Chapter 11: Adventure begins

Alex stared into the empty cliff side, the cool night air wiping against his contorted skin.

The silence pressed down upon him, growing his impatiens and diminishing his enthusiasm.

"Probably just logged off" Alex muttered to himself in a dismissive tone before letting out a deep sigh, "Well, the world doesn't revolve around me"

He stared at the sky for a minute, watching the stars in their laboured cosmic dance.

"Shitty light-bulbs" He spat, moving towards a large rock, sitting idly upon the overhang.

Alex sat down on it to pass the time, he was currently in sleep mode, so logging out would cut his rest short.

He played with his dagger, spinning it from hand to hand, till he accidentally cut his hand and dropped it into the wet grass. The next ten minutes where spent fumbling on his hands and knees, looking for the reward of his labour.

He mimicked shooting imaginary monsters with his crossbow and saving helpless damsels in distress, till he slipped and fell off the rock.

He pulled some rations out of his inventory and munched on them, pulling the bottom of his skull down to reveal his deformed maw so he could stuff the dried meats in, disappointment in his eyes at the overly salty taste and rough texture.

The food tasted terrible, one of the many things he had yet to get used to, like the oversized skull, jammed onto his head, it was so much harder to exit doors, not only due to his over 8 foot stature but also the inconvenient horns.

Pondering this passed the time well as he though of more ways to kill time.

He gazed out over the forest using his spyglass, disappointed that naught could be seen out of it.

He re-positioned his eye patch and began to talk like a pirate captain.

"Avast maties" he boomed in a terrible pirate voice, "hoist the second sail ye scallywags"

"Aye, aye cap'n" A sarcastic monotone came from Alex's shoulder.

Alex almost jumped out his skin and fell of the rock in a crumpled heap. He picked himself up quickly and brushed himself off.

"All intentional" He said with faux confidence.

The floating snake gave a chuckle of bemusement, "Sure, I'm sure you where aware of me watching you from the start, I must say though, where those knife skills an act, 'cause that is some of the worst knife play I've ever seen"

"Shut it, that's the only knife play you've seen" Alex retorted.

"True" Stephen drawled, "but false"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you had some amazing life in which you have seen the wonders of this world and mine and have conveniently forgotten all details of which that can't be used to insult me in some way, or prove how much better you are than me"

"Wow" Stephen said, accompanied with a slow sarcastic clap, an odd act that involved Stephen slapping his stomach with his tail, "something got through that chunk of bedrock you call a brain, I am impressed, truly"

"Oh shut it" Alex said in a disgruntled tone, turning away from Stephen and returning to his rocky seat.

"So I take it the is conversations over?"

"Yeah" Alex said, in a flat tone, "not really in the mood for a chat"

"Are you alright" Stephen said, without a hint of concern in his voice, "you need to be in top form for when Nicolas gets back"

"Do you think he's left us?" Alex asked after a long pause.

"Him, no, to smart, there is no merit to entering the forest without you, after all, you are the one giving him his weapons, leaving before he gets those would be idiotic"

"Well sometimes humans aren't smart or logical"

"All I have to do is look at you to see that"

Alex just sighed and said nothing.

"Well if you're going to be like that, I'll leave"

Stephen vanished into thin air, leaving Alex on his own to think.

He had always played games alone, that was just how he was, he found it hard to play with others, they didn't do what you told them, they would always go with the stupidest options simply for fun.

He had always just gone alone, he did what he found fun on his own terms, but now, now the novelty had worn off.

He didn't have many friends in general, and those he did have didn't play many MMORPGs, so he had just continued with what he was doing.

It's not like he didn't enjoy it, far from it, it just wasn't what it used to be, he was excited to try it again after so many years.

He dragged his gaze away from the forest to stare blankly at the stars.

"Guess I'm just being impatient"

With that, he pulled on his boots and gauntlets. Being familiar with his tools would be crucial for getting out of the forest alive.

-------

It was about five hours of in-game time till Nicolas logged back on.

"Nicolas" Alex exclaimed with gusto, "How are you my good man, you've been silent for a while, I was even starting to worry about you, 'twas heart breaking to hear nothing from you all this time"

"Well" Nicolas said, looking down at Alex, bemused "Unlike one of us here, I have a functioning social circle and a life outside of this simulation"

"My feelings" Alex said with mock hurt, "truly your words cut deeper than the sharpest of blades"

"So, are you going to explain why you are in a crater, buried up to your mid-section?"

