The bark wraps were a miserable solution. They crunched with every step, shifted unpredictably, and offered all the flexibility of two small, splintered planks tied to his feet. But they were a barrier between his socks and the forest floor. For now, that was enough.
Ali sighed, the sound heavy in the damp air. He looked at the slivers of light piercing the canopy. The grey was warming to pale gold. Morning.
"System," he said, his voice low and weary. "I don't want to waste time here. I need to find civilization. A village, a town, a goddamn farmhouse—anything. The sun's coming up, not down. Could there be a chance that whatever… summoned or dumped us here, did it close to some kind of settlement? Wouldn't that make sense?"
The blue text shimmered, processing.
[Query Acknowledged: Probability of Proximity to Civilization.]
Data Source: User's speculative fiction database, historical patterns of summoning lore, basic logistical reasoning.
Analysis:
Intentional Summoning Hypothesis: If this was a deliberate summoning by a mage or entity, logic suggests a controlled environment (circle, chamber, sanctum) would be preferred. Such locations are often near but not within population centers due to secrecy, safety, or ritual contamination concerns. Probability of being within 1-hour walk: Low. Within 1-day travel: Moderate.
Accidental/Interference Hypothesis: If this was a mistake or spell backlash, the location is random within the effective range of the originating magic. Probability distribution: unknown. Could be a wilderness, a lake, or the center of a capital city. Data insufficient.
Hostile Displacement Hypothesis: If you were removed by a hostile force, the goal may have been disposal. Location would be deliberately remote. Probability of being near civilization: Very Low.
Conclusion: Insufficient data to determine intent. However, leveraging the Intentional Summoning model as the most structured scenario, there is a moderate probability you are within a day's travel of a population center, assuming the summoner adhered to common logistical and security practices.
Additional Observation: The forest composition suggests old growth. Minimal signs of humanoid passage (cut branches, trails, refuse). This leans against being immediately adjacent to frequented areas.
Recommendation: Choose a direction based on environmental cues (water flow, animal paths, slope gradient) and maintain consistent travel. Searching for civilization is viable. Assuming you will find it today is optimistic.
Ali processed the cold, probabilistic breakdown. It wasn't a yes or no. It was a series of ifs and maybes.
"Fine. So, pick a direction and walk. Got it." He scanned the trees. Everything looked the same. "Which way, then? Got any 'environmental cues' for me?"
[Analyzing Immediate Surroundings.]
Slope: Gentle decline to the east (~3°). Water often follows downward gradients.
Sound: Faint, consistent white-noise profile detected at low frequency from the north-northeast. Probable source: moving water (stream, river).
Flora: Moss growth on tree trunks is marginally thicker on the north-facing sides (in this hemisphere, assuming planetary similarity).
Suggestion: Moving water is a priority for survival and is often a focal point for settlement. Recommend vector: North-Northeast.
A direction. Not a guarantee, but a vector. A line drawn in the mental dirt.
"North-Northeast it is."
He began to walk.
The forest was not silent. It was a tapestry of small, unsettling sounds. Things scurried in the leaf litter—things he never saw. Birds with unsettling, fluting calls moved in the high branches. Once, he heard a deep, guttural cough that was definitely not a bird, far off to his left. He froze, his heart hammering. The System offered no analysis—the sound was too distant, too brief.
[Note: User's stress hormones are elevating with each unfamiliar auditory stimulus. Long-term exposure may lead to Trait formation: [Jumpy] or [Hyper-Vigilance].]
"Gee, I wonder why," he muttered, forcing his legs to move again.
The walking was agony. Not the intense pain of injury, but a deep, grinding discomfort. The bark chafed. His unused muscles protested. His lungs, accustomed to the stale air of his room, burned with the effort. After what felt like an hour but was likely twenty minutes, a new line of text appeared, utterly devoid of sympathy.
[Physical Exertion Threshold Crossed.]
[Skill Learned: Hiking (Level 1, Tier 0 | Lesser)]
You are moving your body across uneven terrain for a prolonged period. Efficiency is catastrophically poor. Gait is unstable. Energy wastage is extreme. This is a basic pattern of movement, graded as 'Lesser'—the lowest recognized competency. System optimization engaged: adjusting stride length, balancing arm swing, moderating pace. Compliance will reduce fatigue accumulation.
He didn't feel any different. But a part of his mind, usually preoccupied with panic or frustration, now subtly noticed the way he was planting his feet. He found himself automatically shifting his weight a little differently on a slope. It was unnerving—like a ghost was tweaking his posture.
"Don't think about it. Just walk."
