S.S.D.D. (5)
I blinked my eyes open and sat up. I looked to see that it was about an hour until sunrise from the light tinge on the horizon. It was still pretty dark but I could see like it was daylight. I was already wide awake, so I went through my morning routine popping all my bones which I somehow accomplished despite my Base form being a spirit. As I was doing that, everything from yesterday came rushing back to me.
“Goddammit.” I muttered, “What the fuck did I get myself into? I should've at least asked more details about this game, maybe look at the fine print in the contract. Then again, he probably would've hid those details from me anyways.” I kicked at the nest in anger, but my foot couldn't make contact because it was a mist at the moment. It just made me more frustrated.
I sighed, “Deep breaths. Meditate.” I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. I held up two fingers in front of my chest. It was a specialized technique I had developed based off of some stress relief books a few movies and TV shows and some mangas I read. I called it The Candle. I took a deep breath and focused all my rage on the tips of my fingers like a candle flame. When it was all together, I held it there for a moment as my anger dissipated.
“Much better. Now what do I know?” I scoured my memory for any useful information. “Fact: if I die in the game, I could possibly die in real life. I'm going to have to level grind like hell and make sure that doesn't happen then. I may have to get as high as I can here before I move on to more difficult regions.” I said to myself.
“Fact: this game is based off a little girl’s show that grown men watch.” I frowned slightly, “It definitely explains why Swift was able to talk and will probably explain any other pony species I meet. Surprisingly, it hasn't been too bad...yet.” I snorted, “I'll tolerate it for now, but the second I hear about some magical artifact about love, friendship or some cliché idea...it won't end well. What else…”
I listed off the facts I knew and the more I did it, the more I wondered what else Erebus had hidden from me. I began to formulate my plan to survive in the game, taking in every variable I could think of. When I glanced again at the sun, it was starting to peek over the horizon. “Time to get moving. I better start practicing that new form.” I jumped out of the nest and slid to the base of the hill.
“Trans Form Harpy.” I shifted into my harpy form. It still felt weird to have wings on my back, or be a harpy for that matter.
‘If I’m going to be a flying creature, now would be a good time to start learning how to fly. It’ll come in handy for midair transformations.’ I thought. I began flexing my back muscles, slowly opening and closing my wings to get the feel of it. I did this for a good half hour or so to get used to the feeling. Once that was down, I held them open and moved them in a circular motion to find the range of it for about another half hour.
I gave few test flaps but gravity decided that I wouldn’t be flying just yet. “Ah well,” I said, dusting myself off, “I can work on that later. What else can I do?” My mind wandered to the harpy’s nest. “I guess I could try to loot it.” I scrambled back up the hill and stepped into the nest.
Apparently, the harpy was a collector because there were a lot of different objects scattered throughout the nest. I pulled out some rough fabric that was the bedding and fashioned it into a small satchel by making a few cuts here and there. After that I began stuffing it full of anything I could use while making a mental account.
‘An emerald, two sapphires, and a ruby, some fabric strips, and some small bones.’
Satisfied, I secured the bag around my neck and jumped out to the base of the hill. Out of curiosity, I went back to the spot I left the harpy corpse. As I rounded the hill, I saw that the body was missing. I crept closer to the spot the body had laid and, using all the crime solving skills I learned from CSI, I could not find a trace of the body being dragged away. Dismissing it as the game mechanics, I turned away and made my way to the shade of the jungle trees.
Meanwhile, a figure hid behind a boulder cursing softly. "Damn I thought he wasn't coming back." He pulled out his notebook and flipped through the pages. "Something's changed..."He snapped the book shut, "Hopefully he'll think it's just the game mechanics." He opened his notebook again, "Speaking of which, I need to oil the squeaky door in the Luna's bathroom."
At the tree line, I figured it would be a good time to start practicing my skills. I went into stealth mode, my reticle turning into the faded eye from Oblivion, and crept from cover to cover searching for Swift.
