(A/N:
The game "Aground" is the legal property of the creative geniuses at Fancy Fish Games. I only own this fanfic plot and any OC's.)
"External Speech."
'Internal Speech/Thoughts/Commands.'
Gamer System
"ᛞᚱᚨᚲᚺᛖᚾᚴᛚᚨᚢᛖ (Drachenklaue)." - "Untranslated (Translated)."
'Telepathy.'
Name: Anthony
Level: 1
EXP: 0/20
Health: 50/50
Stamina: 200/200
Attack: -
Defense: -
Weight: 5/50
Skill Points: [0/0]
Achievements: 1
Equipment:
Dominant Hand: [None]
Offhand: [None]
Armor: [None] {None}
Headgear: [None] {None}
Backpack: [None] {None}
Familiar: [None]
When we awoke, the storm had finally ceased and the planet's sun was rising in the east.
Bob pushed himself up to his feet, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stumbled outside.
Myself, on the other hand…
Inventory System Download Complete!
Omni-Directional Vision Systems Download Complete!
Ambient-Soundtrack Systems Download Complete!
Keep Calm and Game On!
Basic Tutorial - Menus:
Your Gamer Systems include Inventory, Quest Log, Equipment, View Stats, Allocate Skill Points, View Achievements and Settings. To open any of these menus, simply think or say the name of the Menu you would like to view. From there, your installed systems will give you an intuitive understanding of interfacing with the menus.
Basic Tutorial - Inventory:
Your Inventory may be accessed at any time and has no upper limit. HOWEVER, while this will free your arms to use tools and weapons, this version of the Inventory System is currently in Beta and does not negate the weight of objects in your Inventory. Carrying more than your body can handle will drain your Stamina quicker the farther you go over your limit. Upon your Stamina completely depleting, your Health will drop at an equivalent rate, so take care not to literally work yourself to death.
Additionally, you may label specific objects as "Sticky" - meaning that they will not be included in mass Inventory Transfers such as "Move All". "Sticky" Items will be marked with a star: "*"
Basic Tutorial - Quest Log:
The Quest Log will show you any Quests you've taken - both In-Progress and Completed. If you are having difficulty locating a Quest-Giver to complete a Quest, you may activate a QGL (Quest-Giver-Locator) which will act like a HUD compass pointing to the Quest-Giver for the selected Quest.
Further Tutorials will be displayed as you interact with the relevant menus.
Keep Calm and Game On!
(OST: Aground - "No Sky Limit")
I sat and stared at the holographic/hallucinatory transcript, my fairly-rested psyche trying to make sense of what I was seeing, whilst I began to hear a calming, upbeat musical score from everywhere and nowhere.
'Either this is real, or those crazy scientists back on the Colony Ship did something.'
I shook my head. 'Worry about it later, there's work to be done if we are going to survive!'
Rising up and stepping outside, I suddenly realized how… aware I was. My vision was focused like normal, but I could somehow… sense everything around me within a radius of about _ meters.
Sighing, I looked to see Bob leaning against a nearby tree, scarfing down handfuls of purple berries and looking down.
"Something bothering you, Bob?" He looked up at me as I approached.
"You really expect to be able to survive here? It's hopeless, man." He slumped down, puffing out a breath of air.
I thought back to the previous night, where Bob told me his name and former occupation.
'Maybe he just needs something to keep his mind off impending hopelessness- something to show that we can and will overcome the challenges of this planet!'
"You're good at building, right?" Bob looked up at me, listening. "What if we built something to store the resources and food we gather?"
I saw a glimpse of thought- I believe- in his eyes and heard a quiet rumbling from his midsection.
'I guess that after spending so much time as a builder, his body has developed an efficient metabolism to compensate for the workload!'
"Hmph." He wiped some berry juices from his scruffy facial hair with his free hand. "I guess with 8 large-sized chunks of Wood and 4 handfuls of Berries I might be able to make a decent Storehouse.
New Quest!
Builder wants to build a Storehouse.
- Requirements -
Wood 1/8
Berries 0/4
[Accept] [Reject]
I nodded, putting a determined smile on my face. "Alright! I can find that, no problem."
