Primeval

by Eden Redd

  Remembering the recipe screen, he called it up with a thought. A 2-D screen hovered with only four recipes. Gaze falling on the Crafting Bench, he saw that it required only 6 blocks of wood to create. When he looked to the other items, a Crafting Bench blinked by each one. The player surmised he couldn’t build anything unless he made a bench first.

  Will stepped away from the rectangular ring he made and placed new blocks of wood in the shape of a Crafting Bench. Two blocks lay on the ground three blocks apart. Will added a second layer with 4 blocks to form a rudimentary thin table. The wood blocks rippled for a moment before they flashed. The player smiled as he looked down on a bench. Stepping closer, he looked down to see that a grid of 4 squares by 4 squares was carved into the bench. Reaching out, he touched the 4 by 4 grid and a new 2-D screen appeared. Tools, weapons, and armor scrolled down the screen and by each one, a list of ingredients that was needed to craft the item. It was a whole new world to Will as he drank it all in. Possibilities glowed in his mind as he looked to the tool options. Small diagrams appeared on how he could create them and he quickly noticed he could make simple ones with just wood. Others appeared on the floating screen, showing new tools if he added stone or metal.

  “Time to get to work,” Will said to himself as he placed small wood blocks into the slots.

  Once he created the pattern he saw on the screen, the wood blended together and a shovel appeared. Lifting it up, Will marveled at the simple wood shovel before he put down a few more blocks and created a few more tools. A pickaxe appeared, followed by a hoe. Placing them in his inventory, they disappeared from sight except for the shovel. Will moved back to the rectangular shape of wood blocks and drove the shovel edge into the dirt. After shoveling for a moment, dirt blocks floated above the small hole. The dirt blocks appeared in his inventory a moment later. Will smiled as he continued to shovel until he removed a level of dirt on the inside of the rectangle.

  Foot stepping onto a wood block, a wood block appeared in his hand. Touching the block to the corner hole, a wood floor appeared. Will smirked again as he began placing wooden blocks until a wooden floor covered the inside of the rectangle. Planning out his next steps, the player pictured the type of home he was going to make for his first night here in Jova. With the image firm in his mind, he set to task.

  Time flowed as Will made walls and then worked on the roof. The dwelling would be completely made of wood, but he didn’t mind, it would be a start in this world. He left openings to be windows, if he could figure out how to make glass. The work was quick and not too taxing as he placed blocks along the roof, giving it a triangular shape with sloping edges. When the walls and roof were finished, Will walked to a rectangular opening and stepped inside.

  The home was large, but bare. Making his way to one side, Will made wooden block stairs and climbed them. At the top, he made a wooden floor, giving the home a loft style second floor. Rectangular holes all faced each other, giving the home symmetry. It was starting to take shape as the sun passed over head and began its descent into early afternoon.

  “I’m not sleeping on wooden blocks,” Will said out loud as he realized he needed a bed.

  Thinking about the lake in the distance, he wondered if he could find anything else he could use to help build his home. He didn’t have a way to make fire or a bed. Remembering the Work Bench outside, he stepped out of the wooden home and stood before it. A 2-D menu hovered before the bench and Will scrolled along. He saw that he could create any basic item he needed if he had the materials. A bed appeared and he looked to the recipe. It required 6 blocks of wood and 3 blocks of sheep wool.

  Will checked his inventory and saw that he only had 3 blocks of wood from what he chopped down earlier. Most of the wood he gathered went to building the home. Checking the recipes again, he saw that he could create glass windows and they only required a block of sand for each window.

  Checking the tools in his inventory, the player noticed there were colored bars next to some of his tools. The metal axe he acquired from the chest had a yellow bar next to it. The wooden shovel he used to dig had a red bar next to it.

  “It looks like the more I use you, the more you lose durability,” Will said to the tools in his inventory.

