The Unforgiving Chill
"Well, that helped a bit" I muttered while moving on. I pushed forward and took out several more enemies, each one possessing far less gear than the last. It was clear that they had simply fled into the woods rather than going after decent gear.
[Level Up! You are now level 4. Four skill points are available.]
I threw that immediately into constitution, hoping I wouldn't die anytime in the near future.
[Constitution now level 20. Total Health: 14/20]
Soon I found myself surrounded by fir trees with no one around to contest me. I knew I had a moment to rest, but still pushed further into the woods until even the echoes of battle could no longer be heard. I threw myself to the ground against a tree, breathing heavily and trying to recover my strength. I looked around and no one presented themselves to me, nor did their footfalls reach my ears.
I gathered some sticks and piled them in a small pit I dug out. The wood was green, but I discovered that heat was going to be vital to my survival. The cold sapped two health points from me as I shivered in the snow.
[Total Health: 12/20]
After a short search, I found some loose flint and struck a fire. This would attract others if they still survived, but I couldn't handle further HP loss due to environmental damage. The fire roared before me and I breathed in my first scent of security. Daggers at my side I glanced around the area, finding several small animals hopping about. My mouth watered at the sight of the arctic bunnies frolicking. With a quick flick of my wrist, I sent my legendary dagger into the body of the rabbit and went to retrieve it. Without previous experience, I somehow managed to skin and prepare the rabbit, skewering a stick in its flesh and setting it over the fire.
The meat roasted with an intoxicating aroma as I turned it over the flame. The flesh charred and before it was ready, I pulled it from the fire, biting into the meat, fat dripping down my mouth. It wasn't done, and I took a point of damage because of it, but the meal itself healed 5 and filled my stomach in a way I hadn't been accustomed to.
[Total Health: 17/20]
It was only then that I realized I had left my previous life behind, my life of struggling and hunger, my life of sadness and loneliness. It hurt for a moment, but it was clear that my life here, no matter how painful, was leagues above what I had faced in the real world. If anything, this was a blessing.
52 players remaining from your spawn location. 3,241 players remain in total. 2,759 players have perished in the initial skirmish. Please remember that your goal is to become the final 10 players, and every individual that perishes brings you that much closer to your goal. Best of luck challengers. The real game begins now!
The voice echoed across the world, that voice never ceasing to stun me. So many had dropped in this first battle and I wondered if they would be able to respawn, or if this was a tournament-style battle. I was pleased with my loot, not sure what others had gained, but knowing that I was in a strong early position and little would stand in my way. I recalled the archer woman, who pegged me with a bolt early on, and if I hadn't restored even a little health, I would be among the fallen. Slowly I drifted off to sleep against a nearby tree, the fire bellowing and basking me in warmth. I tossed a log or two onto the pile and passed out before the flame.
When I awoke, it was well into the night. I don't think I would have risen too quickly if it weren't for the blade pressed against my neck.
"Give me everything you have, I don't want to kill you, I don't need that on my conscience", the voice was shaky but firm as the blade drew a bead of blood against my neck, dropping my HP by one. Thankfully, my rest had recovered the remainder of what I needed for full HP.
[Total Health: 19/20]
I placed my hands in the air, "Woah, hold on, we can work this out" I said, maintaining my submission to the unknown foe.
"Just give me your items and we can move on" the female voice demanded, my hands desperate to reach to my side and draw my weapons.
"Of course, you can have it all, just please, lower your weapon" I pleaded, "Take what you want, you can remove my items as you wish, just let me go" I stated, arms still held high.
The other player's grasp of their weapon loosened as they rummaged their hand down to my waist, trying to unfasten my weapons.
"That's it, just unbuckle my belt and you can take my legendary daggers", I negotiated with the foreigner.
"The grasp on their weapon slipped and with it I activated the ability of my cloak (Grants the wearer the ability to become invisible for 10 seconds. Description: A cloak woven from ethereal threads, it whispers secrets of the night.), dousing me in an illusion of invisibility. I disappeared from their gaze and tilted my head to the side, avoiding their blade while grasping their hand in mine.
