind and I thrash around...at least in my mind. I still can''t move in this damn room! Gone is my calm mind. It is agony! I''ve been killed so many times, it is becoming a chore to even bother fighting back. Every time I arrive in that other world, I''m in a different place.


    I have no way of knowing, but I do feel that it is the same world as my first time there. But each time I arrive, I feel slightly different and before I can explore myself or my surroundings, I''m killed by something, whether it be at the hands of people, animal, or monster.


    My fingers tap constantly on the floor underneath me. I''m waiting, I know I''ll be sent back. I don''t know when, there doesn''t seem to be any specific time frame to work by. I randomly go and come back when I die.


    Now, I just wait to die. I wonder what it''ll be this time? I''ve been crushed, decapitated, run through, had my limbs ripped off. Maybe I won''t even get a chance to arrive this time. Maybe I''ll just die on arrival. Hopefully it is quick.


    Then the humming begins again and with it, my heart drops. Here we go again. With dread the only emotion I''m feeling, I am suddenly surrounded by greenery. I''m in another forest and not in a grove this time, trees enclosed me like a tomb.


    I didn''t even bother to check myself this time. The first time I went back, I''d had a few changes, but after that, there were no more alterations. I still had the silver hair, but my skin was now more of an ash grey instead of the abyssal black it had been before and his nails were even lighter.


    With a soft sigh, I moved over to a tree and sat down before frowning. A small twitching was at my backside. Moving slightly, I noticed a long thin tail extending from my tail bone. It was covered in light black fur, with the tip being a silver puffball that tapered off. It was a strange sensation.


    I now had a tail, and the tail was as easy to move as the rest of my limbs, even more so as it seemed to be all muscle. Strangely enough, I laughed, feeling better than I had in a while. I didn''t even know how long I''d been going through this cycle.


    The HUD..or whatever it was, hadn''t vanished after that first time, though it seemed to change size each time. He wished he could get more information on it.


    [Ding!]


    A soft sound filled my mind as a small screen appeared in front of my eyes. It seemed to be a more detailed version of the smaller HUD.


    {    {}


    Race: Creature of the Abyss


    Age: 22


    Level: 1


    Health: 350


    Mana: 350


    Stamina: 1000


    Magic: 100


    Strength: 25


    Defense: 25


    Agility: 500


    Magic Attack: 25


    Magic Defense: 25


    {Equipment}


    N/A


    {Skills}


    Flicker.


    Will to Live.]


    This...this was very depressing. I could remember things about games, but I don''t recall playing them. Even by the standards in my memory, this is very low. No wonder I''d died so many times, I barely had any defense and my health was poor.


    The only thing I had going for me was my Stamina and Agility.


    I turn my gaze to my skills. Two skills. As I focused on the first [Flicker] the screen changed.


    [Flicker


    User has the ability to quickly move from one place to another in a short range. Speed is relative to agility. Range increases with Level.


    Maximum Range: 10 Meters]


    It was an interesting skill. Maybe it would help keep me alive for a little bit longer. Now the other skill. With a thought, I was able to return to the previous screen and open up the information for the next skill.


    [Will to Live


    User can survive a near death experience and come back stronger. Only useful if one survives.]


    Well...that is useless. I can''t survive any attack, let alone one that would cause a near death experience. With a soft sigh, I get the screen to vanish and stand up. It seems that I haven''t been attacked yet, I can at least test out the [Flicker] skill. If I know how to use it, I might be able to survive long enough to get stronger.


    Looking around I spotted a relatively sparse area, one where if I were to move around, I wouldn''t run into a tree. I took a deep breath and let it out before focusing on a spot around ten meters ahead of me.


    It wasn''t a great distance, but it would be useful in a life or death situation. Currently, I needed to focus on where I wanted to go, but hopefully I could learn to use it in an instance.


    "[Flicker]" I spoke the name of my ability. My voice was deep and smooth, like rich honey. It was very soothing. The world around me seemed to move in slow motion and with a single step, I was standing in the spot I''d been focusing on.


    Teleportation. That was the only thought I could bring into my head to describe the skill. It was an instant movement, I couldn''t even realize how fast I''d just moved.


    I laughed "This is awesome!" I said grinning "With this I am sure to keep living!"


    Looking at my HUD, I noticed that my Stamina bar had gone down by at least one hundred points. Damn. That was a huge cost. I could only use it around ten times. Fortunately, my Stamina slowly regenerated as I rested.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    *Thwip!*


    What the..!