  Not wanting to be empty handed when his tools broke, he created another wooden shovel. Stepping away from the bench, he stood before a tree and began chopping at the base. After another ten minutes, he had chopped down several trees and walked back to his bench. He created a wooden axe and wooden pickaxe before checking weapon recipes. He saw that he could create a wooden sword and placed the wood blocks into a line pattern. A sword appeared and Will lifted it up. He looked it over, seeing that it wouldn’t do much damage, but it was all he could create if he was going to see the lake before sundown. Placing the tools in his inventory and the sword to his belt, he felt ready for a small journey.

  Pulling out his map, he saw that if he stayed within the confines of the map, he could easily find his way back to his new home. Not wanting to waste any more time, the young man looked in the direction of the lake and began walking.

  The solace was soothing, but a little unnerving as Will walked through the forest. He could hear the sounds of animals, but nothing else. The wind had died and a calm blanketed the cool forest. Thoughts floated like clouds on his mind. The lack of sensory overload caused his shoulders to relax. The world seemed at peace and Will found he was slipping into a relaxed state. Thoughts drifted back to his home, the day more than half over and he felt it was a good start.

  A sound of rustling touched his ears. Hand falling to the pommel of his sword, the player moved to a tree and scanned the area. Bushes shivered not too far away and Will drew his sword. The wooden sword felt odd in his hand, almost unnatural, but it was the only weapon he had at the moment. He thought back to his metal axe and considered it a backup if the sword wasn’t going to cut it.

  The bushes trembled again and something emerged. Will was about to pounce when dull eyes stared down, grass in its mouth and a loud chewing filling the air. Will watched as several sheep with horns appeared behind the first one, mouths taking in grass and chewing their cud.

  “Sheep wool and meat,” Will thought as he readied himself.

  The player knew he had to survive and if it meant killing a few beasts, he had no issue with it. A new thrill took hold as he readied the sword. Silent as a grave, he bounced from behind a tree. A shadow fell over a sheep as it looked up with blank eyes. It made no move to run as it stared at the flying shadow over it. Eyes bulged and it let out a shrill cry as the sword point stabbed into its fur and body. The other sheep balked, turning and running while the one Will had stabbed through struggled to run.

  Will grabbed a horn with his left hand, pulled the sword and stabbed it again. The creature let out another shrill cry before it collapsed in a heap. Blood dripped from its wounds as Will pulled back his sword. An instant later, the sheep melted into the ground and three puffs of sheep fur appeared alongside two pieces of mutton.

  Will touched the items and they quickly were sucked into his inventory. Seeing that he had just enough sheep fur to make a bed brought a small smile to the young man’s lips before he spotted the two other sheep not far away. They had returned to eating grass as if they didn’t witness the death of their fellow sheep. Not wanting to waste potential resources, Will lifted his wooden sword and charged.

  It didn’t take long, slicing through both sheep in turn, their bodies falling to the forest floor. The wood sword’s durability bar went down to yellow but it did the job it was intended to do. Will picked up 6 more pieces of sheep wool and 4 more pieces of mutton. Will was about to stand up when something glowed behind the last piece of mutton he picked up.

  Will looked down at a small, smooth oval stone. It held a kaleidoscope of swirling colors and the player was momentarily stunned by its beauty. Picking it up, he stood and marveled at its radiance. Remembering he needed a soul stone for the Soul Casket, he placed the st
one in his inventory before moving on.

  “Living here is going to be really easy,” Will said to himself as he pressed on through the forest.

  It didn’t take long before he emerged from the forest and saw a crystal-clear lake. The sun dipped lower in the afternoon sky as he approached the sandy edge, noticing a small rocky outcropping over the water not too far away. Will knelt to the sand and cupped his hand in the water. Lifting it up, he drank and new vitality rushed into his form. The water tasted pure as he took another handful. He wished he had something to carry water back to the house, but he put it in his thoughts to make something and come back tomorrow.

