S_Winter

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bribe

Creating my clay pots definitely takes longer than I’d expected. Just forming the first one takes the rest of the time until dusk. Gauging my tiredness level, I decide to continue by the light of...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Inter-dimensional Amazon

The first thing I check is my experimental cooking arrangements. The chimney is looking pretty good, and seems to be directing the smoke out of my cave rather than into it, which is good. Not so go...

Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Good Addition

When I get absolutely sick of twisting bark fibre and watching clay dry, I decide to move onto a different, equally important project. Walking out of the cave, I find Kalanthia sitting outside.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Round the Twist

I continue building my fireplace, using the same strategy of moulding a thin sausage of clay, choosing shards of shale, pressing down gently, then rinse and repeat. It takes me a while, but I can�...

Chapter Thirty-Five: From an Unexpected Source

As the poison takes over, I feel my limbs weakening and my stones strike with less and less force. Finally, I lose the ability to keep myself balanced and fall over. By this point, I’ve given up ...

Chapter Thirty-Four: Smack in the Face

Walking out of my cave the next day, I feel a mixture of glee and guilt at the sight of my new Bound still lying at the entrance. It’s awake, looking at me with calm eyes, not seeming to be raili...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Bound

The porcupig – Grenslar, whatever – follows me into my alcove, though the darkness inside combined with its murky colouring makes it almost impossible to see. In fact, it’s only by the odd sh...

Chapter Thirty-Two: Biological Digger

For a moment, I feel disorientated and blink quickly at the suddenly bright light piercing my eyes. Fortunately, neither effect lasts long and I’m soon fighting-fit again. Though, if that’s the...

Chapter Thirty-One: Pressure

I’ve been going without a fire most of the last few days. In fact, I’ve only really lit one to boil water once a day and to cook the hearts of beasts I’ve killed, and that only because I know...

Chapter Thirty: Fade

“Sorry,” I tell her sheepishly. “I’ll clean up. I was just levelling up.” There’s a huff and the rumble cuts out, but no words. Matching action to words, I do my best to clean up. It’...

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Levelling Up

I’m staring at my status screen. I can’t help it: I’m at 99% progress towards the next level and I’m just waiting for that number to tick over to 100%. My progress has been much quicker tha...

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cat Toy

The next morning, I wake to the sound of a chest-rumbling growl. Ah, my alarm clock. Ten out of ten for waking me up – the adrenaline rush of hearing a large predator growling menacingly gets rid...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Predator

By the time I decide to head back to my campsite, I’ve had three successful hunts, and two unsuccessful ones, excluding my encounter with the porcupigs. Despite wanting to try out my Class Skill ...

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Aggressor

It’s an issue I have to face. Unless I restrict myself to only killing seriously wounded, ill, or very old members of the species, I will have to kill healthy members at some point, and all of th...

Chapter Twenty-five: They’re Real

There’s one good reason for me to level up as quickly as possible. Apparently I get access to a selection of Skills at specific level intervals. My first Skill selection is at level one, hence my...

Chapter Twenty-Four: Self-care

I sleep. Deeply, and for a long time. I wake up at some point when it’s dark and quiet, my stomach rumbling. Fortunately, the Inventory seems to have a little of its own light – it’s odd beca...

Chapter Twenty-Three: No Doctor, or Optician

I stare at my status screen, feeling shocked at the amount of Energy that was taken. I’d guessed it might be the case when I saw the messages, but hoped that I was wrong. Sure enough, when I look...

Chapter Twenty-Two: Literal Life-saver

Am I to assume by that comment that you wish to stay here?  She questioned calmly. I nod, then, realising she probably can’t read human body language any better than I can read hers...

Chapter Twenty-One: Arrangement

The option of going to a place of Kalanthia’s recommendation, I don’t really spend much time thinking over. I don’t know anything about this guardian; I don’t know whether I would be able t...

Chapter Twenty: To Deny Reward is to Deny the Deed

The leopard mother moves closer and then...nudges me with her great head hard enough that I fall back into the chair. Then, withdrawing a little, she slumps back into her previous position and her ...

Chapter Nineteen: Please don’t eat me!

When I wake up, I’m almost surprised. I’d thought it was too late, that the potion had been too little, too late in the style of all the best tragedies. Or had the whole thing even happened? Ha...

Chapter Eighteen: The Cub and Wolvezard

My health and stamina finally full, it’s time for me to continue. Unlike the snake previously, I'm actually looking forward to trying out the killer-chicken meat. Mm, KFC, I can...

Chapter Seventeen: Hearts

Scrabbling around in the dirt, I try to find a rock or something which I can use to deal some blunt-force damage. I spot a rough stick lying not far away and I still. It’s a stick about three fee...

Chapter Sixteen: Killer Chickens

Holding down the power button, I find myself unconsciously holding my breath. The screen stays black for what seems to be far longer than normal, but just as I’m on the verge of giving up in disa...

Chapter Fifteen: So, what is this all about?

The next morning dawns bright and early but I’m fully awake seconds after opening my eyes. As I learnt from my snake-alarm the day before yesterday, a near-death experience is just as good a stim...

Chapter Fourteen: Skin of my Teeth

About when the sun hits its zenith, I decide to stop for a quick bite of lunch. Bird meat, again, of course. I hesitate, but ultimately don’t eat any more of the beans. I only have a handful left...

Chapter Thirteen: Vigilance

Making a decision that a shelter right next to the river doesn’t seem like the best of ideas, I start looking for a spot a little more distant. I don’t know what creatures come to drink here, s...

Chapter Twelve: Now

I wake feeling disorientated, my muddled brain taking a few moments to straighten things out. I’m staring up at the sun, or at least, at the sun through the dappling effect of layers upon layers ...

Chapter Eleven: Regeneration

Before

The next thing I know, I hear birdsong. Why can I hear birdsong? We don’t get many birds in the city? And why can’t I recognise the calls? I realise that ...

Chapter Ten: Pattern of Blood

Before

I wake up when a ray of sunlight hits my face. No, actually, I wake up and decide to get upthen: it hasn’t exactly been a restful night. I think I ...