I trekked across the jungle quietly, my sneak skill slowly increasing the entire way. After about an hour, I found a blip on my map. I headed towards it and it turned out to be Swift picking some plants and stuffing them in his saddlebag. I dove into the tree’s shadow and waited for him to get closer. Once he was close enough, I reached out and grabbed his leg. “Gotcha!” He yelped and jumped several feet in the air, almost dropping his bag. I rolled on the floor trying to catch my breath from laughing so hard.
“You gave me quite the scare for me to jump so high into the air.” He scowled at me. I calmed myself down enough to talk somewhat coherently.
“Sorry, …but it…was too good…to resist.” I barked out.
Swift still scowled but I could see some grudging amusement in his eyes. “Well now that you’re here, we have plants to find. I must make up for yesterday. The Elder has put me in a bind.”
I stopped laughing and got up. “What?” I asked seriously.
“Your appearance yesterday stopped my hunt. So you must help me, if I may be so blunt.” he deadpanned.
I thought about it, “Hmmm. One condition though,” I said, holding up a finger, “You have to show me any poisonous plants on this island. Specifically, Datura plants.”
Swift frowned and huffed, “Fine, if you can help me during the day, then that shall be your pay.”
I fist pumped, “Yes! Now let's go and find your stuff!”
-----------------------------------------------
“Uggghhh, I wonder if I can shoot myself just to pass the time?” I muttered. It had been a few days since I agreed to help Swift and I was beginning to regret it.
The whole thing was boring. Methodical, but boring. It didn't help any that most of the poisons that Swift could find had to be ingested for the effect to take place. The ones that didn't only had minor, annoying effects, like the Poison Joke.
The only plus was that I could practice my skills in my spare time.
One day, Swift and I were at a clearing, gathering more herbs. I picked up a rock and tossed it at a tree, “Carpe.” The rock halted in midair. “Retract” The rock flew back towards me. I barely caught it before it hit my face. Not that it could hurt me, I just did it out of reflex. I held up the rock facing away from me, “Depulso”
CRACK!
Achievement Unlocked: The Force Is Strong In This One- gained 25 XP
The rock shot away and embedded itself in the tree’s bark. I went over to pull it out, but failed when I couldn’t get a good grip on it. A notice popped p in my vision, telling me my magic ability has increased. I turned to see Swift stare at me in wonder.
“That is strange magic you use. Whoever fights you would surely lose.”
I chuckled, “Probably. Unless my enemy also uses magic or I miss my shot.” A thought occurred to me. If the power of one word could do that much damage…how about multiple words? I put together various words to try and picked the most interesting one first to test,“Hey, watch this. Deflect Lumen.” I saw Swift’s jaw drop to the ground at record speed. I looked down at myself and saw that I was invisible, or more like the light was bending around me. “Interesting. Very interesting.” I dropped the spell and returned to visibility. “Okay, that was cool.”
Achievement Unlocked: Now you see me…- gained 15 XP
Swift shook his head at it all and went back to picking the herbs. I went back to help him, when I started to feel a bit hungry, probably from casting the spells. I wasn’t in desperate need seeing that my health bar was still fairly big, but I guess it was the human part of me that was craving food. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I going to get something to eat.” Swift nodded and returned to his work. Time to go hunting.
I searched the area, keeping Swift’s dot on my map and moving from shadow to shadow. I climbed through the trees searching for any critters but to no avail. I moved around quietly, but I couldn’t find much of anything.
'Why the hell can't I find anything?' I thought. After about fifteen minutes, all I found was some lizards and a bird with a broken wing. It was a good snack but I needed something more. I remembered watching some survivor shows and how they caught food. I pulled out a bone from my bag and a stone from the ground and began to whittle away at it, fashioning it into a knife.
When the knife was done, I went over to a nearby stream and waited. I crept along the banks until I found what I was looking for. A small group of fish swam by in the water, unaware of their impending doom.
“Here fishy fishy.” I whispered as if it would bring in the fish closer. I lifted my knife and aimed for the biggest one of the group. I struck and stabbed the fish, my knife going all the way through. The other fish scattered but this one stayed flopping on my knife. I took a bite and enjoyed a satisfying lunch.
