Noah jolted awake and found himself lying on the ground surrounded by trees towering into the sky. He remembered his time in the white room, the tutorial, and what the voice had said. I could be anywhere. He realized. He moved to stand and was horrified to see his hands once again firmly bound in handcuffs. No, no… this is not good.  Noah scrambled to his feet and took a look at the world around him. The ground was hard, brown dirt littered with twigs and leaves. The trees though… they had changed.


    He walked up to the tree and put his hand on its trunk. It felt like good old Earth bark, and for the most part, it looked like it too. It was the streaks of tiny purple veins running up the length of the tree that set it apart. He worked his fingers between the grooves in the bark and pulled in an attempt to see what lay beneath, but it didn’t budge. He tried again. Then again in a different spot. Nothing, he couldn’t so much as shift the outer layer of the bark. He went to try his hand once more when he heard the crunch of a twig into the hard earth.


    Noah froze. Perhaps it was the wind.


    Crunch! The sound was closer this time. Not wind.


    Noah turned, adrenaline pulsing through his body. He heard another sound, recognizable and terrifying, a thunderous roar so loud that Noah frantically tried to cover his ears. He was only mildly successful with his cuffs. It was then that the beast stepped into view, a bear so large that it looked down at Noah on all fours. Run or play dead? Noah thought, immediately dismissing the ‘act big’ option. The bear locked eyes with him and huffed–its breath rustling the leaves. Noah knew he had one chance to get the next move right or he would die. Simple as that. So when the bear charged him he waited until it was just a few scarce feet away and dove desperately to the right.


    A loud smack rang out and the tree Noah had been standing in front of groaned in protest. Noah scampered to his feet and ran to the nearest tree, hoping that he could repeat the maneuver. The monster of a bear back-peddled, shaking its head side to side as if it had been stunned. Noah smiled then, perhaps he wouldn’t die today. The bear turned, sniffing loudly, and fixed its gaze on him again. It charged and smashed head-first into the tree as Noah bolted to the side again. It whimpered briefly before huffing in frustration. The next time went less smoothly and as Noah dove to the left, the bear stopped just short of the tree and lifted its paw as its maw shifted in Noah’s direction. Noah’s fingernails dug into the dirt as he threw himself forward, just in time to feel a rush of wind across his back. Wasting no time, he sprung to his feet and dashed behind the nearest tree. He wouldn’t try the same tactic again.


    Instead, he ran, being careful to move between trees to eliminate any straight lines between him and the bear. Loud crashes could be heard behind him as the bear failed to navigate fully between the trees. Noah ran as fast as he could manage, staying just ahead of the massive beast. Its angry snorts were fine motivation to keep him moving and he was thanking the woman from his vision for the heads-up that led to his intense training. The Noah from six months ago could barely run a mile, much less outrun a bear. Just as he had that thought his foot caught a snag and flew forward, the handcuffs digging into his wrists and the breath thoroughly knocked out of him. Noah wheezed and clamored back to his feet, all too aware of the fast-approaching bear. He hobbled for a few steps before regaining a jog. The bear growled behind him and Noah turned to find a straight stretch between them. The bear was already charging when Noah threw himself out of its path. It was too late to completely clear the charging beast and its shoulder rammed into his legs, throwing him at an awkward angle. Noah got to his feet, clinging to the dregs of adrenaline that pushed the pain of the impact to the back of his mind.


    The bear lumbered towards him rising up on its hind legs. It towered over him, easily double his height. I’m sorry. Noah thought as he considered his family and those he would leave behind. As he accepted his fate staring into the eyes of his executioner, an odd thing occurred. A screech pierced the air as something akin to a golden eagle thrust its talons into the bear’s eyes. The bear howled and moaned in agony as the giant bird released its grip and rose to the skies again. Noah, relieved to be alive for the moment turned and ran with all his strength. As he ran the sounds of clashing titans filled his ears and he plowed forward on borrowed breath until he collapsed some distance away. Blood had hardened on his arms and the pain of the bear’s impact was now present in full force. He sat with his back against the tree and rolled up his leg to inspect his injuries. As he feared his left leg was a deep purple from mid-calf all the to the hip, to his relief there were no visible bones or bleeding so he considered himself fortunate. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Noah wasn’t sure what to do next. The survival basics all seemed to be out of reach. Fire, water, shelter, food. So far he had seen nothing but towering trees for shelter and their lowest branches were at least 15 feet into the air. He supposed he could try rubbing twigs together for fire but somehow doubted that it would be a viable option. Food–well there was bear apparently, but unless he had a fire and a means to attack said bear then it was useless. For now, he would catch his breath and think of a plan. He rested for some time, before standing to his feet, or trying at least. His leg buckled beneath him and he was quickly reunited with the ground. With his new plan decided for him, Noah got comfortable against the tree and hoped that he had made it far enough away from the animals to be spared.


    [5 XP gained]


    The voice startled Noah awake and he braced himself for an attack. Then he realized that it was the same System voice from the tutorial. 5 XP. What is that supposed to mean? He thought as he considered the message. He remembered the status that he had seen on the screen in the tutorial and wondered if there was a way to view it again. As if on queue, it appeared before his eyes as a translucent menu.


    Status


    Name: Noah Denter


    Race: Human


    Grade: F


    Caste: Dust


    Gate: 1


    Path: Novice


    Level: 0


    Strength: 12


    Dexterity:14


    Constitution: 11


    Intelligence:11


    Wisdom: 13


    Willpower: 14


    XP:5/10


    Essence: 0


    Stat points available: 0


    Noah looked it over again until he found the change. It now listed XP as 5/10 instead of the previous 0/10. Progress! Halfway after one fight! Noah was suddenly filled with elation as he imagined what would happen if he leveled up. Would he gain some new power? How would his stats change? It was as if a flip was switched on in his brain and he was now looking forward to his next fight. That’s probably not normal, right? He considered before dismissing the thought. Normal would have to be discovered in this new world and he was just getting started.


    After the excitement wore off Noah eventually drifted asleep. When he woke he was freezing and he winced at the pain and stiffness in his body. He wondered if leveling up would have some kind of healing effect. He kept that thought firmly in mind as he hoisted himself to his feet. There was only one way to find out. He limped at first, then hobbled and hopped. Noah sighed at his unfortunate predicament. He was lame, handcuffed, and defenseless surrounded by giant predators. He looked down at his handcuffs and was surprised to see rust formed along its edges. Was that there yesterday? I could have sworn they were bright and shiny. Puzzled at the development, he failed to notice a visitor enter his patch of the woods. It wasn’t until he heard the soft thump that he recognized something was amiss. His muscles became taut and he held his breath as he pivoted in place. What he saw brought tears to his eyes–there on the ground in front of him sat a large fluffy rabbit. He couldn’t help but laugh as he stared down at it. The rabbit smiled back with a mouth full of needle-like teeth.