《Eternity Wars [LitRPG]》 Prologue Cain Westwood got out of the driver¡¯s seat of his car and walked around to the sidewalk in front of his parents¡¯ house. Things had been going rather fine for him until the day before, what with his parents supporting him on his independence from being a burden. However, that was soon becoming a thing of the past. To start, he lost his job as his boss pulled the job right out from underneath him, given to some schmuck who did not know what he was getting himself involved in. On top of that, because Cain¡¯s job was now voided on him, he had no way of paying the rent for his apartment, so that was a surefire way of losing his home. Finally, his father gave him a cryptic message saying that he had to return to the family house post-haste. So, after a few phone calls to the moving people, he got his things packed out of the apartment and returned home¡­ to find that his parents were not out there to greet him. Okay, what gives? Why is it that my parents aren¡¯t here to greet me? Did something happen between me getting the phone call and now? He didn¡¯t have to wait for long before learning what happened. As he walked over to the front door, the entryway crashed open, revealing a burly man in a lumberjack outfit wielding a bloodstained switchblade in his right hand¡­ his gloved right hand at that. ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± Cain all but exclaimed before the burly man roared wordlessly and charged at him. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Die, you radio face!¡± the burly man yelled at him as he came within swinging and stabbing distance of the switchblade¡¯s range. He swung it at Cain blindly. Cain barely had time to dodge, which he took almost none of it to do. It was pathetically easy for Cain to dodge the switchblade, almost as if the man facing him was a rank amateur in the art of dagger fighting¡­ or even regular knife fighting. Then again, the man fighting him didn¡¯t let it get to him by having to swing repeatedly, as if one swing will allow him to score a hit. The dodging took up a grand total of two minutes before Cain found himself in the way of a swing that could (and would, if he weren¡¯t careful) hit and slice him, the swing nearly slicing at his throat. As for where he ended up to get there, he was twenty feet away from the front door when it started, and now he had gotten two feet away from the curb some fifteen feet away from his parked car. It was a major predicament. Shit! As if I had anything else I could do to stop this madman from killing me¡­ The burly man gave off a rather ominous chuckle. ¡°Nowhere for you to run now, you radio face. How about you just accept your fate on my blade? I promise you¡¯ll be joining your parents sooner than later with this blade.¡± Is this guy serious?! Oh, wait, don¡¯t have him answer that soon or at all. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s insane. ¡°Now, how about you die for the sake of your end-of-life dignity?¡± the burly man asked. ¡°How is this for the sake of my dignity at the end of my life?!¡± Cain demanded, a vein pulsing in his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for you¡¯ll find out soon enough, radio face,¡± the burly man said faux calmly. He then displayed a smirk on his face. ¡°Enough talk. Die, you radio face!¡± What followed was a complete fluke of fate that caused Cain¡¯s future to go sideways. As the burly man swung his switchblade at Cain again, Cain leaned backwards enough to dodge the blade, but not to the point of safely stopping himself from stepping onto the road. He stumbled onto the road and barely kept himself on his feet when a semi-truck collided with him, killing him¡­ O=====||===============================> ¡­only for him to wake up in a bed that he didn¡¯t remember crawling into the previous night. He shot up, breathing hard, a hand to his beating heart.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. What in the¡­ what happened to me? I could¡¯ve sworn I got run over by a semi-truck¡­ It was at that point when he looked around himself. The bed he slept in was in a room where there were five others, all of them being occupied by other men, and the entire place was practically filthy compared to his modern sensibilities. How was he supposed to accept this level of grime when he was supposed to be dead? He then looked at the window looking outside the room. It looked to be at least half past 1 in the morning, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. If only he could find a good way of knowing the local time. He attempted to get out of the bed, but then realized something was utterly wrong. His arms and hands were way too small to be normal adult size, and his torso reflected that. It was as if he were a kid again, when, last he checked, he was in his mid-30s. Oh, no! With a quick pull of the covers off his bed, he looked down to confirm the truth. Yes, his legs and feet reflected the same state that his torso and remaining limbs were in. He didn¡¯t really know how come that was the case. Wait, calm down, me. It¡¯s possible that I¡¯m a dwarf in this life¡­ wait, really? Dwarves aren¡¯t supposed to be of human origin, are they? He mentally backpedaled when he processed that thought. Dwarfism wasn¡¯t a medical condition in this world? That didn¡¯t make sense. He was about to get out of bed when his neighbor in the bed next to him groaned awake. ¡°Gato, what¡¯s going on with you lately?