Running To Death From A Zebra
Parameters are as much a gift as a curse. While they grant the user power, it changes them. For those who only managed to survive a few years under the system, those changes were negligible. After a decade, a user gets comfortable with their power and linear increase in strength. I've heard some compare us to dragons, but I dislike that analogy. Time, our environment, and the system eventually wear away our inhibitions until we are who we were always meant to be. In my opinion, humans under the system are more like drunks. Our stats are the drink, the world is our bar, and time is measured between drinks. Some sip while others guzzle their drink down. The more we drink, the more ourselves we free we feel. But, like any drink, there are dangers to it. Perception can make every second feel like an eternity. Strength could shatter a building with a touch and turn a man into a natural disaster, and intelligence turns men into robots. That's what I sincerely believed.
Either there were no tent setting skills, or Kale's magic tent was considered cheating. So for the last few nights, I dug a fox hole at night and maintained my vigil with my AR15 in hand. Unfortunately, digging didn't become a skill either, much to my disappointment.
My most pressing concern was my food supplies. Spaghetti might last another day, and that was it. If I was going to survive, I needed to hunt.
That freaked me the hell out. I haven't hunted since I was 15, and I wasn't sure if my AR15 could bring down the silver deer I see at night. Every time I see them, I swear they're laughing at me. Their strange silvery bodies bend and change when I look at them. I couldn't imagine what eating one would be like.
Food wasn't the only thing in short supply.
I only managed two hours of sleep the night before. A wild zebra that happened upon the camp. It woke me up the night before screaming at the top of its lungs. It only gave up when dawn broke. That convinced me more than anything else that Kale's magical tent was soundproof.
Needing to wake up, I pulled a cold brew coffee from my inventory and downed it. Then, with a bit of energy in me, I took my phone out of my inventory. The second it was free, it started updating.
Ding!
Integrating Interface SmartPhone…
Integration complete
I groaned and knew in my heart that all my precious hentai would be deleted somehow. This game had already taken fleshlight chan what would it do to my phone?
After opening my device, I saw a few new apps. My stats interface, a store which was entirely useless for now, and a scanning function. None of them were my main concerns. Instead, my eyes zoomed in on my messages. My brother had left me several texts. That was incredible.
"Hey man, if your out there, answer your phone. I've been trying to call you forever. If you get this, then text me!" Blue Star messaged.
Somehow there was a signal and a full charge. This was the greatest gift the game could have given me. After that, I wasn't alone anymore.
"I'm alright; what's your situation?" I needed to give him a clue about my location. So I took a picture of myself, the plains, and distant mountains and sent them.
"What happened to you? Never mind, I think you're on another continent. There aren't any deserts where I am. So how did you end up a slave?" Blue Star messaged.
"Remember when you used to call me the worst brother ever?" I messaged.
As fond as my brother and I were of each other now, we had a rocky relationship growing up. He'd annoy me, I'd hit him, and mom would let it slide because she understood. I was a horrible little shit, and I'm glad I grew out of it.
"You traded the original Charizard I gave you for a fucking vaporeon. That was worth 150,000 dollars before this. Do you know what we could have done with that kind of money?" Blue Star messaged.
I sighed but couldn't really argue that one. Even if it was more stolen and replaced than traded. Honestly, I was gullible as a kid.
"Let's get back on track. I'm stuck in the desert enslaved to a centaur with a shock collar wrapped around my neck. Even thinking about getting it off primes it to shock me." I messaged.
"Let me do some research. Unlike you, my other was a wizard's apprentice. Master Xanthos will know how to get one off. Slavery is outlawed here. Instead, we call them serfs, and we use debtor's prison instead of collars." Blue Star messaged.
Kale opened the flap of her tent, and I inventoried my phone. Knowing I wasn't alone helped me a great deal. She left to take care of her business in eyeshot while I packed the tent.
"Make sure to keep your eyes on the grass. Lions love to wait until we centaur are squeezing one out to pounce." Kale stared me in the eye as she crapped in view. It was culture shock times a thousand.
"How did you sleep?" I asked.
"Like the dead." She pursed her lips. "Those tracks aren't mine. Did some unruly stallion come to hear and piss near my tent?" Kale turned up her nose and stamped her hoof. Electricity shot up her leg and shot across her body as her coat stood on end.
"Why did you let him do as he pleased?" Kale asked.
My collar's vibration was my only warning before it zapped me. I screamed even as some of the electricity energized me. Even as my world tinged yellow, I wondered how zebra might taste. If Kale really wanted him gone, then who was I to disagree.
Ding!
Shock Resistance lvl6
Pain Resistance lvl6
Once the pain subsided, I felt my lame fingers twitch. My eyes widened, and for a second, the pain didn't matter. I pushed through the pain and tried again. With all the concentration I could muster, I made my dead thumb twitch. Somehow, my arm was recovering.
