"... are you certain this will-"

"Sshh"

"... I do not see how this can in any way-"

"Ssshhh!"

"... this feels like a dirty trick-"

"Ssshzhzhzshshzh!"

"... will we at least get to give chase once it is within range?"

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as we hide under the blanket of leaves. I speak in a low whispered voice, trying not to alert any potentially nearby prey. "Boy, for fucks sake. If this was a trophy hunt that'd be one thing, but this is a hunt for survival. Efficiency and trickery is key. You can't tell me your people don't have a few tricks up their sleeves dealing to make sure foods put on the table nice and easy when it's needed?"

"... doesn't mean I have to like it, I've never hunted these before…" He said with a pout. Or at least I think it was a pout. I dunno, the mouth's a little big to tell.

Actually, how the hell have I even been able to tell most of his facial expressions up to this-

"Psst, hey, that one good?" He mumbled, nudging me to get my attention.

I squint at our quarry, trying to get a decent view of its horns. I sigh again, this time in disappointment at the creature sniffing the bait.

"Six points. It's decent, but it could be better. {Entangle}!"

Twisting vines and long grass sprout and bend, wrapping themselves around our prey at rapid speed. The deer began to panic, and started flailing against it's restraints. I get out from under the leaves and make a motion to pull it down to the ground. At my beck and call, the vines and grasses pull the deer, forcing it into a prone position. All it can do is struggle and call out, but unfortunately we need the extra food and leather, and the bones will make for decent tools aside from my brush hook.

I kneel down next to the deer and sigh, bringing Todone's sharpened stick up to where the heart was. "I'm sorry you had to pass, may you trot on to greener pastures".

Slt

Blood spurts out from the hole in its chest as I make a heavy thrust with my weight. It struggles briefly with renewed vigor, but the life fades from it rapidly when I pull out. In mere seconds, it collapses into a final rest.

"Sleep, and bask in the warmth of the Summerland sun…" I muttered, closing its eyes as I couldn't help but remember my first hunt.

"You're oddly ritualistic about this…" I heard Todone say from behind me.

I scoffed at that, looking at him over shoulder. "I thought we established I'm not like most humans?"

He shrugged, a gesture I'm almost surprised he knew. "Merely an observation".

I shake my head. "Whatever, just lemme string this buck up and we can re-"

Bzzzzzzzz…

I lift my head to be greeted by the sight of a male Shearjaw coming into view, making the same clicking-rattle noise as the one calling for mates from before did.

"Oh for fuck's sake…"

I grimaced, staring at my sleeves still stained with ichor as I took a second to re-align the bone. This time there were fourteen of the damn things. I genuinely believe I may actually be doing this forest a favor at this point, fuck the circle of life and fuck those beetles. Man, I need a bath. On the plus side, now Todone can't say shit about us not having enough chitin to make him a helmet. Might even make some shin guards too.

We'd already reached a point where the deer was now bled, gutted, and skinned. I was in the process of sharpening one of the deer's rib bones to make a fur-scraping knife. If this armor's going to be used by an amphibian, then it needs to be prepared in a way that it'll be easy to water proof. I'd already cleaned the rib and cracked it open, removing the marrow as well. Todone, meanwhile, was intent on watching me do my work with a couple of rocks.

"So… Todone…" I begin, wanting to get some more information about where I've found myself. "What can you tell me about your tribesman?"

He brought his gaze up to me with cautious curiosity. "It depends… what is it you would like to know?"

"Mm, well… what kind of reception will I get when we manage to get there in the winter?"

He seemed to take a moment to deliberate the question. "They… will not be kind. With you following me however, at the very least they won't enslave you".

My hands paused in their motions, and I had to look up at him to make sure I heard him right. "I'm… probably not sure I heard that right… slavery?"

"Yes, many humans practice as well. Your people didn't practice it?" He asked.

"No, God no!" I sputtered out. "I can't speak for the humans outside of this forest and shit, but in my homeland we had laws! Remember those 'inalienable rights' I mentioned a while back? Well there's three of them that I consider to be absolutely important. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. And provided you do not infringe upon another's rights to seek your own, with the exception of preserving your own, I believe everyone should be able to live their lives in peace with these three basic rights all are deserving of".