¡± his neighbor in the room asked him. ¡°It¡¯s not even time to get to work on the farm today.¡± Cain blinked rapidly for about five seconds before looking at the other man. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± he asked, pointing at himself. ¡°Yes, Gato, I am,¡± the other man said. ¡°You¡¯re the only other one awake.¡± Cain drooped his head. ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn that my name was something else, though¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not, Gato. Let¡¯s get that straight, shall we?¡± the other man asked. ¡°Humor me for a bit, then,¡± Cain said. ¡°What¡¯s your name, in this case?¡± ¡°What are you¡­?¡± the other man asked before trailing off momentarily. ¡°Wait, did you hit your head yesterday and refuse to say anything on the subject?¡± Cain blinked as he raised his head. ¡°Maybe, depending on how come I¡¯m awake in this bed and room, though don¡¯t exactly say I didn¡¯t warn you about how unbelievable this might be.¡± ¡°What are you going on about now?¡± ¡°Okay, hear me out. I was seeing someone with issues in a different time and place, and that means I was having a fair bit of trouble staying alive. In that time and place, I was in my mid-30s, and I was being attacked by a strange man in a lumberjack¡¯s outfit wielding a switchblade.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a switchblade?¡± ¡°A knife with a blade that folds into the hilt and hides there when not in use. Anyway, it was while the lunatic nearly sliced me up with that switchblade when I backed onto the road and got run over.¡± ¡°Hold on, run over? By what, a nobleman¡¯s carriage?¡± ¡°No, but only because the carriage had become vastly obsolete by that point in time.¡± ¡°Are you messing with me, Gato?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± The other man sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Sorry to say that I¡¯m having trouble believing this. What replaced the carriage, exactly?¡± ¡°There¡¯d been a development that allowed for carriages to move on their own, allowing for self-operated vehicles eventually called cars and trucks,¡± Cain said. ¡°Okay, then¡­ this seems too fantastical for anyone to believe, but you speak of it with such conviction. Why don¡¯t you promise me something about this for the future?¡± ¡°Sure, depending on what you want me to promise, I can hopefully do it.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fair. I want you to promise me you won¡¯t talk about this or anything similar to anyone who will attempt to replicate this without proper safeguards in place.¡± Cain blinked rapidly. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t want you to be sent to prison for causing a disturbance in the way things are, baby brother, so please¡­¡± Cain nodded. ¡°I promise. Don¡¯t worry about me, then, will you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to hold you to that, Gato.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ now, what exactly is your name, again?¡± ¡°My name is Delaz, the son of Alexander, which makes you Gato, son of Alexander,¡± the now-named Delaz said. ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Cain said. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t feel like I can sleep just yet, what with how I woke up¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair, but please try to fall back asleep, okay?¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll do that, then.¡± O=====||===============================> As Cain Westwood, now Gato, eventually fell back asleep, Delaz looked at his baby brother with a fair amount of confusion on his face. Gato was not acting like he normally would, especially for someone who would turn five years old in a few days. For one thing, he spoke in a verbose way that few five-year-olds would have access to. For another, Gato¡¯s ability to talk about things that were outright impossible to comprehend was nearly impossible to believe¡­ except that Gato was believing the stuff he talked about. Then there was the fact that he woke up as if someone was trying to kill him in his sleep. What exactly was it that would kill him? How am I supposed to deal with this at a time like this? It sounds ridiculous, even by my standards, which are rather high. Still, when all this would define the end of one life as others knew it and replace it with another, Delaz did not know how to best explain the situation to anyone, even his own little brother. Now, then¡­ how do I get Gato to answer to the name he was born with? With a sigh, Delaz went back to bed himself. He knew his tasks for the morning, and he needed to be fresh enough to pull them all off. Level 0001 Ten years later¡­ ¡°Gato, are you awake yet? It¡¯s time to get the ground ready for planting the crops.