The Fool's Freedom

Alan continued following the strange monster. It was harder to keep track of it now, so he had to keep a closer distance, ever-vigilant for the movement of bushes and rustling of leaves as the imp often disappeared from sight. More moonlight seemed to pierce the barrier above, making things easier to see, at least at a short distance. It was almost as if the forest gave him just enough visibility, but not too much. The unnatural silence confused and distracted him though. His mind kept going back to it, trying to remember if the forest had been as silent an hour before. Focus.

His hold over the skills slipped and Alan felt like his body suddenly became impossibly clumsy. Leaning on a nearby tree was all he could do to stop himself from falling. He cringed as he became aware of how sweaty he was and it was not due to the temperature, which was somehow absolutely perfect. His muscles ached like a bitch. Physical therapy had often left him feeling similar, only not even half as bad.

Trying to reactivate the skill did nothing as it just slipped out of his grasp. He took time calming himself and getting the shaking to stop. The first thing was getting his breath under control, everything else would follow.

In through the nose, and out through the mouth. Deep and steady. C’mon.

Slowly, he tried to activate the skill again. It was like an invisible, intangible muscle that you didn’t use or think of often so you had to really reach out to be able to contract it. This time, he received a response. The effect of the skill washed over him, helping slightly with hundreds of tiny adjustments even when he was standing still.

Unfortunately [Efficient Basic Movement] struggled as no matter how magical it was, Alan had simply been too tired for too long. His muscles were not used to being put under so much stress and it had been years since he had been able to move adequately without support. And now he was rushing through a forest and fighting monsters.

The tiredness didn’t take away from the fact that what he had achieved just now was nothing short of a small miracle. The doctors had told him he had only a couple of good years of decent mobility left if the results from the physical therapy and corticosteroids remained unsatisfactory. The hope was growing like a tumor.

Maybe my muscles will get up to speed? Isn’t training all about efficiency? And there are the attributes.

He could test things later. He certainly needed more time getting to know how precisely the skill affected him but that could wait for when he was safe. His mouth was parched but he was a long way from being hungry. Good thing I had breakfast for once.

Alan gritted his teeth as even the lower pace felt strenuous. [Efficient Basic Movement] kept helping him and he squeezed whatever energy was left and kept going in the direction the imp had disappeared to. There was no other choice, really, except to wander the forest blindly hoping for salvation.

It was a bit questionable how he would do in a fight right at this moment. Hell, he could barely put one up when he was well-rested.

Alan carefully looked around for traces of the creature’s passage, trying to ignore the eerie silence that seemed to consume his attention and make his hair stand on end. He almost missed the little fellow.

An unease built up in his stomach like a tiny fireball, fueled by the burning in his muscles. Alan forced himself to count his breaths. It took a while but he got into a rhythm and let it distance him from the pain. It was a great trick. He had often used to distract himself from falling into bad thought patterns.

Time passed, and Alan didn’t know if he had walked a minute or ten. By his estimations, he should have already reached the small clearing long ago… if this was the right direction. He certainly hadn’t crawled that far in the beginning. The branches let more and more moonlight through, and the trees seemed to be growing further from one another. Soft white light fell upon the forest floor as if tens of small projectors hung above. Alan was thankful for the increase in visibility. The moons were almost too bright, though. It made sense since there were two of them and one was extra-large. And it was a double full moon. Actually, how would the moon cycles work here? God, how would he sleep?

The trees parted before him, revealing a clearing that was much larger than the one from the beginning. He could see a shimmering reflection of the jeweled night sky further, beyond the grassy field, as if a giant mirror was laid down there. A lake?

Alan suddenly felt thirsty. It was probably not dangerous yet but he didn’t know if his condition would lessen the time he could spend without water. Probably. It was kind of funny not knowing such things. He hadn’t ever thought about it. It was assumed he would not put himself in situations without access to water. Why would he? Why would someone like him go to the wilderness, after all? Or to an alien world. I am just full of surprises.

He stopped behind one of the last trees and looked around. It was there, beyond the tree line, not making any attempt to hide. The imp just stood still and watched.

Alan carefully moved a bit closer and finally saw what it was after. A large human. Male. He couldn’t make out if it was someone familiar in the darkness, despite the insistent help of the two moons. His back was turned and he too seemed to be standing still.

What was he doing? Was he accessing the System? Was the imp waiting for him to be done? Why had it run away from Alan only to find another human? Was it because he had killed one tutorial imp already?

He imagined the imp he had killed sitting there, waiting for him to pay it any attention while he was busy hiding in the bush. It appeared they were somewhat of an introductory mechanism... or a gift? A gift that almost killed me.

Something inside of him wished to watch the fight. To see how a normal human would do against the monster. To gauge where he was at.

Alan crept a bit closer and stopped as the man suddenly turned and saw the imp. They stared at each other for a few moments, much like Alan and his imp had done. Then the man tensed and the imp rushed at him.

It was over far quicker than Alan’s fight. The imp rushed at the man. It looked funny from the back, running with its strange body. The man who now looked oddly familiar, said something and took a posture that looked like he was getting ready to kick a ball. And he did. His foot found the imp just under the chin and it went flying into a nearby tree with a shriek. It didn’t get up. It was over.

Of course, it’s that easy. Goddamn it.

Alan waited for a small bit, then left his cover and started slowly approaching the new person. He recognized him. A tall, broad, blond fellow who was as talkative as he was intimidating at first glance. One of his colleagues – Emerson. Of all people…

“Alan? Alan, man, is that you? Thank God! Do you have any idea what the fuck is going on? I mean, what was that? Some weird disfigured monkey rushed me and I punted it into a tree, and there are all these blue screens and –,” Alan gave up answering for the time being, letting the big man talk. He had always found Emerson annoying. It was more of a mismatch of characters than anything.