"An amusing story, for another time, for now, I require assistance"

After a good hour of work, Nicolas finally managed to excavate Alex out of the dirt.

"So" Nicolas began, panting heavily from the work he had done, "I take it this means you finished?"

"Yep, all done, ready to gear up?"

"Ready as I will ever be"

With a flourish, Alex produced two armour sets.

"Would you like the purple, or purple? I do recommend the purple sir, will fit you nicely"

"My dear sir, I think the purple would be best"

"An excellent choice sir, the purple will fit you nicely"

"Heh" Nicolas gave a small chuckle, before becoming deadpan, "but seriously, what is the difference"

"Well, all jokes a side, I would recommend the right armour, better for sniping, gives you an option to escape if you have to"

"Well sure, I will trust your judgement"

"And" Alex continued, as excited as a kid on Christmas, "I have a few more for you"

With that Alex pulled out the 'Void Cradle', the 'Void Shot' and the 'Void Sniper'.

"Well, what do you think" He exclaimed, eyes brimming with anticipation.

"They will do, you did a good job on them"

"Thanks"

"That all, or do is there another crisis I should be aware of?"

"Glad you asked, turns out we share maps, so I was able to plot a course in which we should encounter nothing over level 30"

"Speaking of levels, I should probably distribute my stats from enhancment"

"Good, I will make sure I have no extra points to use"

A silence passed between the two off them, as they both checked their gear, stats and mentally prepared themselves.

(from now on, I will only give the changed information of the stats and I won't be doing a before and after)

[Player Level: 8 (21950/25600)

Str: 25

Dex: 25

Con: 27

Int: 27

Wis: 27

Cha: 25

Hp: 540

Mp: 540

Skill paths: Basic beast forging (Novice) 20/100, Basic spatial magic (Novice) 5/100, Minor blessing of nature 5/100, Wendigo's skull 2/100, Wendigo's tribal tattoos 1/100, Minor divinity of crafting 10/100, The crafter's dimensional key ring 1/100, Ego master (Novice) 1/100, Pathetic divine sight 1/100, Basic divine magic (Novice) 5/100

Effects gained:

Minor blessing of nature:

1: Int, Wis and Con +1

2: Your connection to nature deepens

3: Your understanding of nature deepens

4: Natures mana flows more easily through you

5: Unlocks the skill "Nature speak"

Wendigo's skull:

1: Con and Str +1

2: Your skull hardens

Wendigo's tribal tattoos:

1: Con and Dex +1

The crafter's dimensional key ring:

1: Int, Wis and Cha +1

Ego master (Novice):

1: All stats +1

Pathetic divine sight:

1: Int, Wis and Cha +1]

[Skill name: Nature speak (Passive)

Effect: When a plant based organism is speaking, you gain a basic understanding of what they want to say

A simple skill that has seen much use throughout history, due to most plant based species beings using vibrations to communicate, this skill was essential in form bridges between races that otherwise would be unable to communicate

"I swear to you, we shall forge a path together" Geralt the council head of the ent coalition at the forming of the pax flora]

What Nicolas was feeling, Alex could not tell, but he was feeling something he had not felt in years.

Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the wet of the grass beneath his boots, maybe it was the subtle chirp of the birds, but for the first time in a while, he felt nervous about a game.

Memories of the first time he played a full dive game flashed in his head, the itch of cold sweat upon his brow, the discomfort of feeling as though something was caught in his throat, the erratic shaking of his hands threatening to make him drop the dagger he held, the rush of blood as it flowed through his veins with heightened pace, and the joy so great that a wide grin clung to his face and gave him the urge to cry to the heavens.

"Hey" he said, cajoling Nicolas "Lets go, no point waiting"

"Sure" Nicolas said, his tone slightly shaky, "into the lions maw, as they say"

"Do people say that?"

"Probably" Nicolas replied, moving to the edge.

With a little hop, he plummeted off the edge.

Alex felt his blood freeze, rushing to the edge, he began to muster the mental strength to look over the edge and see the splattered remains of his would-be companion.

"Are you coming or what?"

Nicolas had not, in fact, become a stain on the ground, instead he had landed safely landed on a platform about two meters down.