"Even demihumans and heteromorphs?"

"Well I mean shit, as long as they followed the basic amendments and laws then yeah. You and me have been able to sit down and have conversations and talk about our problems, showing that both of us are more than capable of discourse. As long as they can do the same, then by all means they should enjoy the same rights".

Nevermind the fact that we still dealt with racism amongst our own species, but we just never really had any other species that put us in an 'us vs them' mindset. Well, we did but you don't exactly see neanderthals these days do you? Coming back to the main subject at hand, I noticed that Todone seemed uncertain about what I'd said, and it made me think of something.

"Wait… do other humans in these lands practice it?" I asked carefully.

"Yes…" He stated. "The Baharuth Empire to the south of the forest has captured those of us who venture too far into the forest, and we seldom hear from them again. We only know this from an escaped slave who came to our tribe a couple of years ago".

Okay, while it bothers me that name sounds familiar, I can't really poke that bear at the moment. "Fuck, that's wrong. Completely fucked up. I'm sorry, for what it's worth".

My apologies seem to catch him off guard. "I-its okay, truly. We often keep to ourselves, so it's not as though we are often under threat. Especially when the forest is more than capable of acting as a deterrent against most who would capture us"

"Still, slavery's no joke. My home nation practiced it up until a hundred years ago, and we've since realized how much of a scar on our history that is on top of other crimes we'd committed in our pride".

"Even against non-humans?" Todone asked.

Hmm… I can't exactly say we've never had anything that wasn't a human in my home world walk and talk like us. Maybe if I just… deflected? Technically not lying if I don't answer.

"'Those who deny freedom for others do not deserve it themselves'. A proverb, from my homeland".

Though it's not as pronounced as it used to be, his eyes still widen at the quote I gave him. It seems to leave him thoughtful, staring back down at the knife with unfocused eyes. I sigh, picking up the finished product and blowing it off.

"Tell you what, why don't we pull all this talk about 'slavery' and 'racism' behind us. Lemme show you some tricks I know. You ever scrape fur off a pelt before?"

He shook his head. "That was a skill usually reserved for some of the artisans of my village".

"Whelp, it never hurts to know a thing or two about a thing or two. Now part of the trick to it is the angle, but you also gotta be careful about the strength you put into it…"

I leaned back into the grass, sighing. The night sky here is… beautiful. The past few nights it was mostly cloudy, but to get a full and clear sight of the stars was… breathtaking. Unfortunately, I'm completely unfamiliar with the constellations, so all of my foreknowledge on the subject is pretty much out the window, but it's still nice to connect the dots and imagine them. I wonder which of the bright ones are actual planets too. I doubt I'll ever catch wind of anyone ever observing those unless there are astronomers somewhere in this 'Baharuth' nation, but for some reason I feel hopeful.

I squirm on the grass, uncomfortable with the brain worm that damn empire presents, and it's not because of their slavery practices. It feels too damn familiar, and I wanna say I think I know what it is, but I genuinely want to hope it's not what I think it is. It would explain why things like my {World Item} sounded familiar, but I'm really hoping this is just some sick cosmic coincidence.

Speaking of, I decided to get up as I wasn't able to rest. Partially because I wanted to poke around with it now, partially because I still couldn't sleep easily. Yeah, the moment that leather is ready, I'm bundling it up and we're heading back to the edge between swamp and marsh, because armor is going to be useless if we don't have enough sleep outside of our cat naps throughout the day and night. Todone glances at me but says nothing, content to stay silent as he keeps guard. I figure I might as well relieve him and give him a chance to shut his eyes instead.

"I can't fall asleep, why don't you give it a shot?" I asked him, and he simply shrugged and went to the lean-to he'd made.

Being on my own now, I reach into the pack I've been using the edge of as a pillow and pull out the book {Humble Beginnings}.

{World Item: Humble Beginnings}

{This World Item was forged outside the bounds of the nine worlds, built in the soft embrace of the-

Yeah yeah yeah, that good shit and all, but let's skip to the main part. I need to re-study some of the aspects of this thing, especially the part where it talks about NPC's. What the hell does it mean by me being able to 'allocate up to one-hundred NPC levels per twenty levels'?