Alan was a grumpy asshole who had only a few select friends. He didn’t hate people, at least not most of them; he simply didn’t have the energy or lifespan to entertain everyone who wanted to hear his life story only to then share theirs in much more detail. Or their cousins’. One lady had even compared him to her hamster, Sir Humpsalot, who apparently had a similar genetic condition to Alan.

Emerson was not a bad person, he was simply too friendly. Too positive. Too talkative. Too everything. All of that paired with a strange accent that was somehow just wrong for the way he spoke and behaved made Alan avoid him as he rarely had enough energy.

“- and I thought I was dreaming but then I was like, what is up with that sky? Don’t get me wrong, it's beautiful and all, but two moons? How will the waves work?! Hey, man, sorry, are you okay? You don’t look okay.” Emerson gazed at Alan with worry, his eyes drifting to the torn shirt and the scratches, his arm already frozen in mid-reach to offer support. He seemed hesitant to finish the motion.

I’ve taught him well. Alan had made it clear that he didn’t particularly appreciate unsolicited touching, though the outstretched hand seemed very enticing at the moment.

Stupid pride. Now, act normal. It’s the apocalypse for fuck’s sake.

“I am alright. Have you seen anyone else?”

“Oh, yeah! I saw a few familiar faces earlier, but then we all got separated. It was weird. I found Joey; you know Joey from accounting? Anyway, he and I and a few others were together but then things got twisted and strange and we all got separated. I don’t know. It was like I was dizzy all of a sudden and then things snapped into place and stuff just got- “

“Yeah, crazy. Say, did you already pick a skill?” Alan interrupted. He did want to hear all of that. It would be useful. And he found it strange he had not met anyone else or felt anyone pass his hiding spot. He had been there a while. Maybe there was some magical System bullshit going on or he had simply been too engrossed in thinking about his hopelessly in-denial uncle.

“Sorry, yes, yes, I did! Do you think it is real? Magic? Quests? God, I still don’t know if I am dreaming or not.”

Alan took a breath. He hadn’t fully accepted it himself either. “It seems it is. What did you pick?”

“Oh yeah, sorry, I got [Cleanse Water]! It felt like a good choice. Gotta stay hydrated, you know. It was a bit of a spontaneous pick, honestly. I should’ve thought about it more. What did you get?”

[Cleanse Water] was good. He certainly wouldn’t judge anyone for the skill they picked. He had picked the selfish option. The first selection was obviously designed to benefit a group, while the second was much more personal. What made him cringe was the thought of pushing people into picking skills they didn’t want. That seemed like a major violation.

“I got…” Alan felt the urge to lie. Why? Why would he be paranoid about it? He rarely trusted people, true. However, Emerson, as annoying as he was, was a good guy. And they were all together in the shit. “I got a skill to help me move better. You know, with my condition and all…”

“Ah, yes, yes. Smart. Good thing you got that. Do you—”

“Listen, Emerson. Have you tried your skill? I could use a drink.”

“Alright, yes. That would be lovely actually. I mean, I am not that thirsty, but I should try it. Hydration is very important, I got you. It’s all so- “

“How much time have you been here?” Alan interrupted. He would have to do that a lot. Good thing he was used to being an asshole.

“Ah, hm. My watch doesn’t work. It seems frozen. But I’d say, around twenty minutes since I opened my eyes. Give or take. I ran with everyone, wandered a bit, came upon this place and the status popped in front of me. Then I saw the monster — the imp.”

That couldn’t be possible. Alan was sure he had been in this strange forest for at least more than an hour. Time passage felt weird but his internal clock couldn’t be that off. His mind drifted towards the silence around, broken only by Emerson’s muttering. Alan tuned him out as he scanned the surroundings. It was all so real, yet so not real. It was a bit too much for his head at the moment.

“Hey, let’s go to the lake. Stay close, alright?” he said. He didn’t want to be alone again. The twists of fate.

“Yeah, let’s do it. Do you want help? It’s a bit steep.”

“I will manage.”

Alan walked carefully, using his cane and grinding his teeth each time his legs took on more of the load than it was necessary. It took him a few minutes to catch up to Emerson, who had just trusted his knees to handle the burden of his descending body and was currently squatting near the water. As soon as he found a suitable place to sit, he dropped [Efficient Basic Movement]. He had probably overused it the first time.

The lake itself seemed clean enough, although if there was a skill like [Cleanse Water] offered then Alan certainly wouldn’t just drink from it. Who knew what lived in there?

“Well?” Alan waited expectantly. He was curious.

“I tried it but nothing happened,” Emerson said.

“…Did you try it on the whole lake?”

“Yeah… Oh.”

“… Scoop some water with your hands and try again,” Alan suggested. Patience, young one.

Emerson did as he was told. He looked with intensity at the water in his cupped hands. A small silvery ripple went through it.

Alan felt a surge of excitement. “Is it done?”

“I think so, I mean, I am quite sure the skill worked. It’s just… weird, I guess? It felt like something tiny left me and changed the water. God, this is real, isn’t it?” He lifted his hands and sipped on the water in his palms, drinking it all. Alan watched carefully, never before so invested in someone drinking water. He even stopped breathing in anticipation. Emerson smacked his lips a few times and looked at Alan, a small smile playing on his lips. “It is tasty.”

Alan grinned back at the big man, his heart thumping in his chest. “Congratulations, Em. You just cast magic.”