"Jesus Christ" Alex exclaimed, letting out a relived sigh, "I though you died"

"What" Nicolas said, quizzically, before letting out a chuckle, "do not tell me you never bothered to look down"

"Well" Alex said, feeling his cheeks flushing under his skull, "I've been busy"

"Fair, well as you can see, there are these weird platforms, we can use them to make our way down"

"Weirdly convenient"

"Well, my guess, there is probably a secret at the top of the mountains, and this is probably one path up"

"Well, we can just add that to the to-do list"

"After we make it out alive"

"Yeah"

Alex nodded, and began to walk toward the edge.

"Just close your eyes" he muttered to himself, while stepping off, eyes closed tight, "It'll be fine"

Wind wiped his face as he began his descent, he barely registered Nicolas's panicked yell, only the sharp pain of his arm being tugged brought him back to reality, yet he kept his eyes firmly shut.

"The. Hell. are. you. doing" Nicolas yelled through laboured breath, "you. Have. A. Death-wish?"

Only once Nicolas had safely pulled Alex onto the ledge did he open his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?"

Nicolas huffed for a little while, before adopting a friendlier voice.

"Listen, if you can not deal with the height, I can just carry you on my back, you can just keep your eyes closed"

"Thanks" Alex said, "I'm sorry about this"

"No problem"

What followed next would seem rather comical to an onlooker, an eight foot behemoth of a creature clinging desperately to the back of an average sized cloaked figure as the shakily made their way from platform to platform.

What should have been a short half an hour descent, became a five hour slog.

"Dear god" Nicolas gasped, "Never, make me do that again"

Alex said nothing, but just got up and brushed himself off.

"Let us never speak of this again" Alex said, voice devoid of emotion.

"Agreed" Nicolas gasped.

"I'm not letting this go till the day you die" Stephen chimed in.

Alex looked up as Blanc flapped down in a casual manner, glad he would never have to do something like that.

The moment Alex had stepped onto the forest floor, a notification popped up.

[You have entered an area that contains hostile entities, a fight may occur

Please choose the fight settings you would like:

Child friendly: All blood is removed, any detailed injury inflicted will be covered and pain sensors will be dampened (Recommended for those under the age of 16)

Casual: Blood and detailed injury is displayed but pain sensors will be dampened (recommended for those wanting a casual experience)

True: All blood and injury will be shown and pain sensors will not be dampened (recommended for players that want to experience the game in its intended way, +16 only]

Alex immediately picked the true option, no need to think.

"Well" Alex said, moving toward the forest, "lets get going"

The rag-tag group crept quietly through the undergrowth, ducking from tree to tree and bush to bush.

They moved stealthily, every snapped twig or crumpled leaf causing sharp intakes of breath.

It was not long till they found their hunters, a pack of four blood red wolves, each a metre tall, frothing drool dripped from their serrated fangs, their black eyes roamed over the seemingly empty forest.

The thing which confused Alex the most about the wolves was their coloration, why red? It stood out way to much, which meant they couldn't use ambush tactics, but then again there could be skills to supplement this, but the game was said to use an advanced software that simulated evolution on the monsters in certain conditions, so if they where ambush predators, the ones with less noticeable coloration would thrive.

What really broke down this theory was the fact that they were walking in the open forest for all to see, unless they weren't showing their full pack and using scare tactics to lure them to the open maw of their comrades.

However this didn't seem right to Alex, when he saw that player die, there were at most, five wolves.

The image of the dead player entered his brain, along with how he had died, he had not been killed by the wolves, no, it was a strange tentacle that had shot from the ground, and these wolves didn't have any features that indicated that the tentacle came from them.

A symbiotic relationship maybe? But with what?

Alex's brain was running at a breakneck speed, if you listened closely, you could hear the cogs turning.

A sudden nudge from Nicolas roused him from his pondering. He looked at Nicolas expectantly, to which Nicolas responded by pointing a the wolves.

Despite their best attempts to cover it up, it was clear the wolves were beginning to encircle the group, currently they had formed quite a wide semi-circle around the group, which meant they still had time to escape.

But how did they know where the group was? Enhanced sense? Some kind of sixth sense for prey?

As Alex sunk deeper into his thoughts, he heard a faint whisper.

"Realized...Late...Obvious...Now...Attack"

The whispers were like a pair of glasses, clearing his vision and showing him the answer, but he had no time to share his findings. He grabbed Nicolas's head and shoved it down while ducking down himself.

He was only a second away from being too late, clumps of dirt smacked against his face as an explosion of dirt and leaves snapped into being only half a metre away from his position. A sickening crunch was heard as Alex looked up to see two wooden tendrils cross just where his and Nicolas's neck had been only seconds ago, however, Alex did not come away from unscathed, no, he had been only just a little to late, and the tree roots, as he now understood them to be, had claimed his antlers.