  Standing up, he pulled a shovel from his inventory as he eyed the sand along the lake edge. Digging in, he shoveled out large clumps of sand that turned into blocks and quickly entered his inventory. Shoveling and collecting sand was much easier than wood and dirt. It didn’t take long before he reached ninety-nine blocks of sand, the max an inventory slot would hold. Not wanting to take any chances, he filled a second slot half way before he turned his attention to the rock outcropping.

  The gray stone pointing out over the lake had patches that glimmered in the late afternoon sun. Will made his way over, eyeing the patches of crystal among the gray stone. Pulling his pickaxe from his inventory, he went to work. The wooden pickaxe shattered stone which was completely at odds with what Will knew about wood and stone. Blocks of stone fell and appeared in his inventory as he worked. A patch of crystals shattered as he drove the pickaxe point into it. Will worked harder as he noticed Quartz was added to his inventory. After another strike, a piece of gray and black flint was knocked away from the stone and added to the player’s inventory.

  Will continued until the pickaxe bar turned red and it broke on one last swing. The tool disintegrated as Will swung down, the momentum causing him to lose balance. A fist hit stone and he stumbled back, boots touching water and falling backwards with a splash.

  Will sat up in the water, soaking wet and a smile on his lips. He was glad no one was around to see that. Upon further thought, he was extremely happy no one was around to witness anything he did. The world was vast and he could spend lifetimes exploring it. It brought a lightness to his heart as he stood up, water dripping.

  Something splashed from behind.

  Will spun around, wooden sword in hand as ripples moved along the lake water’s surface. The player stared at the water, perfectly still, ready for anything. The ripples dissipated and calm returned to the small lake.

  “Might be a fish,” Will told himself, unconvinced.

  Will stepped out of the lake water and glanced down as a hand pulled back into reeds.

  “FUCK!” Will shouted as he pointed his sword to the water’s edge.

  Something was in the water and it had nearly touched him. The image flashed in his mind, but it happened so quick, he wasn’t sure he saw a normal pale hand or a decayed one. The tension gnawed at him as he backed away, eyes staring at the lake.

  When he felt it was as safe as it was going to be, he turned and marched into the forest. The shadows seemed to lengthen as concern touched Will’s brow. It didn’t occur to him that there might be other things here aside from animals. Picking up the pace, he moved through the forest with liquid ease until he came across the clearing and his home standing in the middle.

  The player moved to the Work Bench and called up the 2-D menu. Wanting to make glass, he checked the requirements and saw that he needed a stone oven. Growling to himself, Will looked up to the sky to see the sun was close to the horizon. In an hour it would be dark and he still didn’t have a door or windows. Time was running out and he had to work fast. If that thing he saw in the lake came onto land after dark, it could simply crawl into his home while he slept.

  Will moved to his home and entered the entryway. Moving to a wall, he created another Work Bench and placed it against the wall. At the new bench, he saw that all he needed was stone to make the oven. Hand pulling stone from his inventory, he placed each piece in the required slot until a small stone oven appeared. Will picked it up and placed it on the floor next to the work bench. The oven grew until it was half the size of the bench. It had a section where you could add fuel and another section with a shelf above it.

  Will quickly forgot about the thing in the lake as he focused on crafting. Placing several pieces of wood in the base, he wondered how he was going to light it. Checking his inventory, he saw the piece of flint. A small stone block appeared in his left hand and a piece of flint in his right. Taking the flint, he struck it against the stone and sparks flew. Kneeling to the wood in the oven, he struck the flint to the stone once and the wood caught instantly.

  “Not so hard,” Will smiled as he added a few more pieces of wood.

  Standing up, he placed blocks of sand in the oven like the requirements dictated in the recipe. Sand bubbled before it spread out and formed into panes of glass. Heat billowed from the oven, but Will glanced to the open portals to see the sky darkening.

  While the sand turned into glass, Will stepped over to the bench again. He called up a recipe to create a door. Placing wood blocks in the appropriate slots, they melted together and door appeared. Will picked it up and stepped to the entrance. Connecting the door, it snapped into place, complete with a sliding lock and groove it can fit into.