{NPC: A non-player character}

Yes I get what an NPC is, but what the hell does it mean by allocate NPC levels?

{This World Item allows the allocation of up to-

Ugh, fuckin' forget it. I guess I'll burn that bridge when I hit level twenty. What are 'Data Crystals'?

{Data Crystal: A thaumaturgical information medium, used in the modification and application of various enchantments, weapons, apparel, accessories, and personal appearance. Quality, quantity, size, and purity all have various effects and influence upon the rarity and strength of these modifications}

… Okay. Not gonna lie, that's kind of awesome. I wonder if it would be in my best interest to enchant Todone's armor once that's been made then. Maybe something to reduce fatigue or resist certain types of damage depending on what I can do with it. The book says it can produce Data Crystals, but none have exactly popped out yet. How often does it produce them?

{Next Data Crystal Blessing: 4D, 23 HR, 37 MN, 12 SEC}

Huh, so if I had to wager a guess, my first bundle of these Data Crystals will come by around midnight. Which is nice to know I guess. Alright, oh magical system, how do I even use Data Crystals?

{Data Crystals can be applied to a weapon directly, though some side effects may vary}

Is there any way to influence that so I don't have to worry about potential side effects? Like, maybe I could make a special table or something to focus the bad stuff out like in Skyrim, maybe make a choice on what enchantments to put on it?

…

Hello?

{Recipe Unlocked! Would you like to unlock 'Translucer's Altar'?}

I squint at the bubble, feeling uneasy. That definitely took more time than most of the other bubbles took to respond to my prompts. I get the feeling however that I can't exactly just ask the system itself what that was about, so all I can really do is just chug along and keep messing around with things. And uh, yeah. I'd like to unlock the altar thingy.

{Notice: Translucer recipe 'Translucer's Altar' unlocked!}

Alrighty, let's check out how this thing is… made… well shit, I'm gonna actually have to actually sacrifice Data Crystals just to make this thing, and depending on the quality of the crystals I get I may not even be able to enchant anything the first time around. Still, it'd be a nice option. On the plus side, this thing seems built in such a way that I could actually pack it up and put it in my pack, so I won't really have to worry too much about that front. Of course, that's only because it's a bag of holding, but I digress. Hmm, I wonder how much it can hold actually? It doesn't feel like it's close to full, but that's probably just because it's been messing with my sense of space. Even Todone was impressed with the thing when I revealed what it could do to him the other day.

{Coyote Pack of Holding: 42.3 KG / 150 KG}

Well damn, thank you system. Hmm… A hundred and fifty kilograms? That's a fuckin' lot considering it makes it feel pretty much weightless, I can work with this. Though I gotta admit I'm impressed with myself that it's almost a third of the way full.

Hmmm… next agenda, planning out our new home. We need somewhere we can actually sleep. Doesn't have to be big, just enough for us to hide inside to protect us from nosy fauna and rain. It ain't rained yet, but that doesn't mean it won't soon. It's gotta be simple enough that we can make it in one or two nights at most, because the sooner we make this the better. Enough room for us both to sleep, with a little space for getting up in the mornings without bumping against each other. A fireplace too, actually, maybe even made with cooking in mind. That is… admittedly above my know-how, as I've only ever relied upon campfire cooking itself and haven't really made a clay stove before. Not to say I won't try, I'd rather not rely on the points system if I can help it and save those for when I genuinely have no clue where to start on a project.

A stove, and enough space for beds. Yup. Simple as it gets I suppose. What would I even make the door from though? Thatching? It wouldn't be strong, but it would probably at least last long enough for us to hold the bugs off. Anything else though might be an issue. Maybe if I filled it with slats of wood? Eh, not sure how well that would work out. So much to do, so little time. Making armor, enchanting, making shelter, leveling up, waiting the months out… man this sucks. What I'd give for something, anything, hell even a-

Snap!

… I was kidding. Todone must've heard it as well, he came out of the lean-to with his spear already at the ready, joining me in my now upright position. My brush hook was in hand, ready to swing as we kept an eye on the source of the noise, though that wasn't to say I didn't have my eyes dart around to other areas in the meantime. We heard one rustle of the leaves, then two, then…

"Help… Cough cough…" it came from the dark, stepping out into our clearing with its features lit up in the campfire. Scaly green and bleeding, it coughed once more clutching its side, before falling over to the ground.