I returned to the clearing Swift was in and stopped, Swift was digging up the roots to some orange plant but was oblivious to the massive Black Mamba right above him, sizing him up and waiting for the right moment to strike.
I pulled out my gun. “Swift. Don’t. Move.” I said carefully. He looked at me with confusion seeing me pull put my weapon, my eye on the target above him.
Curiosity got the better of him and he traced my eye sight to above him, where he could see the giant snake, about to strike. He panicked and ran but the snake had struck, biting him on the neck.
New quest:
Save Swift from dying
Reward- 50 XP, increased magic abilities
Accept/Decline
…
Accept
“Shit!” I took aim and fired at the snake, placing each bullet in the snake’s body, careful not to hit Swift. I pulled out my knife, stabbing it the head of the snake and consuming the body for good measure. Swift laid on the jungle floor, twitching and jerking, blood flowed out of the bite wounds on his neck.
The lifeless bodies strewn across the ground. The blood seeping out of them slowly. I stood by and watched.
I snapped out of the memory and found myself kneeling on the ground, my hands clutching my head. “NO! Dammit! I don't want to remember!” I yelled. I repressed the memories and looked up to see Swift was hardly moving now. “Shit! I gotta do something!” I rushed over to Swift's side.
“Swift! Do you have a cure for this?” I spouted out. I am NOT going to stand by and lose him.
Swift shook his head, tough I could barely tell from his jerking. I grabbed my head in frustration, “Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!” Without a cure to purify the blood stream, Swift would die soon. I jerked my head at the thought.
Purify the blood stream.
Purify the blood
Purify blood
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Load complete…
I placed both my hands on the bite wound and yelled, “Pura Sanguis!” A flash of white emanated from my palms and extended into the wound. Swift’s body seized up as it touched and shook almost imperceptibly. After a minute, the light stopped, but he was still bleeding.
Swift started breathing normally and I was feeling out of breath. My mana bar was nearly depleted from the last spell and I felt hungry again since I used my recently consumed energy.
Quest Complete- earned 50 XP, magical abilities increased
My mana bar refilled and extended itself a bit. I looked over at Swift, “That’s twice I’ve saved your ass. I’m going to stick to you like glue if this keeps happening.” I said, control seeping back into my voice. 'Fucking universe can never give me a break.'
I got up, taking out some of the strips of cloth and wrapped it around his neck like a tourniquet, taking care not to choke him. I silently thanked my brother for teaching me about combat medicine.
“We’re going to have to get you back to your home now. You’re in no condition to keep gathering ingredients.”
Swift struggled to get up but failed and laid back down, defeated, “Take me back home then, but keep out of sight. I don’t want you to give the tribe a fright.”
“Of course not.” I picked him up and placed him under my arm. I flew back to the tree line gently so as to not reopen the wound. It took the better part of an hour and a few wrong turns but we made it to the grasslands safely. I stood on the edge of the shade watching for any movement.
“Aquila Oculus” My eyes blurred and the huts in the distance zoomed towards me. 'God I love magic.' I scanned the village to see many zebras out and about, going about their daily tasks. I noticed that the houses looked more or less the same, small abodes made of dried mud and grass.
I cut off the spell and shook Swift, “Hey which house is yours?”
Swift blinked his eyes open and looked around blearily, “Let me go. I'm strong enough to walk you know.” he said.
“You sure?” I asked. I set him down when he nodded. He stood shakily but stayed on his feet.
“Thank you for your aid. May you stay safe in the shade.” Swift began to walk off.
“I'm not leaving yet. Deflect Lumen.” I turned invisible and came up next to Swift. “I'm going to see you get the rest of the way home.”
Swift turned to my voice and raised an eyebrow, “What is with this concern? Your reasons to help me I cannot discern.”
I looked away, not answering immediately. “I don't wanna talk about it.” I said flatly.
Swift shrugged and continued forward. I hovered behind him, occasionally checking all around for any potential threats.
