Chapter 3

The blizzard hit the second I heard the wind and it didn't even start from "oh it's snowing!" to gradually "Ice Age". The snow and hail were hard and sharp and they hit me relentlessly as the wind took them this way and that. In a stroke of luck, the Ice Snake water had given mea tolerance to the cold that I hadn't been expecting but it was dropping quickly and nothing could protect me from the blood I was bleeding by the bruises and scratches I got. I was literally a walking inviting snack for whatever weird ass game predators were lurking out there and I couldn't even see in front of me to try and find anywhere I could wait the storm out. My hunger was still dropping, and my thirst was following slowly behind, the more strain that was put to my body as I fought to tread through the heavy snow barefooted and with my shredded pjs as the only coverage.

Something howled louder than the wind and even though this was nothing remotely close to real life, I was convinced I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as multiple hungry eyes locked on me. Somewhere in my white-filled vision, my Perception level started rising the more I concentrated on the threatening presences but my Confidence in my ability to survive dropped just as quickly, if not more. There was no place safe.

My sharpened eyes picked up a bright yellow symbol but I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating it. What reason could a floating question mark have to appear in the middle of nowhere in a frozen waste. I had decided to move away, wary of the unfamiliar apparition and not wanting to fall into more trouble than I was already in but the running footfalls behind me and the sheer number of them made me rethink my choices and I ran towards anything that wasn't that.

The question mark grew bigger and kept jumping on air as if trying to ask me something but all I could see was that I had hit a dead end and I had no idea what answer was requested of me. As I tried to stop and inspect it more, my numb feet slid on the ice and I ran through the question mark seeing some weird numbers and letters as I went through and proceeding to move at break neck speed towards the snowy wall. I thought how I was going to die was pretty clear, until the wall opened its mouth and swallowed me whole.

The first thing I noticed was the extreme difference in temperature. My muscles and bones relaxed to the point of soggy overcooked noodles as the midday sun enveloped my whole body. At first, it felt nice but it gradually burned uncomfortably as my frozen and frigid limbs were forced into the fire of the intense sunrays.

I laid down and curled into myself to stave off the pain and was pleasantly surprised to notice that the hard and icy ground had given way to a soft and grassy plain. My fingers and toes that were about to fall off before, were stiff as rock but started to thaw away and I heaved a sigh of relief before inhaling the flowery spring aromas floating around me and soothing me.

“Hello adventurer!” The voice startled me to the point that my heart leapt out of my chest and I scrambled to get off the grass and put some distance between me and this unknown enemy. I was a fool to let my guard drop for even a moment. I had just miraculously gotten away from weird landscapy snakes and what I could swear sounded like wolves and bears or whatever the version of them was in the game. This place was too good to be true so of course someone else would also be here and they would be far more capable to deal with the gameworld or me. This might be a creation of my own imagination but my mind didn’t seem intent to cut me some slack.

“Who are you?” I asked instinctively before I started taking stock of the man meters away from me and everything that surrounded him. We were in the middle of a forest but the trees were creating a protective circle around the plain without touching its interior. We seemed to be the only ones there. There was a cabin right behind him with a smoking chimney and a wooden stool with all sorts of old tools and materials by his side. I was confused. Surely a player wouldn’t have taken the effort and time to build a whole house in here? What was even the point of growing roots when you could go explore? Not that the game seemed any kinder to the explorers but just saying. This was an opportunity like any other! I should know. I only lived to go to school, return home and do my homework. Rinse and Repeat.

“Hello adventurer!” Yeah, definitely not a player. That wave was too choreographed and his smile was starting to freak me out. This must have something to do with the floating question mark I saw before hitting the icy wall. I paid closer attention to his appearance and attire, trying to figure out what his role or mine should be in this occasion. I wasn’t familiar with the game protocol or whatever. He had round and rosy cheeks and belly, a bald head with some wisps of white hair near his temples and behind his ears, a white mustache and beard. He was wearing an oily apron and was holding a hammer that was resting on his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. He couldn’t be more stereotypical. This was a blacksmith.

“Ehm, ahm…What are you selling, old man?” Maybe I had stumbled on a shop? I had no money on me though.

“Hello adventurer!” So that wasn’t it. Also, was it my imagination or did he look a little angry while speaking this time? Anywho, the greeting was starting to grate on my nerves so I had to figure this out more quickly. Maybe, I could try and get something out of this? It could be a golden chance.

“Are there any cheat codes or ways to, you know, let someone…I searched for the right words…transverse through this…ahem…wild?…more easily? If you get what I mean” I wiggled my eyebrows. The unplayer looked so confused that I was expecting his head to burst any moment now from overthinking something that wasn’t even in his code to consider. If he could even consider things on his own. I liked the sound of “unplayer” though and decided to con it and shorten it. I was going to call him UP from now on.

I did feel sorry for getting him stuck and possibly broken, however, so I searched for something to say to unblock him. That’s when I noticed the glaring and jumping question mark in the corner of my field vision. The moment I acknowledged it, a floating parchment appeared in front of me unfolding quickly and bombing me with info.

Welcome adventurer [Artiel],

The world of Eden is a perilous place. The Shards, the Wastes, the Empyrean all out to get you and make your journey long and full of suffering.

That didn’t sound so good.

Of course, to have reached the Oasis, you must know all this already. You have been vailant and have managed great feats, the greatest of them all: survival in such a harsh and unwelcoming world.

I awkwardly looked away from the parchment as if it could literally see me and judge me for the falseness of its statements.

This is why you deserve this chance of apprenticeship with Erlong, the greatest blacksmith known to Oasis.

He looked like the only blacksmith in Oasis but I decided to refrain from pointing that out.

Follow his instructions and prove your worth and courage and you shall be leaving Oasis a man with more knowledge and tools at your disposal.

The parchment flapped closed and disappeared in front of my eyes leaving me to lock eyes with a very self-satisfied blacksmith whose name I now knew and couldn’t call UP anymore. 

“Happy to work with you” I said shakily only imagining what was in for me and considering going back out in the snowstorm as he humphed noncommittally. He appraised me with his eyes and didn’t look that impressed. I couldn’t really fault him seeing as I was still in my slightly bloody very shredded pyjamas and I had mud on my face but it still irked me. I stood tall and decided to win this staring match.

I would have, I tell you. He was definitely breaking. I could see his eyes twitching. I just got distracted by my stomach growling out loud and I had this dreadful realization that I hadn’t checked my hunger points in a while. I was about to faint again and his eyes and mouth were clearly twitching now.