"Good riddance… just a dying lizardman," Todone said quietly, lowering his spear.

I wasn't blind to his sudden callousness Meanwhile, I leaned down, giving a closer look at the now aptly named lizardman. His wound was jagged, clearly caused by an animal or some other kind of beast man apparently. I placed my hand over the wound, preparing my spell.

"{Cure Wounds}" I cast, watching as the slow blood flow trickled to a stop.

"What are you doing?" Todone hissed at me angrily.

"Today it was him, tomorrow it will be me. He was a stranger bleeding out, so I helped him," I explained, pulling a strip of plant fiber out to better cover the wound.

Todone was on me in a second and shoved me to the side. "Do you know what you've done? What their people have done?"

"There's an old quote to an Orc back home. 'Having an issue with one Orc I can see, even having an issue with a hundred Orcs, but all Orcs? Maybe it's not us that have the problem'. While I do not ignore the fact that your tribe has likely warred with theirs in the past, can you say for certain you know this one personally and can say that he took part in the death and destruction that occurred?"

He didn't seem fully convinced and continued with his ranting. "They invaded our lake and tried to take our resources. They're nothing more than a bunch of greedy newts!"

"Even the hatchlings? Those young ones, who were born into the world not knowing the mistakes of their forefathers, nor the chance to learn and develop in a different line of thinking to allow themselves to be better?"

That seemed to put him on the backpedal. He stepped back, looking at the lizard, and then grimaced. "That one isn't a hatchling".

"No, he isn't," I said simply, getting back up to finish wrapping the fiber 'bandage' around the lizardman's waist. "But can you point at him and say for certain that this one is responsible for the sins and mistakes of all of them when he isn't even conscious to answer any questions?"

The toadman frowned, glaring down at the lizard's softly breathing body, and grunted. He stomped off into the brush with his spear in hand, waving back to me. "I'm going to clear my head. That lizard better be tied up when I get back!"

I sighed, shaking my head. That's certainly something I'll have to delve into further. It would pay to know why the kid has so much anger in his heart for the lizardmen, and I for one am curious. I place my hand on the lizardman's chest, intent to see his condition.

"{Insight Check}".

{Male Lizardman (Aged Adult: Level 24): A species of reptilian demihumans, formerly native to the Bay of Roan. Several tribes have migrated through the Baharuth Empire, eventually finding a home in the forested region of Tob and it's Great Lakes. This specimen is suffering from the conditions 'Blood Loss (Major)' and 'Poisoned (Major)}

Ignoring the intrusive thoughts that tell me he would have been worth a lot of experience, his racial description makes me incredibly curious as to why they migrated here in the first place. And also really glad I bothered getting that new spell. Speaking of...

"{Lesser Restoration}," I muttered, noticing his scales dim to a darker shade of brownish green.

I really wanna ask questions about what the hell happened to him, as well as what he was doing all alone. The lizard's not waking up anytime soon however, so all I can really do is sit back and wait until he gets better. And wait until Todone cools his jets.

Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: 50 [Neutral]) [14/15 Spell slots used]

Classes: Brawler (4), Ranger (3), Druid (2), Clothier (3). Total Level (12).

Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth, Lesser Restoration

Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike

Gear: Canvas Clothes (Sturdy, Weathered), Oak-Handled Brush-hook, Canvas Coyote Pack of Holding, Bundles of Herbs (Medicinal), Bundles of Chitin, Pot of Tannin, Bundles of Smoked Bug Meat, Dried Deer Hide, Bones, Bone toolkit

Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}, Unconscious Lizardman (Level 24)

Party Members are as follows…

Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -30 [Neutral])

Classes: Toadman Warrior (8), Brawler (7), Total Level (15).

AN: Oh boy, this is getting interesting, we may very well get both Todone and our new stranger to get some insight into each other... if Todone doesn't change his mind that is. Tell me if you've heard this one before; a lizardman, a toadman, and a human are all stuck in a forest...