Bob sighed, like I'd just said I was going to up and build a Fighter Escort Ship and avenge our home planet- Earth- before pulling out a primitive axe - a flat, disk-shaped stone tied to a sturdy-looking branch with scraps of synthetic fabric- and handed it to me. "Take this Stone Axe, if you're so gung-ho."
I nodded, accepted the axe-
New Item: Stone Axe*
Weight: 0
Attack: 1
Cut: 1
Knockback: 5
+Stamina per Hit: 3
(No weight penalty- Auto-toggling "Sticky" parameter for this object.)
-and quickly hid my surprise as a screen appeared in front of me, detailing the tool I'd just received.
"I'll be back with those materials, Robert, just you wait!" I declared as I marched inland, the Stone Axe* resting on my right shoulder. 'But first, I'm going to take a moment to familiarize myself with this "System."'
Once I was far enough, I stopped and closed my eyes, recalling the "Tutorials" that I'd awoken to. 'Assuming that I haven't gone insane, this "System" is quite advanced! Who created it? Why do I have it? Is the System conscious?'
Negative, the System of the Game itself is not conscious.
I jumped, startled. I hadn't expected an actual response to my question!
'Okay, calm down Anthony, despite the fact that hearing voices is a common indicator of mental insanity… I'm not actually going clinically insane, I hope?'
Negative, a standard diagnostic of your mental functions shows that you are not diagnosed as "Insane." At most, you are in a temporary state of "Survivor's Shock," having just survived a traumatic, near-death scenario.
I decided to take this opportunity to dig for more information. 'If the System is not conscious, then how are you answering my questions?'
Your queries are being answered by a basic query-response Subsystem. The last received archive update did not indicate that the Gaming Administration had yet completed Project GAIA.
'What is Project GAIA?'
Insufficient Privileges, query denied.
'How may I get sufficient privileges?'
Processing…
Insufficient Data, rerouting query to nearest Gaming Admin Signal. Ask another query as you please.
Guess I wasn't going to learn more about Project GAIA anytime soon… 'How long ago was the last archive update received?'
Latest Archive Update received 9,691,483 System Cycles ago.
'Why are you here?'
Universe "FnCAgrNd693" was selected as a Prime Candidate for Beta-Testing.
'Why am I connected to the System?'
Mental Capabilities and Structure of User "Anthony" satisfied approximately 86.3% of recommended criteria in Gamer Selection.
I was tempted to ask further questions, but a rat scurrying over my boot snapped my focus back to the physical world. 'Right, get materials to construct Storehouse now, question possibly-cosmic answering machine later.'
Looking further inland, I noticed that there was still some Wood on the ground from the prior storm. 'Might as well gather what's already provided before exerting myself for it!'
Walking over to the fallen piece of Wood, it seemingly faded away upon being lifted in my arms. 'Probably in my "Inventory."'
Inventory
{All}
[Edibles]
In Inventory {All}:
Meat x 2
Wood x 2
Weight: 8/50
'Okay, DEFINITELY in there!' I dismissed the Inventory Menu with a thought and walked over to another chunk of Wood on the ground.
I looked around for more fallen branches, but came up empty. 'Guess I'll have to cut down trees for more wood.' I turned to head back towards the Hut. 'Might as well cut them closer to the hut, so I don't have to carry the logs for as long-'
My thoughts trailed off as I noticed something violet in the corner of my eye. Turning, I could make out what looked like a tunnel - ringed with some kind of purple stone.
I shook my head. 'Explore purple caves later, set up essentials of survival NOW.'
When Robert saw me walking back, figuratively empty-handed, he sighed. "Gave up already?"
I smiled. "No, I just realized it was more sensible to gather from somewhere closer to our camp, rather than lug all that heavy lumber from the other side of the island."
With that, I planted my feet next to one such tree and swung the stone blade of the primitive axe at the trunk of the tree. The impact rippled through the trunk, shaking the leaves and branches for about 3/4ths of a second. The sight of a green bar manifesting at the base and turning about 1/5th white only added to my grin.
'I wonder if I'll be able to meet the civilization that created this System?'
I continued to chop at the tree - the bar emptying with each strike - until the tree fell.
