It came again today.
Edging its way cautiously, getting close enough to just nibble at my extremities before a loosely flailed limb sent it skittering back a few yards.
It watches as I drew some water, I didn’t take my eyes off of it either.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was stalking me like a predator waiting for its prey to lower its guard. The two-foot spiralling black horn that erupts from its forehead could land a killing blow if I gave it enough room to try to spear me.
Fishing a decent-sized rock from the edges of the pond I return to my bedding.
The still forest echoes with the sound of the rock striking the weathered bark. I smash it just enough to let some sap flow, lapping it up feverishly—some of the fleshy shards of wood I chew and suck to a pulpy paste.
They’re sweet, and I’ll need all the edge I can get when that thing comes for me.
The sudden cacophony of stone striking wood over and over again had caused it to withdraw slightly out of sight.
I don’t want to awaken during the night to find myself pinned to the tree by its impaling horn while it sets about cutely nibbling away at my innards.
A weary night passes, keeping watch.
By morning the lack of food and proper sleep is mounting up, and it knows I’m tiring, sitting peacefully there taunting me with its presence.
(‘You fluffy bastard I can wait just as long as you can’)
Thankfully that wasn’t too long, as the day wore on, my consciousness grew fuzzy. My head and limbs heavy. With the shuffling of leaves, I wrenched myself awake, but the next grasp of gentle darkness was too strong to resist.
The edges of my vision grew cloudy as I slumped sideways.
A swift breeze brushed my left arm and a sudden impact on the sturdy trunk behind me garnered a reflexive swipe off the rock in my right hand. Without the subtle limiters placed by my conscious mind, 100% of what little power I could muster swept in the direction of the sound.
Something wet splattered against my hand as the rock met little resistance accompanied by a squelchy crunch of bone and soft fleshy fur.
My face hit the dirt, the rock rolled from my grasp, and a black unconsciousness claimed me.
I was once more back in that empty black space. Pinpoints of light twinkled like thousands of stars. While in front, a strange blue box illuminated the surrounding area with a dull glow.
-: Congratulations you have killed: Miraji <Black Horned-rabbit>.
Demi-plane Autumnal Forest shall now re-join Material plane.
Well done in surviving, Unlocking <Character Panel> :-
“A TEST!!”
The voice that exploded in the darkness didn’t feel like my own. The disembodied soft voice of the girl I had met before answered back.
“No, a necessary transitional phase. My world has an actual concentration of mana, and without some controlled decompression, your body would have popped like an overripe melon. You also didn’t have the right mindset to survive. Your world has known peace for far too long. Now please say Stats and take some time to familiarise yourself.”
The anger I felt couldn’t be described.
“Stats.”
It escaped my lips as an almost feral growl.
-: Character Panel:-
Stats: Skills: Spells:
Name: <Locked>
Race: Human
Title: <Select from Available>
Class: Thrallherd Level: 1
Health: 100
Mana: 90
Vitality: 10 Strength: 9
Dexterity: 9 Intellect: 9
Wisdom: 9 Charisma: 20
Resistance: None
I hovered over the title selection with one hesitant finger. When I eventually did press it a cascading wall of pop-ups told me I had acquired the Loner title that had then been upgraded to Solitary and finally Hermit.
I guess this is a reflection of my time spent as a shut-in.
The title did nothing stat-wise, but I set it anyway, it was the least humiliating of the three.
I was tabbing across to the skills page.
-: Character Panel:-
Stats: Skills: Spells:
Bluff (Basic)
Intimidate (Basic)
Diplomacy (Basic)
Thrallherd (Master)
While under the spells tabs there’s a dropdown called Psion which when expanded shows I have the spells; Empathy and Read Thoughts. I spent a little more time reading the descriptions of my skills and spells. The spells I have aren’t a branch of Mental magic (which affects a person’s mind; illusions, suggestions, domination etc.) and cost no mana to use.
They are all listed as (Acolyte).
Unbeknownst to me at this time, around my slumbering body, small shoots pushed their way through the autumn carpet as tinges of grey and blue slowly permeated the amber light. Like rip van winkle I lay there still as the world aged around me, the two planes merging.
Like waking from a dream, I noticed how alive the forest felt, the usual sounds and smells coupled with dense green foliage.
One hand picked up the bloodied stone that had rolled a little away while the other hand set about unscrewing the horn from the trunk, the rabbit’s body hung limply and backwards from the secured skull.
It didn’t take long to remove, but it was long enough to feel that I was being watched.
With my kill in one hand, I edged up against the solid trunk scanning the nearby foliage for any signs of my watchers. Birds in the branches above tweeted merrily.
Gripped by unseen fear I bolted from the tree, bounding through the undergrowth. The shuffling of many feet dogged my every step. I burst into a sunlit clearing and stumbled; tripped; tumbled down to the soft earth. I was still clutching my prize and my weapon.
I flipped over in time to see the first few of them emerging from the tree line behind me.
