by H. C. Mills
[Quite.]
I cock my head to the side. “That was also a question though, and you answered,” I point out.
[Basic questions of a practical nature will still be answered, but things like information about Trials and the nature of this Realm will have to wait until your next five minutes.]
I perk up. “And when will I get those?”
[After the First Trial. Granted you make it through.]
I mull this over for a bit. “Would asking you to continue your explanation on breathing in this Realm constitute a basic, practical question?”
[Definitely not.]
Double damnit.
“How about this, then: You said my Lavi ‘nearly reached zero.’ Does that mean you are keeping track, numerically?”
[I constantly monitor the contents of your Lavi Pool, among other things. If you wish to observe the stats your current level of information privileges allow you to see, just say ‘Open Status Window.’]
“Ehm, open Status Window?”
A transparent window pops up in my view, like an augmented-reality application.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding. It’s like a video game up in here.”
I try closing my eyes one by one. As I thought, the window is a function of my eye-crystal and disappears when I close it.
“All right, so I’ve got Lavi, which is like a health bar,” I mutter mostly to myself. “What does that capital O behind it mean?”
[It’s short for ‘Onkh,’ which is a unit of energy commonly used in this Realm. Even though different types of energy do very different things, they still share a common origin, which is why we can measure them in the same unit.]
“I see. Then there’s... Strength, Toughness, and Agility?
[Indeed. Strength is your ability to apply physical force, Toughness an index of how difficult your flesh is to deform, and Agility is a measure of the speed and precision of your movements. An average human female who has just arrived scores around 8 on Strength and Toughness, 10 on Agility.]
At least Suri provides quite thorough answers to my basic questions.
“Guess I should’ve hit the gym more,” I mumble.
[Indeed. However, your Agility is relatively high. Could you tell me why?]
I purse my lips. “Well, I used to be a gymnast, so I guess it’s because I’ve got pretty good control over my body?”
[I see. That would explain, yes.]
Huh, that’s the first time Suri asked me a question... is she collecting data? Well, since she’s supposed to be helping me, I guess it’s a good thing for her to show an interest in me.
“Anyway, are those stats like averages for all of my muscles? What about those guys who only train upper body strength? You know, the ones with the skinny legs?”
[These stats are accurate measurements of your physical and mental abilities. Since you are One, they apply to you as a whole.]
“Okay. Am I correct in assuming my stats can be raised?”
[You are.]
That’s awesome!
“How?” I ask eagerly. “Like, do I need to train all my muscles evenly in order to raise my Strength?”
[A question like this is a bit of a grey area,] Suri chimes. [Hmm. Very well. Considering your five minutes were cut short earlier, I will answer a few questions like this.]
Sounds like Suri has more leeway to decide these kinds of things than I would have expected. I better stay on her good side.
[Put simply, the way to raise your Strength is to repeatedly push your body beyond its limits.]
Huh. Interesting.
“And what kind of Strength would I be able to achieve by doing that?”
[For a human of your size, I would think the upper limit of Strength you might achieve would be around 30.]
Oh wow, and I’m only at 7 right now?
“Does that mean I’d be around four times as strong as I am now if I reach that upper limit?”
[Oh, no. You would be far stronger than that. The ability to apply force grows exponentially with increased Strength, not linearly. An increase of five points of Strength will approximately double one's ability to apply physical force.]
Holy crap! My eyes widen and I let out a low whistle.
“What about, ehm, Toughness and Agility?”
[I would expect your theoretical upper limit for those stats to lie around 30 as well.]
“Right. And what are the true limits; is there a cap on these stats?”
[Perhaps. Though it seems unlikely in the case of Strength; larger creatures are generally stronger. An Agility of much more than 50 doesn’t seem to really occur, but Toughness is the only stat that’s thought to have a true cap at 100.]
I frown. “Why only that one?”
[Because it is the only stat that is purely qualitative.]
“Really? What about the mental stats; what were they again?”
[There’s Mental Fortitude—abbreviated MF—which is a measure of how well your mind can intrinsically resist outside influence, and Willpower, which is a measure of your perseverance, your ability to keep going when things get tough. They average around 10 for newly arrived humans.]
“And what are their limits?”
[No reasonable existence would have mental stats over 30. For a human, 20 seems about the achievable limit.]
“What about an unreasonable existence, then?”
[At your current level of information privileges, that information is classified.]
Ah. There it is. Well, I wouldn’t really know what else to ask about this right now anyway.
“Got a more practical question for you, then: is there a toilet here?”
CHAPTER 5
I call it a killow
IN LIEU OF AN ANSWER, I hear a click, and a hidden door swings open next to the mirror—which is still covered in blood and gore. Behind it, I find a simple bathroom with a sink and a toilet with a bidet.
Walking over, I am reminded that I still feel much lighter. Did my Strength go up somehow after I left Hub One? Doesn’t seem likely, since Suri said 8 was average.
“Suri, can you tell me why I’ve felt so much lighter ever since I woke up in here?”