We reached the village outskirts where Swift suddenly stopped. I took the moment to look at the village. Zebras trotted around everywhere, foals ran around with sticks in their mouths playing some sort of game, their parents working on making food or something. It was something you’d find in a small African village. The resemblance was actually kinda cute. Nothing really feminine about it at all.
Swift spoke, not turning his head, “This is where you must leave. I can make it back to my home, I believe.”
I frowned. There was something about Swift's tone that he was hiding something. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Shhh!” he said, “I have made it this far and I don't want the tribe to know what you are.”
I thought about it. 'Seems legit. Probably wouldn't be good to scare off the locals...yet.' I dropped my voice to a whisper and spoke into Swift's ear, “Fine by me. I'll meet you at the Sky Tree clearing later.”
Swift walked on and I headed back for the tree line. When I got to there, something stepped out from the bushes and almost gave me a heart attack. It was a withered old zebra covered in colorful, beaded necklaces and bracelets, smoking on a pipe and staring off into the distance. I looked closer to see that his eyes were glazed over. He was blind and hopefully hard of hearing as I crept past him and deep into the jungle.
-------------------------------------------
I dropped the spell a a minute after I hit the trees and made my way back to the nest. It was now mid-afternoon and I already had a hell of a day. I stopped at a small clearing to catch my breath. With my returning breath came all the emotions that I had been repressing.
“AAHHH!!!” I curled my fist and punched the nearest tree out of rage. The tree shook a little but the nearby animals all ran from my voice, feeling my rage. I stood there, breathing deeply and practicing The Candle, but it still left me shaking.
“Come on, it’s just a video game. It’s not real. He’s just an NPC. They’re a dime a dozen.” I assured my self.
But it was too real. The feel of his blood. His jerking body.
“It wasn’t real. It’s an advanced simulator that gave the illusion such realism.”
Your only friend in this world almost died. All because you were reckless enough to leave him alone. You know the laws of the universe. You remember what happened last time you did this?
“Don't remind me.” I growled.
You knew there could have been a possibility but you still left him. You’re lucky you were able to save him. Unlike the last time.
“Shut up! I don't want to remember that!” I shouted, punching the tree again. “Besides, this place isn’t real. Why should I even care? I could watch it burn and sit back with a lawn chair and some popcorn for the show!”
Are you sure? How do you know that this isn’t real? The pain from the sun, the feedings, the sights, the sounds, the sensations…can you deny them as being the makings of computer animation?
“Well…technology and animation have become a lot more advanced recently.” I answered weakly. I sighed, “…Why am I arguing with myself? I guess it was just from today’s events.”
I never liked to be really emotional, aside from having fun. Emotions usually got in the way of things, muddling judgment and such. I always bottled up my emotions until the job was done, but sometimes the bottle didn’t hold it all or it broke from the pressure.
I sat under the shade and meditated until I could calm myself down. Once I had fully calmed down, I noticed that the sun had dropped considerably. With my mental ranting now out of my system, I could think much more clearly. I began to plan. I had to be better. I had to become faster. I had to get stronger. I know what I needed to do. And with that thought I made for the rocky hills with a new determination driving me.
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Awww yeah.
Mountain Training montage!
Looks like it's time to grind.
so how do we take the world
1036203 you stand in the corner and be ready to pull the switch.
1036211 okay
Like most RPGs that uses Jungles there has to be a cursed zone the locals avoid that is swarming with monsters and particular undead types (hmm what would happen if you consumed a zombie zebra [Would you be able to become the living version or the undead and what about the bonus of feeding on such a abomination]).
1036958 my character is living in said accursed zone and there are no zombies. sorry.
1036973 Gotcha. Though encountering ghosts can be an interesting thing to add to the dark (A foal that is crying and shimmering near a cave [Your character should in someways be able to see poltergeist and other supernatural flows]). Most encounter with ghosts always either end with the player destroying the ghost or getting revenge on the thing that caused the ghost to exist (Though taking messages back to their love ones or learning what hidden knowledge only they should know).
1036973 Thanks to reading your story it gave me another idea for an OC (Stormhoof). If you would like to use him go ahead.