"If you ever see that zebra again, chase him off or kill him. So many centaur maidens lose their virginities to those brazen beasts every year; it's insane. I won't join their number." Kale said.
I sighed and knew what was coming next.
Ding!
5th Quest
Slay Or Run Off the Persistent Zebra
Reward: +1RP with Kale, +1 Bronze skill die
Failure: -5RP with Kale, An angry pregnant Kale
"System, what's a bronze skill die?" I asked.
Ding!
System processing your inquiry…
Answer: A bronze skill die is a savable skill die that can be consumed by rolling or saved to roll with other skill die of the same rank. This item can be acquired by completing quests, defeating achievement-worthy monsters, or purchasing them in the shop. Skill die can also be sold for in-game currency.
"Alright, I'll take care of it. If the zebra shows up or tries to stalk you at your tent, I'll scare it off or kill it." I said.
She stared at me before turning away. "It's your job to protect your mistress's virtue. Especially if you want to take it yourself." Kale giggled and raised her pinky before sliding it through her looped fingers. "Humans are bizarre."
"For your information, it was a sexual emergency." I turned my head to see the zebra far in the distance. For him, it must seem like one too. But, fortunately, he stopped to sniff her pee and bare his teeth.
"We're going to move fast today; if you slow down, you'll die," Kale said before breaking into a gallop.
I ran after her with everything I had.
Ding!
New Skill
Sprint lvl1
Type: AGL
Rank: D
Description – A skill designed to improve running capabilities.
ATL – Use Sprint
Abilities
1. Beginners Accelerate – An active ability that drains energy in exchange for greater speed. +30% movement speed while active.
The second the skill activated, I began to catch up. For a few minutes, Kale and I were neck and neck until my energy ran dry. Then, I quickly went from sprinting fast enough to feel the wind in my sand-filled hair to stumbling like an old man. That's when the shock collar activated.
I screamed and hobbled forward. Moments after the shock hit, my energy returned. Sprint activated, and I shot forward.
My energy ran out after just returning to the red-tinted zone. The shock recharged my energy enough to keep moving but not enough to catch up.
Ding!
Shock Resistance lvl8
Con +1
CON 5
Pain Resistance lvl7
Sprint lvl3
AGL +1
AGL 11
There weren't any bars to determine how much energy I used when sprinting. But with every level in sprint, it felt like I used less energy. But, of course, it could be my imagination, and I didn't want to short out my phone to time myself.
I fell further and further behind, only able to find her through the changes in visual tint. Finally, when my vision edged into the green, I knew to run for the yellow. I could practically feel the chain binding me to her.
Ding!
Shock Resistance lvl10
Rank: D
Type: CON
Description: The user's very body becomes resistant to harmful electrical attacks.
ATL (Acts to Level): Withstand electrical attacks to increase this skill's level.
Abilities
1. Redirect: Transfer 10% of shock damage away from vital organs.
2. Static Absorption – 5% of shock damage is converted into endurance.
3. Battery – Redirected shock damage is stored in the Dantian and converted into qi.
Ding!
Pain Resistance lvl10
Rank: D
Type: PER
Description: A skill defined by the user's ability to accept pain.
ATL (Acts to Level): Withstand great amounts of pain, formulate thoughts, complete complex action, or completely ignore the pain.
Abilities
1. Prism Status – Pain comes in many varieties, and now your vision will be tented while in pain. The longer you feel pain and the more severe the further down the rainbow, the user's vision will change from red to violet.
2. Malevolence – Pain causes negative thoughts to take root and slowly turns the user into an edgier person. -20% Pain when focusing on dark thoughts.
3. Prism Trail – The source of your pain can be tracked by the shifting color tint.
Ding!
Shock Resistance has reached lvl10
CON +2
CON 7
In an instant, my body screamed at me as everything went rigid. My skin, my muscles, and even my bones itched uncontrollably. Then my foot hit a root, and I tumbled out of my full sprint. When my knee slammed hard on a rock, I thought for sure it was broken when I heard a loud crack. My eyes widened when I realized it was the rock that broke.
Ding!
Pain Resistance has reached lvl10
PER +2
PER 10
The sound of the wind became a terrible roar, sand punched against my skin like shotgun blasts, and the world turned white in its brightness. For a moment, I thought I'd go insane before the shock hit my more sensitive nerves. Then, terrible unending pain slammed into my senses, forcing me to my feet. After multiple days of only brief shocks feeling, this constant stream was torture.
It wasn't enough to kill me; my constitution and shock resistance made sure of that. Whatever my parameters and skills were doing to me, it was working. I felt less and less bothered by the pain of being electrocuted every day.