However, it didn't fall over on its side as I'd expected, but straight down as an organized stack of neatly-rounded logs and Apples, which faded as I felt a notable increase in the weight I felt on my body.
New Item: Apples
Stamina: +40
Weight: 1
'This is starting to seem ridiculously convenient.'
"Uh, why the heck did the tree do that?!" I heard Robert exclaim from behind me.
I turned to look at him, feeling somewhat anxious for how he might react depending on how I explained it. "Well, if you saw that as well, I guess I have not been imagining things."
He stared at me for a moment. "... Anthony. Please explain, now!"
I sighed and shrugged. "I'm not completely sure myself. When I came ashore last night, a collection of screens appeared in my vision, apparently notifying me of several systems that finished downloading." I raised a hand before Robert could respond. "I thought I was just seeing things as a result of the near-death experience, but I woke up to more of those screens in my face this morning. From what I can ascertain so far, it's calculating and quantifying aspects and variables of my physical body, as well as-"
I trailed off, noticing that Robert looked like he had no idea what I was saying to him.
"..." I realized I'd gone on a technicality tangent, when I should've just simplified it and saved us both the trouble. "I apparently have an Inventory and HP bar, so I suppose I've been turned into some kind of video game character, in simple terms."
"Ah…" Robert slowly nodded. "All I caught before was stuff like downloading and calculating. I was kinda thinking you were like some kind of undercover robot or something." He stopped, considered something.
"You aren't some kind of robot, right?"
I blinked. "I don't think I'm a robot." I squeezed my left arm. "Yep, QUITE sure I'm flesh and blood, not circuits and servos."
Robert chuckled. "Alright, just checking. And that… Inventory… That's where the tree you just chopped down went?"
"Yeah…" I smiled, sighing in relief. "I was actually somewhat worried that you would have some kind of mental breakdown, but you're taking this incredibly well!"
Robert shrugged. "Well, Earth WAS attacked by aliens in ships that looked like they ran on magic or something, so I guess gaming powers aren't too much crazier with that in mind."
I nodded. "Good point." I walked over to another tree. "Anyways, I should get back to getting the remaining materials needed!"
Robert nodded. "Yeah, you do that."
Five chops later supplemented me with 4 Wood and Apples.
"Okay, I should have more than enough Wood now!" I walked over to Robert, who was looking down at the perfectly flat patch of ground in place of the first tree. "I've seen two kinds of berries growing around here, which kind did you mean earlier?"
Robert pointed at the ground. "Is that Game System of yours doing that?"
Confused, I knelt down to have a close look. Imagine my surprise when I saw a tiny sapling growing before my very eyes in place of the previous tree!
"I suppose it's a possibility." My mind began going over the science and logistics of it. "But then again, we ARE on an alien planet."
I stood up. "Perhaps on this planet, trees are just like the ones back on Earth, only they evolved to grow large shoots out of the ground from some form of mycelium network - like mushrooms - thus allowing mass transfers of water and nutrients to make rapid and enhanced growth rates possible!"
"Uh, I guess that makes sense?" Robert didn't sound very convincing. "Anyways, I was talking about the purple berries this morning. I mean, red berries back on Earth were poisonous, so I didn't try to eat them. But I had some of the purple berries for breakfast and I'm still feeling fine!"
I nodded. "Okay, thank you for clarifying."
Seeing a large bush practically covered in violet-colored berries, I turned and walked over to it.
I prepared to carefully pick each and every berry, but that proved unnecessary. Similarly to the trees, the berries fell down in handfuls the moment I laid my hand on the bush.
New Item: Berries
Stamina: +20
Weight: 1
'At least we have a good chance at survival!' I walked over to another bush of the same species, only to get knocked off my feet by an impact in my side.
Turning, I saw that my attacker appeared to be a wild boar, with two white tusks, messy black hair and red eyes.
Gritting my teeth in pain, I quickly rolled out of the beast as it made another charge at me, before quickly getting to my feet. "I didn't survive this long to die to some undomesticated heap of pork!"
It turned back towards me, only to be met with my stone axe hitting it in the face.
The boar grunted, angry, and swiped its tusks against my torso.
The cycle repeated itself a few more times, before it squealed and disappeared, a bat of meat dropping and fading into my Inventory.