Despite the antlers being unwieldy and cumbersome, Alex had grown attached to them over the week and a half in the game, so to see them unceremoniously amputated by a cowardly lump of inanimate pre-furniture, pissed him off to say the least.

"You fucking..." Alex spat out in rage, grabbing the root firmly and raising his dagger, "I'll turn you into fucking furniture, if its the last thing I do"

As Alex was about to thrust the dagger into the root, he was dragged away by Nicolas, who had already broken into a frantic sprint. Alex had just enough time to scoop up the remains of his antlers and shove them roughly into his inventory.

Though bubbling with rage, he did not protest to Nicolas's attempts to pull him away, despite his obviously inferior physical stats, he wasn't stupid enough to fight when the odds where so obviously stacked in his enemies favour.

When the roots had sprung from the ground to try and take of the pairs head, it was as if a match had been dropped into a powder keg, everything happened at once.

The wolves that had been sitting idly by now sprung into action, howling a sickening battle cry as they went, eyes gleaming with delight and tails kicking up a storm.

It was clear from the offset that Nicolas was not fast enough, while Alex couldn't hope to match their speed, he at least had stamina, meaning he could possibly outlast them, however Nicolas had neither speed nor stamina on his side.

With a split second decision, Alex grabbed Nicolas and blanc by the scruff's of their necks.

"Hold on tight" he yelled.

"Wh..." came Nicolas's bewildered response, but he was too late to ask questions.

A pinkish-purple energy began to swirl around Alex's boot, stray bolts flicking off and striking the ground around him, the air around him became twisted and warped.

[Spatial leap]

In the blink of an eye, Alex, Nicolas and blanc collapsed into a single point, twisting and contorting till they simply blinked out existence. At the same time, up a tree branch about thirty feet away, space erupted and spat out three flustered figures.

Alex frantically righted himself mid-air, ready to land on the outstretched branch, however the seemingly normal branch fell out from under him, moving closer to the tree trunk.

Alex heard a faint giggle as he tumbled through the open air.

He landed in a crumpled heap on the flaw next to a bewildered Nicolas and blanc, he had no time to right himself however, the wolves were closing in on his position every passing second.

"Hey" Alex desperately called toward Nicolas, "you have some experience with this game, do you have anything to heal"

Nicolas looked at Alex quizzically before nodding, "Made some while you were making your weapons"

"Good, I'll need some"

With that, Alex hoisted Nicolas up like a kitten and flung him unceremoniously over his shoulder.

"Hold on" Alex shouted, giving blanc the same rough treatment.

The knife held tightly in his hand began to pulse with an ominous, deep purple energy. It spread over Alex's entire body, turning his veins beep purple, making his eyes blood shot and causing him to give a short spasm of pain.

[Venomous doping]

God it hurt, but Alex didn't have the luxury to complain.

One of the closer wolves had almost reached Alex, it flew through the air, jaws open wide, ready to bite down on its prey. But all it bit was thin air and kicked up dirt.

Alex raced through the forest at breakneck speed, though every step was agony, he continued to run full pelt, within nineteen seconds he had ran out of steam and collapsed to the forest floor.

"Healing" He gasped, "Now"

Nicolas responded in turn by fishing through his inventory, producing a glass vial and forcing the vials content down Alex's throat.

A warm feeling rushed over Alex, engulfing him like a gentle hug or a warm duvet, his muscled relaxed as the pain receded from him.

Once he was fit to move, Alex instantly rose and began to dash at a pace he thought Nicolas would probably be able to keep up with.

"Hey" Nicolas called, "shouldn't we try to get back to stealth"

"No point" Alex shouted, pulling Nicolas back just in time as two roots shot up from the ground, mere inches in front of them, "we may as well be trying to hide from the forest itself"

"But not every tree is a monster" Nicolas pointed out, scrambling to avoid the roots as they arched in the air, ready for another strike, "We could still hide if we are careful"

"They're too good at camouflage" Alex responded, pulling Blanc away just before she was impaled, "it would be too easy to slip up and alert them again, and this time, they know we're aware of them, we won't have time to analyse the situation, stealth is useless at this point"

Nicolas argued no further, for now, he was preoccupied with not becoming a woodland style shish-kebab, but it was clear he still had much to say.

Those thoughts could be saved for later, once they were safe, for now, they just ran, hoping to find the exit to this crazed forest.