Non Player Character

Chapter 15 - The Greater Good

I dug a fire pit while Tara brought me wood. I stacked the wood like my real father had taught me to and used dry leaves as kindling. It only took three sparks from the flint and steel to bring it to flame.

A notification popped showing that I had gained another point in the first tier of FIRESTARTER. Two more to go, and I'd have the associated passive unlocked, which gave me an increase in fire damage and burn duration. I had no idea how something like that was possible, but I was beginning to realize just how much control the system had over the physics of the world.

It had crossed my mind that I might be able to grind the Competency up by lighting fires over and over, but it seemed like a lot of work, and I assumed there was some sort of timer in place to prevent unfair growth.

After I started the fire, I moved on to my next task.

Memories of my farm life on Erda included knowledge of how to properly gut and dress an animal. Having an entirely false identity engraved into your mind wasn't entirely bad, I guessed.

The first step was to tie the wolf up by its hind legs. I tried it on my own but gave up quickly. Even with two good arms, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it alone, so I called Tara over.

She helped me tie a knot around the legs, and we lifted together. Once it was lifted, I was able to use my good shoulder to hold most of the weight, allowing her to tie off the other end of the rope on a low, sturdy branch.

Once that was done, she stepped away and went straight to the creek to wash her hands. I think she got some blood on them.

My sword wasn't ideal for gutting an animal, but I did have a fancy new dagger that never dulled. With a thought, my sword vanished from the homemade leather slipknot I used to secure it to my hip. The thick leather cord bounced as if searching for the mass held only a moment ago.

Keeping my eyes on my hip, I selected the dagger from my inventory and mentally equipped it. Sure enough, the small blade appeared out of nowhere like magic. Interestingly, the band of leather that served as my 'sheath' had shrunk by several inches to accommodate the much smaller weapon.

That minor phenomenon prompted a strange question.

'Hey Val, let's say I'm naked and equip a sword from my inventory. Where does it go?'

"Why are you naked?"

'I'm not naked! In the scenario, I am naked.'

"I am aware of your current state of dress. I was asking why you were naked in this scenario."

'Oh.'

"Do you have a question, John?"

'Where does my sword go if I don't have something on my body that can hold it?'

"I would expect the weapon to manifest in a suitable location near you. If possible, it will be a spot where no other objects conflict with its presence."

'What if something does conflict with its presence?'

"The weapon would take precedence, and the object in question would be dislodged."

Wow, that was surprisingly specific. 'Okay. Thanks. Just wondering.'

"I live to serve."

I pulled the Elkhorn Dagger from my hip and admired the blade. It was razor sharp and gently curved. The elk's horn that served as the handle had a similar curve but in the opposing direction.

It was a nice dagger, and I hadn't used it yet, so I put it to work.

It was a nasty business, and the wolf smelled worse than any deer I had ever gutted. But I held my breath and powered through until the worst part of the job was done. Once the guts were pitched far away, I returned to skin it.