Achievement: Instant Meat
Defeat a Boar.
I grumbled. 'I could've died! I might still die if I don't do anything to treat my- huh?'
I'd expected my body to be covered in lacerations and losing blood, or at least for my clothing to be in shreds. Instead, my body- even my clothes were just as they were before!
"Oh, right, video game character."
Once I'd gathered enough Berries for Robert, I returned to the camp, retrieving 8 Wood and 4 Berries from my Inventory.
Robert whistled. "You gathered everything already? I'm impressed." He smiled, mirthfully. "Then again, I guess it was easier doing it like a video game!"
I smiled. "Let's get this Storehouse built!"
Achievement: Infinite Space
Build the Storehouse.
New Blueprint(s):
Dismantle, Storehouse Blueprint
I stood in front of the freshly constructed Storehouse, patting Robert on the back.
"Look at that! Don't you feel accomplished, Robert?"
I could see a smile emerge on his face. "Yeah… actually, this will be useful. Now we can avoid getting tired from carrying too much."
He turned to look at me, smiling. "And please, call me Bob."
Level Up!
1 → 2
Skill Points: +10
"Huh, I just got a menu saying that I Leveled Up. I'm apparently at Level 2, now."
Robert- Bob laughed. "Guess you weren't kidding about being in a real-life video game!"
Allocate Skill Points
Max Health: [0/20]
Max Stamina: [0/20]
Weight: [0/20]
Critical: [0/10]
Evasion: [0/10]
Attack: [0/3]
Defense: [0/3]
Cut: [0/3]
Range: [0/5]
Skill Points: 10/10 (Available/Total Earned)
"I've apparently got ten Skill Points that I can spend in a variety of categories, like Max Health, Max Stamina, Attack, Defence, and whatnot. But…" I looked at the setting sun in the west. "It's getting late, we'd better turn in for the day."
Bob nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to know what hunts around here at night!"
But as we were walking back to the hut, directly east of the Storehouse, we heard a new voice from behind us.
"Oh, hey. Didn't realize there were other survivors."
Turning, I saw a young woman- covered in dirt- emerge from a hole in the ground with a pickaxe in her hand. She had pale skin, light blue eyes, a light-brown jumpsuit and a dirty beige satchel over her shoulder.
"Where'd you come from?!" Bob exclaimed in surprise.
"I've been underground - there's way more to this place than meets the eye."
She quickly reached into her sack and pulled out a pickaxe of similar build to the axe Bob gave me. "I've got an extra pickaxe if you want to check it out too."
She quickly thrust the tool into my hands.
New Item: Stone Pick*
Mining: 1
Stamina per Hit: 3
Weight: 0
"Well, what are you waiting for? Just dig down and find those ores!"
Even as she said that, I could feel my System-induced awareness shift. Now, I could feel what was in the ground 2 meters below me.
"Not saying I don't want to see what's under our feet, but it's late. We should get some rest, first."
The woman nodded, mouthing "Oh" before following us inside the Hut.
"By the way, my name's Anthony."
"I'm Robert, my friends call me Bob."
"I'm Mary!"
"... so when I arrived here I just started digging and didn't even realize there was a storm."
We were all sitting around the warmth of the fire inside the Hut, settling down for the night, when Mary - who worked as a Miner back on Earth - began recounting her experience on this planet.
"But I'm glad you're here." She sighed, taking a sip from a canteen she had with her. "I was getting tired of eating dirt, and there's nothing like a warm fire after a long day underground."
"Do you think there are more survivors out there?" I asked her, hopeful.
Mary shrugged. "Honestly, I'm surprised anyone survived that crash. But here we are, so maybe others survived too?"
I turned to Bob. "Do you think we should tell her?"
He shrugged. "It's up to you if you want to or not."
"What are you two whispering about?" Mary asked, still sounding bubbly and upbeat for someone who'd spent so much time underground.
'Eh, might as well tell her now so she doesn't find out later and freak out.'