The sound of water grew slowly from a suggestion to a certainty. The air grew damper. Finally, he pushed through a thicket of ferns and saw it: a stream, about ten feet wide, clear water rushing over a bed of smooth, dark stones. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He stumbled to the bank, falling to his knees. He plunged his hands into the water. It was bitingly cold. He cupped some and brought it to his lips, pausing.
"System. Is it safe to drink?"
[Visual Analysis: Water is clear, fast-moving. No visible algal blooms or surface contaminants.]
[Warning: Analysis is limited. Cannot detect microbial life, magical pollutants, or dissolved toxins without [Hydrology] or [Alchemy] skills. Boiling is recommended. Risk assessment: Moderate. Dehydration poses a more immediate threat than potential waterborne pathogens, given user's current state.]**
A calculated risk. He drank. The water was cold and tasted of stone and earth. He drank until his stomach felt tight, then sat back on the muddy bank, catching his breath. The relative quiet, broken only by the stream's rush, let the fear creep back in, colder than the water.
He looked around at the ancient, towering trees. It was too quiet. Too still.
"System," he said, his voice lower. "What about predators? Beasts? This is a fantasy world, right? There could be… I don't know, wolves the size of cars. Or magic beasts. Things that hunt. So why haven't we seen anything? Heard anything besides some birds and that one cough? Not that I'm complaining, but… it feels wrong."
He paused, a darker thought occurring. "Are we being watched? Hunted right now?"
The System's response was swift, its tone clinical but focused.
[Query Acknowledged: Threat Assessment & Anomalous Lack of Encounters.]
Analysis:
1. Ecological Probability: A forest of this biomass should support a significant predator-prey dynamic. The absence of visual encounters with mid-to-large fauna is statistically notable.
2. Auditory Data: The distant vocalization (designated *Sound-04*) possessed acoustic characteristics inconsistent with known Earth herbivores. Likely a carnivore or omnivore of significant mass.
3. Hypothesis A - Temporal: We may be in a low-activity period (post-dawn, many nocturnal predators resting, diurnal ones not yet fully active).
4. Hypothesis B - Territorial: We may be in a border zone or territory of an apex predator whose scent/sign marks suppress activity of other large creatures. Our own foreign scent may be causing cautious observation, not immediate engagement.
5. Hypothesis C - Nutritional: We may not be perceived as viable prey due to our size, unfamiliar scent, or apparent weakness (predators often cull the sick/weak, but may avoid novel potential toxins/diseases).
6. Magical Threat Potential: Data insufficient. If magical beasts exist, their behavior and perception cannot be modeled. They could be invisible, dormant, or perceive reality through senses we lack.
Conclusion: The absence of contact is not safety. It is an unknown variable. Probability of being observed by something is high. Probability of immediate attack is currently low but unstable—may change with our movement, the time of day, or crossing an unseen territorial boundary.
Recommendation: Your instinct is correct. Cover as much ground as possible during daylight. Find defensible shelter before dusk. Assume you are in a hunting ground. Move with purpose, minimize noise, but do not run erratically—that may trigger a chase instinct. The goal is to exit the area, not explore it.
Ali's blood ran cold. The analysis was worse than a simple "yes, there are monsters." It was a web of probabilities and lurking unknowns. The forest felt different now. Not just empty, but purposely empty around him. A cleared stage.
"Shit," he breathed out, pushing himself to his feet. His bark wraps were soggy and falling apart. He didn't care.
"Okay. North-Northeast. Fast. But not running. Got it."
He looked for a place to cross the stream, his eyes darting to every shadow. The water was a barrier, but also a path. Following it downstream might lead to people, but it was also a natural trail for animals… and what hunts them.
He found a line of stones. As he stepped onto the first slick rock, another notice appeared.
[Note on Skill Progression Clarification: All new skills begin at Grade: Lesser (or below). Progression involves 'Leveling' within a 'Tier.' Reaching maximum level within a Tier allows for an 'Upgrade'—this advances the Tier (e.g., Tier 0 to Tier 1) while retaining the skill's core function and Grade, refining it. 'Evolution' is distinct. It changes the skill's fundamental Grade (e.g., from Lesser to Basic, or Basic to High), often consuming and replacing the old skill with a superior version or branching into a variant. Data is insufficient to confirm if reaching maximum Upgrades is a prerequisite for Evolution. Consider Upgrades as horizontal refinement. Evolution is vertical transcendence.]
Mechanics. Upgrades. Evolution. Right now, the only skill that mattered was getting across this stream without becoming a meal for something watching from the deep green shadows.
He took another step, the water rushing around his ankles, cold piercing through the ragged bark. The forest on the other side looked no different. But he had to believe it led somewhere.
Anywhere but here.