¡± Cain woke up in the early morning as his new life, Gato, to hear the words of his current mother calling out to him in the middle of the house. He looked out the window to see how much light was out. Not even sunrise out yet, mother, and you already want me up for the day? Still, he complied with his mother¡¯s words, standing out of the bed that he slept in. Of course, he needed to find a better way of handling this, but those were the breaks. It was not possible to argue with his mother in this life and get away with it. He tried, but it was impossible to get her to back down. After he put his clothes on for the day, he walked out of the bedroom and over to his family¡¯s kitchen. He didn¡¯t want to get on his mother¡¯s bad side, not after the last few dozen times that happened. ¡°I¡¯m here, mother,¡± he said when he got there. ¡°What¡¯s next for me to do before the end of the day?¡± ¡°Ah, Gato, good thing you¡¯re right here,¡± his mother said. ¡°So, let¡¯s see what you need to do while away from the house itself¡­ other than the tilling of the ground for the crops, I need the following items from in town, and so does your father, too.¡± She handed him a slate with some text on it, which he could not make out what it said. ¡°Show it to the town guard before you do your shopping in town, okay? We don¡¯t want you even getting in trouble with the store owners for taking things you¡¯re not supposed to.¡± Gato nodded. ¡°Okay, mother, I understand. I¡¯ll be on the way to doing what I need to when I get the ground tilled.¡± Gato¡¯s mother nodded, giving a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯d better get to it now. It¡¯s your turn to learn how to handle the shadow oxen.¡± Okay, that¡¯s a new thing I never expected. What really are shadow oxen? This is the first I¡¯ve heard of them. ¡°If you wish to know more about the shadow oxen, keep in mind they¡¯ve been in our family on your father¡¯s side for a hundred generations. That¡¯s all I¡¯m allowed to say. With that said, talk with your father about them if you want to know more,¡± Gato¡¯s mother said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Gato said. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping that this will be a good thing overall.¡± ¡°Of course it will,¡± Gato¡¯s mother said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to handle them well. I can say that for a fact.¡± How am I supposed to accept that, though, mother? Still, Gato nodded. ¡°Okay, let me get to work, then. I¡¯ll be doing the tilling as soon as I can.¡± With that, he walked over to the stable where the shadow oxen were supposed to be¡­ or so he hoped. ¡°Gato, before I forget, you¡¯re going the wrong way for where the shadow oxen are,¡± his mother said. ¡°They aren¡¯t in the main stable.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t?!¡± ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. I¡¯ll show you where they are now, Gato.¡± O=====||===============================> Next to the main stable, there was a shed with farming supplies, where Gato ended up at when directed by his mother. Next to the shed, however, there was a circular formation of rocks that were as empty as one would imagine it in the day time, except there was the distinct sound of mooing in the circle. ¡°Okay, Gato, I hope you can hear the mooing in there,¡± his mother said. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll have to wake up your father to do this job.¡± ¡°I can hear mooing, but I don¡¯t yet see what¡¯s causing the sound,¡± Gato said. ¡°There¡¯s no way the normal oxen can hear this, is there?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± his mother said. ¡°Allow me to explain this to you. You¡¯ll need to have a fair amount of strength in order to hold on to the tilling device, which will make it possible for you to control where the oxen are going.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Gato nodded. ¡°I get that so far. How am I supposed to lift the plow at this rate? Do I need to strengthen my arms and legs?¡± ¡°That remains up to your ability to take any injuries well,¡± his mother said. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that you need all the help you can get. I mean, you¡¯ve got a fair amount of work ahead of you in order to handle this job, so we need you to hold on to the things which will help you with the job.