[At your current level of information privileges, that is classified.]
Damn. I figured that was pushing it a little.
I first turn on the tap in the sink.
Looks like water all right.
However, when I stick my hand in the stream, I find it behaves... weirdly. It’s heavier than I expected, and it clings to my hand more than I’d expect.
I move to take a sip, then hesitate for a moment. “Is this safe to drink?”
[Yes.]
Good enough. I cup my hands beneath the faucet and gulp it down, only now realising how thirsty I was. The water clings to the insides of my throat a little, but ultimately goes down.
Weird.
After taking care of business, I flop down on the bed.
My head slams into the mattress with a loud crack.
What the hell? Is this thing made of wood?!
Swearing under my breath, I try to get comfortable.
Sheesh. If I brought this pillow to a pillow-fight, people would straight up die.
Even the fur bedding is hard, and its hairs poke me like needles.
Is there nothing soft in this Realm beside me?
With a sigh I stop shifting, trying to accept in my heart that I will likely never be comfortable, probably ever again.
Since finding a comfortable position is out, I sit up and grab the backpack. Inside, I find a bag of Doritos, some cup noodles, a can of Mountain Dew and a couple of bottles of water. My wallet and keys are nowhere to be found.
“Suri, what’s up with this backpack?”
[Is it not yours? Oh well, I’m sure it’ll come in handy.]
I blink. Maybe they found it near me? Or whoever brought me here threw in a random backpack. The contents do suggest this belonged to a con-goer.
I grab a bottle of wat
er from my new backpack and inspect it. The seal is intact, so this should be genuine water from Earth. I unscrew the cap and take a sip. The water inside clings in my throat the same way the stuff from the tap did.
Interesting. Perhaps water just behaves differently in this dimension, no matter the origin?
A rumble in my stomach informs me that my body at least feels good enough to consider eating again. “Hey Suri, is there any real food here as well?”
[Food will be provided upon your request. Would you like some now?]
I shake my head. “No, that’s okay. Maybe later.”
With my immediate surroundings explored and needs taken care off, my brain inevitably turns to analysing my situation.
Okay, so this facility was—supposedly—built to help new arrivals learn how to survive.
I frown. It’s not off to a great start, all things considered. I can understand not being able to help people adapt to taking in Lavi instead of oxygen, but what asshole decided to plant knives in the landing zone?
I sigh. There’s weird shit going on here, but I can’t really do anything but play along and keep my wits about me. Which means I need to start using this room for its intended purpose. Preparation.
“Suri, how long am I allowed to stay in this room?”
[In keeping with the time you are familiar with, the duration of your stay here is limited to be nearly one ‘day,’ or 23 hours and 50 minutes, to be exact. 18 hours, 32 minutes, and 13 seconds remain. But participants rarely stay here that long, as there’s not much to do.]
I must’ve been unconscious for longer than I thought. Also, free food, a toilet, no risk of death as long as I don’t breathe too deeply... I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while longer, despite the uncomfortable furniture.
For a while I just lie there in silence, thinking over what I’ve learned and pondering what I could do to prepare.
[You are an odd human,] Suri chimes unprompted.
“Gee, thanks. Why do you say that?”
[Most females cry shortly after realizing their eye has been replaced; though they ultimately always understand it was for the best. Actually, quite a few of the males cry as well. You seem oddly calm.]
I shrug. “What can I say? I’m a pessimist. It’s easier to roll with the punches if you assume life is out to get you. Life’s bound to give you lemons, so eat those suckers like a champ and at least you won’t die of scurvies.”
[You humans have the strangest sayings.]
I grin. “I’ve always thought so too. Let’s just say I’ve been through my share of shit. It numbs you.”
It also taught me that setbacks can make you stronger, and that you’ve only lost when you’ve given up. Though I must admit that finding out there’s no known way to get back to Earth, was enough to shake that conviction.
My stomach knots at the unbidden thought of the twins. They’re turning thirteen in a month. I promised to teach her how to do her make-up, and I was going to help him build his own Millennium Falcon model from cardboard... Am I ever going to get to do those things?
My eyes widen as another chilling possibility rears its head. My god, that portal... it felt like it only took a second, but considering relativity, how much time actually passed on Earth during that second?!
I clench my jaws and inhale deeply, telling myself the burning inside my nose is just from the Toxic Energy in the air. No, I’m not going down that road. It’s not hopeless.
The portal can’t have been the kind of wormhole whose existence scientists speculate about; for one, I’m pretty sure those wouldn’t lead to another Realm, where the laws of physics don’t apply. I have to assume no more time has passed than I experienced, and that not everyone I know and love has already long turned to dust.
If there’s a way to get here, there’s a way to get back, I just need to find it. And I’m not going to do that by giving up on looking for it.
I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to be a long road to get there, however. So the question becomes, what should my first step be?
I frown. “Hey, Suri, just hypothetically, what would happen if I tried to stay in this room for longer than the afforded twenty-four hours?”