1037116 pm me the details (Physical appearance, Personality, Mark, etc) and i'll see if i want to.
1037129 I have him in my blog should anyone want to use him but for you I will do a quick copy and paste. As far as I know Zebras don't have Cutie-Marks.
Name- Stormhoof.
Mane Color- Snow White
Fur Color- Sky Blue and Yellow (Unlock most zebras which are Black and White).
Eye Colors- Hazel.
Sex- Male.
Race- Zebra.
Basic Information- Unlike most full grown zebras Stormhoof is 2 1/2 foot shorter and he despises anyone talking about it (He also seems to look younger then he should which makes certain encounters worse [Anyone that mentions it can cause him to go into a frenzy]). His specialty is Medical Alchemy and certain level of craftmareship. His color differences causes many to look at him as either a bad omen or a fated joke to happen. He has learned to protect himself over the years and how to survive in nature when he needs to (He has many places scattered about for staying at for campsites).
1037215 i like the personality but the appearance is ehh... zebras are hard to write for already. I'm not sure i would want to add it. sounds like something that would appear in a fic someone else made (
you
) and yes they do have marks. Zecora has one.
but still, you get a moustache and a yay for effort
1037237 I see. I was picturing him more of an outcast from most tribes and therefore instead of speaking in rhymes he was raised more in a pony settlement. If he needs a cutie-mark then I guess the best that comes to mind is the Aztec Sun Mask.
1037301 dude write a fic about that. It sounds legit.
1037310 I am horrible at writing stories. I can come up with characters easily (Because other things inspire em). The biggest thing is I am great at acting the muse for others but can't really do much in inspiring myself (It is so much a curse).
1037325 oh well, maybe you could get a friend to write them for you or give it to him/her/it as an idea for their fic
1037373 The sad thing is I have no real friends. Tried as hard as one can without being pushy but really Nada. Even when I went into the military didn't get much on comradery except for a very few people and we are all on different wave lengths (Though I don't see em anymore and barely hear from em on facebook). After getting out and going to college seems people mostly avoid me. I have better conversations on these sites then out in the public. I am terribly depressed and if it weren't certain things I would have committed suicide some time past ago. Reading these stories and giving an idea or 2 is the only thing at the moment lightening myself to continue on (Pathetic that it is). You don't have to say anything else because I already despise enough of my own life as it is.
1037701great, now i feel bad.
sorry for bringing it up.
1042861 it seemed legit at the time
1040049 yeah well, the end of the last chapter was kinda rushed. I'm gonna edit the back story cuz its...ehh. I was on a roll and wanted to get it out.
so far so good, I like
1037023 ghosts and zombies are canon ever since Dark body, light soul was added to the accepted list.
Why not Pyro? I love the thought of an insane, androgynous maniac who applies the life philosophy of 'kill it with fire' to everything, while thinking that he/she is just spreading joy and sunshine instead.
But then again, what isn't to love about the heavy, either? Or the engineer...
grinding YYEEEAAAAHHHH!!!
can wait to see some sort of chaos from, for that matter hydras, dragons, Minotaur, manticore and creatures like that are quite big your body can expand?
1035599
With Rocky training music!
Cue awsome grinding music
XD All he wants to catch a uh fish, so juicy sweeeeet
That was quite the chapter... I guess I know why Erebus chose him, shoo, he musta had some teachers... talkin' bout Latin words n' stuff, I don't know anything in Latin.
1492751 This music is satisfying.
So, he uses the blood purification spell, leaving you almost drained, "walk" a long distance carrying a zebra, perform a "binocular' spell, then a "invisibility" spell that is kept running while you go on a long journey through town. How does he manage to pull all of that off, while almost drained?
A new favorite story!
2529396
Because he leveled up and his magic bar was refilled, the binocular spell probably uses a minuscule amount and the invisibility has a slow drain.
Aw buck no! Don't remind me of all those bad moments of hard stealth because I couldn't tell how detected I was! I hated the detection meter in Oblivion!
Rantings aside great job so far!