My eyes adjusted, and I could see the source of the shock clearly. It wasn't the collar; it was the leash attached to it. I could also see where it extended to by its dark green hue.
With a slap to my cheeks, I broke into another sprint. Finally, after the constant shocks, my energy was fully recovered. I ran with all my might until, and eventually, I found Kale's hoof prints.
Ding!
Sprint lvl5
Type: AGL
Rank: D
Description – A skill designed to improve running capabilities.
ATL – Use Sprint
Abilities
1. Beginners Accelerate – An active ability that drains energy in exchange for greater speed. +30% movement speed while active.
2. Qi Cooling System – Qi circulates through the body to ease oxygen transport and resist heat stroke. -20% energy usage.
Ding!
Sprint has reached lvl5
AGL+1
AGL11
For the first time after that, I felt my own qi. It flowed like cool water through my body against the heat of the desert sun. After that, my energy levels took much longer to deplete, even as I drained some of my last bottled water. When I ran out, I didn't know what I would drink.
My body had become quite durable to the point where constant sunlight was merely uncomfortable. Hot desert winds and constant sandblasts had pelted me for three days, but I'd only gotten tougher. When I ran, it was barefoot across thorns, sharp rocks, and animal bones. My feet had never been tougher.
Ding!
Sprint lvl7
In mid-day, my feet beat against the ground as electricity blasted my neck raw. Thorns poked at my feet but found no purchase, sharp rocks split when I stepped on them, and animal bones exploded when met with my foot. Then, force body began to do its job, increasing my strength and speed even more.
Ding!
Force lvl2
MAG +1
MAG 3
With my every breath, I felt it. Glowing blue lines covered my sternum like veins of silver in rock. My body had become a heavy breathing machine. I struggled to gasp for breath and moved forward in an attempt to catch up with my slave master before the collar killed me.
If I knew where the zebra was, I'd shoot it now and inventory it. Unfortunately, this mad sprint was killing me. Even my constitution had its limits. Yes, it was great for my skills, but that wasn't everything. Who cared if my skill was over 10 if I died in the process? I wasn't a skill-leveling maniac, especially not for skills like pain resistance. I could just as quickly level marksman by shooting cans.
After hours of running flat out, I smelled water. Finally, I crossed a bluff and found Kale filling up a massive cow skin canteen. My vision shifted from orange to red, and finally back to the colors of reality.
Ding!
Title Earned: Traveler
Traveler
Bonuses: +25% Movement Speed, CON, AGL, and PER Parameters raise 50% faster
I equipped the damn title and felt quite a bit lighter. Then, just when I began to relax, I heard the familiar scream of the zebra. My eyes found the beast in an instant.
With little conscious thought, I turned on sprint, activated Force Body and Hatchling's Flame. To a normal human, I might have vanished. In one moment, I was standing in a daze exhausted; the next, I'd crossed the distance of nearly forty yards.
Punching a horse is a stupid idea. Equine heads are nothing but bone, and they're damn durable. So a single blow shouldn't do anything more than piss one-off.
I swung my fist and caught the zebra in the eye. My sucker punch created an echo, and the force ripped the horny-striped donkey off its feet. The eye melted, and its legs kicked empty air. Lightning suddenly burst around the monster while I pummeled it. My fist cracked and split even as my punches left behind third-degree burns all over its face.
A lucky kick knocked me off the bastard.
The zebra rolled to its feet, blind in one eye, and ran.
Ding!
5th Quest Completed
Slay Or Run Off the Persistent Zebra
Rewarded: +1RP with Kale, +1 Bronze skill die
Kale 11/100 She sees that you have some endearing qualities for a one-armed slave.
The bronze die appeared in my inventory.
I heard Kale approach, lower herself, and dump a hand full of cool water on my face. My eyes shot open, and I spluttered.
"We still have half a day to travel. So don't get too comfortable. Drink your fill, and if you have any storage magic, collect some water for later. There aren't many streams on our journey." Kale turned to walk away, then turned her head. "Red, you served me well today," Kale said.
I blinked and couldn't find it in me to give a shit. Even understanding Kale's reasoning for letting me endure the shock didn't help. So, what if the zebra could use lightning magic. It was weaker than the shock collar. Kale could have beaten that thing.
"Why didn't you just chase it off yourself?" I asked.
"Biology isn't kind to us. As much as I want to, resisting suiters becomes more difficult every day." Kale admitted.
I sucked in a breath and let it out.
"Then next time, don't run; I will reject them for you," I said. Kale's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile.
Ding!
+2RP with Kale
Kale 13/100 She sees you as slightly better than a one armed slaves.
"I'll hold you to that, Red," Kale said.