Noah gasped in pain as the furry monstrosity latched onto his right forearm, its teeth easily piercing his skin. Lacking the ability to grab onto the creature, he did the first thing that came to mind–he jumped like a WWE star and squished it into the ground with his body. He felt the squishy body of the rabbit deflate beneath him as its mouth limply released his arm. He gritted his teeth through the pain and proceeded to stomp on the alien rabbit until he got a reassuring message.


    [1 XP Gained.]


    Noah’s first thought was that he was cheated somehow. 1 XP? Really? He then remembered that his forearm had become a pincushion. He looked around for something to stop the bleeding but came up short. Knowing that this kind of thing was time-sensitive he peeled off his shirt–only to have it get stuck at his wrists. These stupid handcuffs! In a fit of claustrophobia, he strained his arms against the steel. He was rewarded with more bleeding and a wave of anxiety. Noah breathe. In. Out. Pull yourself together. He recited this simple mantra in his mind and eventually sat with his back against the tree. I can do this. I prepared for this. I just need to think rationally. Noah took a deep breath and looked down at his arms with fresh eyes. He lifted his wrists to his mouth and bit down on the left sleeve. He pulled with his hands as he tried to rip the shirt. It didn’t budge. Blasted quality fabric. He tugged more vigorously as the panic threatened to set in again. I only need to tear one side. I can do this. In a new strategy, Noah lifted his good foot into the shirt and pushed out, a thread snapped, then another. With a hearty kick, he tore the shirt from collar to hem, leaving a stretch of fabric dangling from his arms. He grinned and set to work pulling the cloth tight around his arm, tying it tight with the liberal use of his teeth. While the needle-like teeth of the rabbit were effective at piercing his arm, they were thankfully not the worst injury to endure. They left a pattern of pin-prick holes that should heal much quicker than a wide gash, or so he hoped.


    Shirtless, beat-up, and bloody, Noah gathered himself and faced reality. Things needed to change quickly or he was dead. He ticked through his survival checklist: Shelter, fire, water, food. He still couldn’t picture an easy way to gain shelter but for now, the forest canopy would keep him dry and it was still warm enough during the day. Fire and water were the big ones, he had yet to see a water source and though he had studied fire-making methods he simply lacked the needed elements. He would need tinder, small sticks, and eventually larger pieces of wood. When he had tried he couldn’t even budge the bark on the tree, he could hardly imagine being able to break off its branches. The bear did though… He recalled from the day before.


    With a direction in mind, Noah got to his feet, wincing at the effort. On a hunch, he grabbed the rabbit carcass and made his way through the woods, following the conspicuous tracks of a half-dragged leg. It took some time but he eventually arrived at the site of his struggle the day before. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that the bear was picked clean, but it was close. The metallic scent of the blood painted a gruesome picture and Noah was quick to set about his task. Looking around the clearing, he noted the impact sites where the bear had rammed into the trees. Just as he had hoped the bark had splintered, revealing a battered inner layer of the trunk. Shreds of of it littered the ground beneath the crash site and Noah picked it up like candy from a pi?ata. His carrying capacity was limited, but he stuffed the pockets of his workout pants to overflowing and carried the larger bits in his hands. Now to get a spark. The most rudimentary method that he had much success with was flint and steel, and he thought that if he found a water source he may just get lucky and find flint there. Steel would be tricky though he thought as he set his wood in a pile. I’m losing it. He thought as he stared down at his noticeably more rusty handcuffs. Well, steel is covered. The rust struck him as odd, he had never observed metal rust at such a noticeable rate. He figured that if they fell apart it would be all the easier for him so he didn’t think any more of it. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Noah knew he was being optimistic but he couldn’t help but feel giddy as he looked at his assembled materials. One seemingly impossible task accomplished and the day was still young. Noah was also getting the itch to gain more experience; he almost hoped to stumble upon another killer rabbit. Part of him knew this was a concerning development in his psyche but he would take what small joys he could get in this bleak new world. Next was water. With that in mind, he used the dead rabbit to bundle the wood; it was a morbid choice but it got the job done. He carried as much as could manage between his cuffed hands and chose a direction he hadn’t ventured into yet. He had no bearings for the cardinal direction as he hadn’t seen the sun in days. Nonetheless, he chose and endeavored to walk in a straight line.


    He ambled along as quickly as he could for what felt like hours, surely no less than an hour, until he heard a glorious sweet sweet sound. He followed the rhythmic gurgling at a hurried pace until he saw it–flowing water. The trees parted to reveal a stream, maybe ten feet across. The streambed was rocky and it appeared to meander in a winding fashion through the forest. Noah set his supplies down and approached the water. It was clear like glass revealing minnows and other small waterbound creatures. If he wasn’t so thirsty he may have cried, it hadn’t been his most pressing concern with the various injuries but as he looked at the water he suddenly felt like a dry well.


    He briefly considered drinking from the crystal water but filed that notion away as a last resort. If rabbits and bears could mutate then he didn’t want to imagine what changes the parasites had experienced. Noah set about to find flint and began to comb the river bed for the dark rock. It was noticeably darker when he found his target. In his hand, he held a rectangular chunk of beautiful charcoal-colored rock. His pants were wet, and he was spent, but it didn''t keep him from moving forward. He needed a win. He made a nest from the soft wood shavings that the bear had so kindly prepared for him and gathered piles of twigs by size. Then came the awkward part. He couldn’t hold the flint and strike it against the handcuffs so he wedged it into the ground at an angle with the edge facing him. He placed his tinder bundle at the bottom of the flint edge and knelt down in front of it. Then he swung his wrists forward and struck the flint with the centerpiece of the handcuffs. No spark. He struck it again, and again. He got a spark! It didn’t take. Sweat was beading on his face when a wisp of smoke snaked between his fingers. With all the grace he could manage, he carefully lifted the tinder to his face and blew gently. The wood fibers caught and he set it back on the ground in haste as he grabbed the smallest twigs and began to feed the emerging flame. With the precision of a surgeon, he deftly stoked the fire. He watched as the larger twigs slowly caught fire and was amazed to see how long they burned. The little twigs were dense but even that seemed like a stretch to explain how they produced so much heat. As the flame steadied he relaxed, allowing himself to breathe deeply and savor the moment. He did it. If he could make fire in an alien world, he could do anything. As the wood crackled and popped another pleasant noise rang through Noah’s head.


    [10 XP gained.]


    “No way.” Noah whispered as a grin spread across his face. That’s more than enough! He tried to gauge if anything felt different in his body, surely something would have changed. He stretched and examined his body but didn’t notice any difference. Is it too subtle to recognize? He thought as the disappointment crept in. My Status! He remembered. As he did, the screen appeared before his eyes.


    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:11/10 [level up available]


    Essence: 0


    Stat points available: 0


    “Yes!” Noah cried in relief. I just have to press the button! No reason to be upset. He looked over his stats and committed the numbers to memory in case they changed. Then he mentally pressed the button.


    [Level 0 > level 1.]