  The last rays of sunlight disappeared past the horizon before an orange flash filled the sky. The edges of night crept along as stars gleamed in the vast distance. Will moved to the oven and saw that six panes of glass were stacked on each other. Reaching in, he didn’t even think he might burn his hands until he touched them. Despite the heat coming off the oven, the glass was cool to the touch.

  Will pulled the glass out and walked over to the first window. He placed a pane against it and it snapped into place. With a smile, he did the same to all the ground floor windows and when it was finished, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I hope it’s enough,” he said to himself as he returned to the bench.

  The tension bled from his shoulders again as he pulled out components and began crafting again. A small bed appeared in his inventory. Moving to the makeshift stairs and climbing them to the loft, he picked a spot by touching it. The bed glowed in his inventory and when he stepped back, it appeared next to the wall. Will stepped to the side of the bed, hand reaching down and touching the soft blanket covering it. It astounded him that crafting was so simple, but effective. Turning, he flopped backwards onto the bed and let out another deep sigh.

  “What an exhausting day,” Will stated as he enjoyed the soft comfort of his new bed.

  The soft bed and weary muscles caused his eyelids to become heavy. Thoughts rose up, telling him he had more to do, but the player ignored them. The siren call of sleep caressed his nerves. The home grew darker, the only limited light was from the base of the oven. With low lighting, it only added to Will’s weariness and not long later, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

  Outside, crickets sang their nightly song. The air was touched with an ocean breeze, a lone home standing in a small clearing. The sounds of the night vanished, crickets quieting their symphony when gray things stepped from the primal darkness. They lumbered and lurched, filling the forest and moving toward the new structure standing in small, dark clearing.

  Three

  Will sat; his eyes lost as bodies moved around him. The gentle murmur of conversations flowed like wine as he sat in the corner, silent with his elbows on his knees. No one looked in his direction, talking as if he wasn’t there. The mood was jovial if not a bit subdued.

  Will’s gaze fell to the back of his hands before him. The skin was smooth and pale. A faraway thought screamed in the distance, but the young man couldn’t hear what it was saying. Squinting, he continued to look at the back of his hands, a distant muffled voice calling to him.

  Music grew louder as did voices. Will stared, the voice in the distance drowned out. White marks appeared along his hands and when he blinked, p
ale scars writhed and moved like worms, pulsating and stretching as if to break the skin.

  Will’s heart beat rapidly in his chest as he tried to wipe away the crawling scars. They continued to writhe, unaffected by his futile attempts. The crowd around him blended away to rising shadows. Will frantically clawed at his own skin, trying again and again to remove the crawling scars. Teeth gritted as a flame of fury began to grow. Anger turned into a tormenting madness, clawing at his own hands, and blood blooming. The shadows grew, covering bodies as oval eyes turned to the frantic young man in the corner.

  Blood dripped before Will looked up. The room had turned into some otherworldly temple, filled with statues of men, women, and monsters. The people around him had become shadows, black as pitch, but their eyes glowed, all of them facing Will as he sat on a stone chair, hands stained in wet crimson.

  Will’s eyes widened, but the anger and fury were still there, burning at his soul. Bloody hands curled into tight, wet fists as he readied to launch at the shadows watching him, silently judging him.

  “Back off or I’ll beat you to a pulp,” Will growled before standing up.

  Whispers filled the temple, but there were no mouths among the circle of shadows. They continued to stare as Will’s rage neared its zenith. Pain and torment fueled the player, ready to stop their dreadful stare when one shadow floated closer, yellow oval eyes unblinking.

  “You…are…strong,” the shadow whispered.

  Will lifted up bloody fists. “Get any closer and you’re done.”

  The shadow hovered, yellow eyes staring into Will’s soul. “Find us…or they will find you.”

  “I just want to live my life in peace,” Will growled.

  “Find us…and you will know peace…through strength…and cunning,” the shadow hissed.

  “I don’t even know who you are. This is just a dream,” Will said, his fists lowering an inch.