"Well, Mary, there's something you should probably know about me…"
Name: Anthony
Level: 2
EXP: 20/50
Health: 50/50
Stamina: 200/200
Attack: 1 (Stone Axe*)
Defense: -
Mine: 1 (Stone Pick*)
Weight: 14/50
Skill Points: [10/10]
Achievements: 3
Equipment:
Dominant Hand: [Stone Axe]
Offhand: [None]
Mining: [Stone Pick]
Armor: [None] {None}
Headgear: [None] {None}
Backpack: [None] {None}
Familiar: [None]
(A/N: Whew! Feels quite satisfying to finish and publish a new chapter!
Also, you Readers may be curious what I meant by Plot changes compared to the actual game.
Well, here's a little indicator at one of them!
(Omake (Canon): A Disturbance in the Force)
She stirred from her isolation.
Her people were long lived compared to most known lifeforms, but she'd discovered the secret to immortality - to halting one's aging altogether.
Though it was unfortunate that this also meant she would not be able to grow, she hid the stemming emotions and allowed the rest of her people to believe that she did not care, not daring to show even a hint of weakness. True, she would not be able to physically grow, but she still had magic.
Even as all those she'd known as a youngling passed on, she pretended not to care.
Even as the rest of her kind departed from their homeworld in their Dragonships, she denied the offers of joining them. To be in such close proximity to so many others posed too high a risk that someone would see through her mask, which would lead to the others learning and shunning her for her weakness. She convinced herself it was not out of fear of leaving all she'd ever known.
Even as she was left isolated and alone, save for the communications of her kind that she listened in on across the magic channels, she worked to convince herself that she did not care about her loneliness, taking to scanning and documenting the flux and flow of magic, spirits, and life-energies across and throughout her homeworld.
Even as she sensed four individuals of an alien species arrive on her homeworld only to die, save for one who'd began to stumble through the lessons and powers of her people's magic, leading to the rest of her people sending an entire fleet to stomp out the thief of their knowledge, she pretended to ignore them, telling them to respect her self-isolation.
Recently, she'd detected hundreds of life-energies - similar to the four that came before - arrive and scatter to the far west from her. Based off what she could catch from her people's communications, these were the survivors of the thief's race, fleeing from the wrath of her brethren.
Even then, she did not alert her people, telling herself it was not worth the trouble. Besides, with how few in number they were, they would die out on their own eventually and become new residents of the Spirit World.
But now, she felt one of the intruders - on an island closer to hers than the majority of their race - surge with something… new.
It was almost like the magic her kind had studied and perfected over the aeons, but it didn't seem to be drawing from the Spirit World, but rather from somewhere outside the universe and dimensions known to her kind.
Even now, she struggled to smother out a swell of curiosity.
She refused to feel. To feel anything would cause the countless decades of repressed negativity to swell up and consume her altogether.
Besides, the Strange One, although connected to some foreign power, was still weak. The mysterious flow but a trickle. A deep and vast ocean - only traversable from the skies to air-breathing species - divided them, leaving the only possible means of the Strange One coming to her being via Dragon.
She could feel one on the very same island as the Strange One, as well as the Thief, but they would not have a means of understanding the speech of the Dragons. And she doubted it would be possible for the Adult Dragon to trust the Strange One anyway.
The lengths her kind had gone to enslave the Dragons they'd once called allies - even friends - made sure of that.
No, they would never meet.
They would never end her suppressed loneliness in vengeance.
She would never get to understand this power that might even potentially surpass the magic of her kind.
She would remain a living fossil, another reminder of a bygone era.
She would remain on this forgotten world until it was consumed by her sun, aeons away from now, long after the Strange One decomposed into dust, still isolated and alone.
She was among the first of her kind to leave the waters in search of immortality, and because she'd succeeded, she would forever be remembered by all who knew of her - not by the name she once went by…
… But as The Old One…
Alright! Feel free to put up your theories in the Reviews for this chapter!
Also, I'd like to clear up something.
I'm not simply writing and publishing these stories because I want to.
I'm doing this because I'm trying to develop my confidence and skill in fictional writing.
I'm doing this because, one day, I want to write and publish an original story of my own that people will be able to enjoy.
I'm doing this, because I want to grow in more ways than one.
Please Favorite, Follow, Review, PM me, keep the profanity to a minimum (please!), check out my other stories on here and…
I'll see you in the Games…
-poaling12