Chapter 1: Survive

Pushed back by the impact I barely have the chance to squeeze my trigger in a futile attempt at retaliation before slamming onto the floor as my grip on consciousness is pulled out along with the bullet drilling through my head.

Panicking, I feel myself lose consciousness yet awaken at the same time, oxygen forcing its way through my nostrils and filling my empty lungs, it hurts and I scream, shooting up as I do.

Taking note of the frightened men standing above me, they wear charred clothes and only one of the two had boots not completely destroyed.

They look to themselves and then to me. Trying to stand I call out for their help, I've no clue who they are, or where I am but it feels wrong.

"Help…" the word comes out coarse and groggy, and the loss of air made my lungs met out punishment, I wince but hold up my hand to them.

But the men flinch, one damn well near running. I look about myself, finding nothing baring any familiarity aside from the wet walls that surround me.

My hand feels heavy, I take a look at it and finally take note of the rather large brown, bound book in my hand.

I look to the men again, the one who ran waits for his partner ahead, and offer them a different hand to take and help assuage my pain however they could.

This time the men simply bolt, they've been arguing with each other over not killing me properly and I realize I've been a victim of a murder, and yet I still live.

Watching their backs as they flee prompts me to run after them; my surroundings not exactly hospitable; there is a skeleton on the floor next to where I been awakened.

"Help…!" I call out, louder and clearer this time.

The men seem to start running even faster, "Hurry up, he's about to chant us to smithereens! I told you we shouldn't have taken this job!"

"Ah, give it a rest, we're getting a lot more money with the rest of the crew dead anyway, he did us a favour!"

The words they utter felt…foreign and new, in fact, they are. The two are speaking in an entirely different language than my traditional English, and yet I understand every word.

Continuously I call out to them for help, although it probably isn't the wisest thing to do with your would-be killers.

I chase after them until I can see a bright light pierce through the veil of darkness, I feel a smile creep unto my face until the one with boots tosses something at the top of the entrance.

Whatever he threw promptly explodes in a large and violent blast of rock and debris that tosses me back. The light goes out and my ears ring, I am left in the dark with the only exit I know of blasted to smithereens.

Feeling ready to run now, I sprint toward the pile of rock, intent on kicking in an opening only to fail miserably and hurt my ankle. I fall onto the floor, fatigued all of a sudden. There's a ringing at the back of my head but I ignore it and fall yet again into unconsciousness.

When I come to nothing had changed around me, with the exception of a serious neck ache and a growling stomach of course.

Finally, I looked down at myself. My body feels like it's itching everywhere, I take a close look at my fingers; they are longer, slimmer than ever before and I even had long, seemingly sharpened red painted nails.

This is unusual for me, my fingers have always been short and stubby, and I've never been brave enough to paint my nails. Exploring the rest of my body, I notice that I now stand taller, way taller than my usual five feet, and underneath the grey robe and cloak I wear I had on only underpants and not the modern kind. Was I cosplaying again?

My stomach growls and I remember why I'm up again. I am starving. I pick up my only possession and begin walking back the way I came. I flipped through the contents of the book, it spoke of spells, fires, summoning patron gods and more fire. I must have been cosplaying.

Walking all the way to where I woke up, with the entrance shut off, there wasn't much light to go by, although there are bits and pieces of these glowing objects on the floor. Thanks to these I get to see that there are at least two skeletons on the damp mossy floor.

I feel my heart beat a lot faster now, but I don't panic, these skeletons; with hair on their skulls and swords and arrows by them could easily be all part of the cosplay. Although, that left me no explanation for why my body isn't my body.

My ears perk up and the hair on my neck stands erect at the sudden roaring from deep within the cave, several chittering follows the loud roar, I see insects and rodents zoom past me and I wonder whether I should be running along with them.

"No, It's just sound effects. This isn't a cave, it's a building shaped like a cave. These aren't actual skeletons, they're for immersion purposes. This is my body; I probably just suffer from dissociate personality disorder."

Granting myself the best of explanations to my situation, I pick up the sword next to the skeleton props and walk forward, chances are the only way out was in.

Cautiously, I placed one foot in front of the other and venture deep into the cave, regardless of whatever I think this is, my body tells me otherwise. Eventually, I left the long narrow path that led back to the entrance and entered a large, structured opening with many routes to take.

The base of this new part of the cave has elevations that easily worked as stairs to the top-where I stood- and to the base, where the largest Bear I'd seen was feasting on the carcass of something green and alive…well, perhaps not after that crunch.

I stand there, mystified by the sight, I let out a gasp and shift backwards, an action I soon regret. The giant halts its feast, sniffing the air above it and quickly sets its sights on me.

It lets out a powerful roar that reverberates through me, regardless of whatever I think this place is it's hard to ignore the screaming instinct to turn tail and run.

And so, I flee!

I run back through the path not bothering to look back to see the beast chasing after me as its rapid stomping shook the very ground beneath my feet. For some unfortunate reason, it's terribly difficult running away from a giant hungry Bear in long robes, before I know it, I'm tripping over myself and falling onto the hard-mossy ground.

There's a bleeping sound and for a moment I think I have my phone again.

[You suffered a shallow cut. HP -2]

HP? What the hell?

The Bear roared again, I turn over my back and face the Bear, a wave of relief washes over me as I find the beast is too large to make it any further through the path.

I get off the floor and dust myself off, I'd scrapped my knee in the fall but the blue ethereal box didn't say that.

I tried tapping on the box only for my hand to pass straight through it. However, it does open up a new, much larger box filled with details about…myself?

[Character Information]

[Name]

Asher Taserman (Formerly Pluzur the Eternal Flame)

[Class]

Warlock;Pyromancy

[Age]

138 years

[Affiliation]

Lesser God of Burning (Severed)

[HP]

200/200

INT

179

[MP]

578/578

[Skill List]

Name Proficiency

Flames -

Fire Bolt -

Fire Ball -

Unable to focus on the overwhelming news that I was hitchhiking in a foreign body that was not only resurrected by my soul being falling into it but was apparently a century old. I left the scratching and roaring sights of the bear in the background for a more serene place. Next to the dead. Yes, after almost being mauled by a bear and discovering my 'stats' I'd likened myself to the truth that these skeletons were not props after all.

I take a closer look at the screen detailing my abilities. Luckily, I am familiar with the mechanisms of a game world, and if this was truly the type of world I am stuck in and not some fucked up reality TV show, then my next action should have an effect.

"Flames!" I proclaim, my hands outstretched and my eyes closed. Feeling no heat however, I open up my eyes to a new notification.

[Action Unavailable.]

[Please re-select all job classes after resurrections.]

Right, I haven't set my class. How do I do that?

As though reading my thoughts, the box is replaced by an in-dept detailing of my 'old' class; Warlock-Pyromancy and the potential new classes I could now choose from.

Ugh, I hate reading.