[23 hours and 50 minutes,] Suri corrects. [And you would receive a final warning 10 minutes before your time ran out. If you still were to fail to enter the Trial at that time, the room would be sterilised in preparation for the next participant, just as it would’ve been if you had started the Trial.]
I shoot upright, all thoughts of leisure time forgotten.
Sterilised? Is she implying I will be outright killed if I don’t enter the Trial? Survival training my ass, this is a death camp! The nerve of these assholes.
My jaw clenches and my forehead throbs with anger, but I suppress it. I am quite confident that throwing a fit isn’t going to get me anywhere. Especially if the people running the place are indeed monitoring me. Imagine they decide to... ‘disqualify’ me.
I have eighteen hours to prepare for the first deadly Trial.
“Say, Suri, if I ask how many people make it through the First Trial...”
[At your current level of information privileges, that is classified.]
“Yeah, I figured you might say that.”
I start taking a deep breath but stop myself just in time. I’ll have to bite the bullet and start practising how to breathe deeply without killing myself, I suppose, but that doesn’t sound like something that’ll keep me occupied for eighteen hours. What else can I do?
My eyes widen. The wheels in my head start turning.
“Suri, what was my Toxic Energy Tolerance when I got to this Realm?”
[At your current lev—]
“Got it. Just say ‘That’s classified’ from now on, please. I don’t need the whole spiel every time.”
[Very well. That’s classified.]
“Right. Anyway, earlier you said my lungs adapted in Hub One, so I’m just going to assume part of that involved improving my Toxic Energy Tolerance.”
I get up from the bed and sit down in a lotus position in the centre of the room.
I’m a little scared to begin, but I’d be an idiot not to make use of the opportunity to practise while bathing in the radiation of a Crystal of Lavi and a Crystal of Restoration.
I take a deep breath. Not too deep, a controlled depth. I hold it for a little while, feeling the burn in my lungs before I release it.
All right, I can do this.
I breathe in again, a little deeper.
I soon lose track of time and end up breathing for more than half an hour, before my stomach’s rumbling rouses me.
“Open status window,” I croak with a dry throat.
Let’s see, my Lavi Pool is full again, which I guess means all the damage from earlier has been restored, and—yes, my Toxic Energy Tolerance grew to 2.9%! Wow, it even specifies that it’s a 0.6% increase.
Perhaps I’m going to live after all.
CHAPTER 6
Don’t you know that you’re toxic?
I GET UP, drink some water from the sink, and ask Suri about the promised food. In lieu of an answer, I hear a rumbling as some stuff falls through a chute into an alcove in one of the walls.
On closer inspection, I still don’t recognise any of it. It’s a mixture of pale nuts the size of jawbreakers and a kind of fruit resembling a raspberry, except larger and pink.
“What are these?”
[If you wish to know more about something, you can request information by saying: ‘Appraise.’]
“Really? Cool! Appraise.”
Two windows pop up in my vision.
“Quite suitable for human consumption, huh? Great. Real comforting. Are you sure I’m not going to die in some obscure way from eating them? Like, my brain fries because I have too little ‘flavour tolerance’?”
[That’s classified,] Suri chimes, sounding almost amused.
Of course it is.
“Fine. How much is a portion, approximately?”
[About a large handful.]
Sounds fair enough.
“And let me take a guess, Hydrum is just another word for water?”
[Well, it is a very close analogue, which is one of the reasons you were able to adapt at all. Most lifeforms in this Realm are Hydrum-based.]
I’ll just take that as a yes.
I try one of the jicca nuts and nearly shatter a molar.
“Good god, why is everything so hard in this Realm? I thought this nut was supposed to be soft!”
[It’s because your Toughness stat is low. The jicca nut has a Toughness of about 7, making it relatively very soft.]
Huh, that wasn’t classified apparently. I guess nuts are also One in this Realm, since they can have a Toughness stat.
I quietly eat on the bed. The nuts are tough, but the flavour is quite nice, hearty. The skin of the berries has the texture of rubber—thankfully not the flavour—but once I’ve chewed my way through, they are definitely... ‘refreshing.’
“Not sure about flavour tolerance, but I’m positively developing acid tolerance here,” I grumble, my face involuntarily pinched from the sour berries.
[At least you won’t get scurvy.]
I snort. “Touché.”
A thought strikes me.
“Hey, Suri, could I survive without food in this Realm? I mean, I’m taking in most of my Lavi from the air, right?”
[You could subsist on Lavi for a long time, but you would ultimately still require food. You consist of matter powered by Lavi, and humans have a tendency to lose bits of matter in all sorts of manners.]
“I see.” Is it just me, or did that sound really ominous?
[If you are ready to start the Trial, just walk up to the door, and say: ‘Begin Trial,’] Suri chimes when I’m just about finished with my meal.
Ignoring her, I once again take a seat in the centre of the room and start focusing on breathing.
Only now do I realise how much my breathing pattern has changed over the last half hour. My breaths come far deeper and slower than they used to.
