The Core: The First Guest

44. The worst surprise

"Who the heck am I?" I said as I reread the little block of text several times while I made my way deeper inside the curving and branching tunnel system. When I reached the first intersection to two new paths I stopped and looked around. The first branch was sloped downwards, seemingly to another level below and the second was an upwards path. I could keep on and around the exterior of the mound's outer wall if I continued straight on.

While I decided which way to go I decided to reply to whoever C the Champion was. I didn't like their superior tone though so I kept my response annoying and brief.

~Feed your own ego. I'm busy.~

I didn't have time to waste on someone who thought that they owned this game. I had already almost died simply by trying to figure out my interface and I was already beginning to see how deadly this place was. At least my ankle wasn't bothering me and seemed to actually be healing the longer I waited.

~Excuse me? You stole what is rightfully mine! - C the Champion~

~I didn't touch your brain.~

~What? No, I mean you took First Blood. That is always mine. - C the Champion~

Always theirs? What is this nonsense?

~So basically you are the Champion of Whining and Complaining?~

A red cross appeared in the text area along with a short description.

~X = Cavii has enabled PVP (Player versus Player) mode. Enable PVP mode if you would like to go head to head with all other PVP-marked players.~

"Ha! Not likely." I muttered to myself as I heard a rustling noise coming from the way that I had just come. It wasn't the wind running past the entrance of the tunnel... no... it was something else. I picked the path that continued further around the inner wall of the mound and quickly continued on, my ears listening for the approach of the strange noise while I made my way around the perimeter of the mound.

~Hey coward! Enable PVP so I can find you on the map and take back what is mine! - C the Champion~

So that is what this person did. They probably always bullied and challenged anyone who got anything good inside this game and made a name for themselves being a douchebag. I was freshly minted with this game and wasn't about to let this Cavii end my adventure until I got some more experience. He or she knew that this was my first time playing this game because it announced that it was my First Kill as well. At least I knew how to find them now when I was prepared. All I had to do was let them know where I was as well.

My short talk with Cavii did give me some useful information though. PVP made it so that you could take other people's stuff and there was a map available in the interface.

I tried to open a mini-map and was pleasantly surprised when a little 3D map appeared in front of me with a little yellow line marking where I had been. I left it floating in front of me as I paused to listen. Something was following me. I turned and looked back down the tunnel and found the source of the noise just coming into view. It was a Fomys. The maggot-like creature was pulling itself through the tunnels by using four limbs to grab the ridges in the walls. It seemed to glide across the ground by secreting a thin layer of a glistening substance from under its ripply belly.

"Ok, that is good news I guess. That means that none of the natives can come from that way if the Fomys blocks the whole tunnel with its ugly body." I said as I went back to studying the map. I needed to either move inwards or to continue around the outer edge to get a feel for just how large this mound was.

Five objects struck me in the chest and shoulder, throwing me to the ground. The fall knocked the breath out of me and I heard a strange whistling sound when I inhaled. I didn't feel any pain besides the initial feeling of something pricking my chest. I tried to inhale again, hearing a wheezing sound with every attempt. The sound was coming from my chest area. Everything was getting harder to move with each passing second.