    I looked down to see an arrow sticking out of my side. It was painful, but not debilitating. Looking at my health, it had gone down by about a fourth. My defense was terrible! I couldn''t take another hit like that.


    Leaving the arrow in would keep my blood from leaking out. That is what I''d learned a couple deaths back. Even without [Flicker] I still had a pretty good Agility. I quickly moved behind a tree just as another arrow passed by where my head had just been.


    Damn! Who is it? Why now? I slowly peeked around the tree. I couldn''t see anyone, though that didn''t mean they weren''t there. Hiding? Did they move. I focused on a spot a little ways to my left.


    "[Flicker]" I said softly. Just as my skill activated, a masked figure appeared next to me, dagger''s drawn. Fortunately, my skill had already activated and time around me slowed to a stand still. With a step, I was gone.


    I turned to see the masked figure swipe at thin air before vanishing. Some kind of Ninja or something? You''ve got to be kidding me. I need to run.


    Kicking up dirt, I took off. The pain in my side aching but manageable.


    "[Tracer Shot!]" a shout came from the direction I''d left. Cocking my head to the side, I saw an arrow flying towards me and moved to dodge, only to have it follow me. Ah crap! I quickly stepped past a tree and heard a *thunk* as the arrow buried itself into the tree.


    "[Instant Trap!]" I gasped as the spot in front of me suddenly exploded into a large hole in the ground. I couldn''t help but appreciate the ingenuity of my attackers.


    "[Flicker!]" I shouted as time slowed just as I stepped over the hole. The only thought of mine was getting over the hole and my ability helped. The opposite edge of the hole appeared in front of me, though I didn''t quite reach it.


    I could feel the snap of the arrow in my side as I slammed into the side, catching the edge just barely.  Ignoring my pain, I pulled myself up and started to run.


    "[Quick Strike!]" I felt several stings across my legs and back as I heard a voice shout behind me. I stumbled and rolled forward, landing on my side as I looked towards the masked figure from before.


    Damn! This person had disabled my legs, I couldn''t get up. It wasn''t that the muscles were destroyed, it was more like they were just numb.


    In the top right of my eyesight an icon appeared.


    [Paralyzed: 30 sec]


    So I wouldn''t be able to move for another thirty seconds, great. I watched as the timer ticked down. I''d be dead before it hit zero.


    A young man in green clothing and brown leather ran up, another arrow knocked in his bow. I saw him grin "Good job Nayla" he said patting the masked figure on the back.


    "He didn''t make it easy" the masked figure pulled down their mask, revealing a feminine face. With the mask, I hadn''t been able to tell her gender through her muffled voice.


    The man walked over to me and looked down before raising his bow and pointing the arrow at my face. Looks like I was going to die again. Oh well...get it over with.


    I felt something warm running down my face. I suppose I was crying...then it became worse. Sobs racked my paralyzed body. I couldn''t move and I was going to die again. I felt terrible. I was going to end up in that dark room again, just lying there, waiting to be sent away again.


    A small voice filled the area around me. It was pathetic and sad. Even in my depressed state, I wanted to help that person.


    "Help me" the voice filled the air and I realized. It was me.


    Then everything went dark. I suppose I passed out. The last feeling I had was of being enveloped in something warm.


    ----


    I''m in a dark room. But unlike the one I was used to, this one felt warm and comforting. I could even move around. I didn''t feel any pain so I decided to wander about. Maybe I could find a way out.


    After walking for several minutes, or maybe it was hours, I lost track, I saw something floating through the air. It was longer than anything I''d ever seen. It was a single red thread, just listlessly floating there.


    I saw something out of the corner of my eyes and turned. Moving away from me was a single black thread that glowed with a strange light. It was wrapped around my body, tightly binding me, yet allowing me to move.


    Whatever it was, I didn''t like it. No. I hated it. It gave me a terrible feeling, like it was sucking the warmth away from me. I wanted to get it off of me and get away from it. But as I swiped at it, all that happened was my hand passing through it.


    I moved closer to the red thread, it gave off a warm, inviting feeling. I reached up and gently touched it. Unlike the black thread that I couldn''t touch, this one moved towards my hand, as if it was greeting me.


    Taking it in my hands, I slowly wrapped it around myself. Wherever it touched, the black thread unraveled and fell away. Soon, the black thread was left floating in space, while the red thread had taken its place.


    I grinned, feeling safe and content. Slowly I sat down and relaxed, closing my eyes. Just as I was drifting off, a message popped up in front of my shutting eyes.


    [Binding Complete. Monster Tamed]