¡± Yeah, I hear that. How am I supposed to know what things are important for the job, though? As he walked over to the plow, however, his mother caught him on the sleeve of his left arm. ¡°You need to get the shadow oxen out first. Only then are you allowed to attach the plow to them.¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­ sorry about that, mother.¡± ¡°Just remember what I said, Gato, so that you can do the job ahead of you.¡± Gato nodded. ¡°Thanks for that.¡± ¡°No problem. Now, go in the special pen for the shadow oxen and bring them out. I¡¯ll instruct you on what to do next when that¡¯s done,¡± his mother said. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± At that, he walked into the pen and saw a couple of things that weren¡¯t there before. First, there were the shadow oxen that his mother told him about, which were spectral oxen that couldn¡¯t (or was that shouldn¡¯t) be strong work cows on their own. The second thing was the blank opaque blue box that appeared in his field of view. Wait, that¡¯s not right. How did this box come into existence? Can I even see around the box? ¡°Gato? Is something the matter?¡± Gato looked at his mother, the box still in front of him, and gave a weary sighed. ¡°Honestly, I hope not. I can see the shadow oxen, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, at least. Now, let¡¯s get them hitched to the plow, shall we? You¡¯ll be doing this on your own in the future. I can assure you of that.¡± ¡°Yes, mother, I understand.¡± Gato¡¯s mother nodded. ¡°Glad we¡¯re on the same page here. Now, let¡¯s get you started, shall we?¡± As Gato moved his attention back to the shadow oxen, he saw the box had altered its interior to show a message to him. What in the¡­ what gives? Welcome to the game! To begin your grand adventures, we of System Administration are going to give you a tutorial. A tutorial? This sounds suspiciously like an acute case of fan fiction writing¡­ The box then added a new line at the bottom of the previous message. Yes, we know this sounds like it belongs in a fan fiction. Please bear with it for a while. Gato groaned. Just my wonky and rotten luck. O=====||===============================> A few minutes of working through how to set up the hitching for the plow later, Gato got to the fields with his family¡¯s shadow oxen. Okay, this is going to be a right pain in the bum. I can admit that much. How am I supposed to handle this without having my current parents worry about me at all? As soon as he reached the edge of the field with the oxen, he saw another box appear in his field of view, replacing the one that was there earlier. New Quest Alert! Honor Your Mother and Father (I): Your mother asked you to till with the plow on your family¡¯s farm. Do so in the swiftest amount of time that is reasonable for the farming at hand. Mission Aim: Plow the field in three hours¡¯ time. Bonus Mission Aim 1: Plow the field in two and a half hours. Bonus Mission Aim 2: Plow the field in two hours. Reward: +200 XP, +50 Gold Pieces. Bonus Reward 1: +400 XP, +100 Gold Pieces. Bonus Reward 2: +800 XP, +200 Gold Pieces. Do you accept? Y/N Gato groaned. What is it with me these days? With nothing else to do, he started the plowing process of the field. Before he reached the start of the field, however, he saw that his box in front of him still had the words that he was hoping would go away. Oh, right, I didn¡¯t say that I accepted the quest. Hold on a bit¡­ With that, he pressed the yes button, which looked like the capital letter Y. At that point, he began the plowing of the field. Here¡¯s hoping it doesn¡¯t take too long¡­ I don¡¯t want to make my parents worry about me while I¡¯m doing this job for them. As he worked on plowing the field, he monitored the surrounding area, only to realize that he had a timer counting down from the three-hour mark going on in the top right corner of his vision. It was distracting him. This is going to be beyond annoying, I¡¯m certain of it. Either way, this isn¡¯t the time for distractions. With that, he monitored the plowing he had to do. O=====||===============================> I hope Gato¡¯s doing okay with his job that his father and I assigned him¡­ Gato¡¯s mother, Diana, daughter of Medea, had to admit to being rather miffed that things were going to turn into turds in a bad way. Why did she think that? Because there was a potential threat of a bandit group in the area, that¡¯s why. Honestly, it¡¯s usually right about this time when the bandits strike, which makes everything likely to go down the dreck batch. Why else would I worry? Diana was not the most inclined to be worried about the safety of her family, but then there was no other choice on the matter. What she wouldn¡¯t give to keep her family safe¡­ so when was she supposed to keep them that way? If only she knew how likely that was going to be.