"Not so fast!", I shouted, darting to my weapon and twisting around, holding the blade to their throat in retaliation.
"The fuck is wrong with you" I swiveled to the side further, taking a place behind the young woman and pressing my blade against her neck.
"You would really try to kill me while I slept?", I barked out, sliding the blade and dealing a whopping 50 damage to the target. This was far more than I had intended to inflict, this weapon was too powerful for its own good. I healed the damage they did to me, thanks to the vampirism effect, but kept it pressed against their neck.
"Please, I only wanted to help my sister" she pleaded, waving behind her before drawing her hand close to her chest, not wanting to startle me as her life rapidly dripped from her body.
I gazed out toward the direction she gestured, a small child was revealed hiding behind a tree. It cowered and wept as I held the older sister hostage. I pulled my dagger down to my side and shoved her away from me, not bothering to disarm the woman.
Incredible, their emotions were so realistic, I almost believed that this was a young woman and her sister, but they had tried to kill me, and I did a lot worse to those who did a lot less to me in my history of gaming. I pinned the woman to the ground and drove my dagger into her chest, ending her quickly before throwing my other dagger into the chest of the child hiding near the tree. She fell just as quickly and my body was filled with power.
Gentle Sparrow has been killed by "..."
Little Sparrow has been killed by "..."
"That… That was me wasn't it?", I questioned aloud, contemplating what I had just done. "Were they actual players, did I defeat a woman and her kid sister? What were they even doing here?" I was still unsure as to what happened but the chill of the wind swirling around spurred me to move on.
I wandered for some time, the flurry of snow that began to rain down upon me blinded me from what lay before. I trudged forward, trying to find a cave, a village, some sort of safe haven that would provide me respite from the raging weather that stirred around me. The cold nipped at my cheeks and I found myself feeling each frosty kiss that adorned my face.
I braved the storm, or should I say, I foolheartedly pressed forward, knowing, expecting something to alleviate the chill that ripped deep into my flesh, that tore to my very bones. Each pump of my legs drew me closer to my objective, that much I knew. I stomped through the thickening frost that formed around my feet until I noticed a strange void in the distance. Moving closer it was clear that this was a cave, or at least a simple shelter that would keep the wind at bay, and that was all I could ask for. I picked up my pace, forgetting about the two players I had met not long ago, the two that would kill me for a bite to eat, and I grew jealous of them.
I grew jealous that their survival hinged merely on a warm scrap of food and a little heat, while I struggled to keep moving. Food was the furthest thing from my mind as I collapsed into the cave mouth, laying sprawling on the floor, greedily devouring the still air around me as my cheeks flushed pink, blood finally returning to them after what felt like hours of torment. I collapsed onto the floor and though it was cold and wet, I welcomed its embrace, like a long-forgotten friend.
My eyes weighed heavy and I knew if sleep took me, so would death. I propped myself up on the cave wall and took stock of my surroundings for the first time since escaping the windchill. It appeared that this was an unoccupied cave, and for that, I was thankful, for I didn't think I could take on any previous owners should the need arise. I found a dip in the floor, a slight concave in the rock that beckoned me to build a fire.
I stared dejected at the cave mouth and knew if I returned to the blizzard outside I would not survive, wondering how I could possibly create a fire like the previous one that had taken the edge off of the vicious chill outside. Checking my inventory I found a few items of interest.
My only hope would be to harvest anything within the cave, but my prospects were limited. I harvested some shriveled moss from the previous season, what I assumed was bear scat, a sign that maybe this wasn't the safest place to rest in, but my options were few and far between.
As I shuffled around the damp and dark cave I found little of value. Returning to my inventory I browsed through the items I had plundered and made my way down to my starting gear. Upon inspection, a voice announced.
Kindling and Tinderbox.
These items will allow you to start a fire in most locations provided that you have a suitable fuel source that allows you to start said fire.