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Seth Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2023-11-18 20:35:30 +0000 UTCSeth Williams woke up with a jolt. A searing pain pressed down on his mind, like someone was hitting his head with a hammer. He grabbed his head and screamed.
Finally, after a moment which felt too long, the pain subsided. He flopped onto the floor, taking deep breaths. Why had he gotten a migraine so early in the morning? He was still in his early 30s and didn't want to be subjected to some disease. Not so early in his life at least.
"Where's Sarah?" he asked. He knew his wife would have heard his screams and come running. He blinked his eyes, sensing something unusual.
"Wait! I'm not in my bedroom. Where am I?"
Now that the headache was gone, his senses were finally returning. The ceiling had stalactites hanging from them like chandeliers. Turning his head, he could see them all over the place, water dripping down from a few of them.
His back hurt from laying on the rocky floor so he stood up, eyes wandering everywhere. He seemed to be in some sort of a cave with boulders and walls overgrown with fungi that glowed dimly. Faint light filtered through the small cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the cave just enough for Seth to look around.
It was massive and seemed to run deep.
The air felt a bit damp and earthly. He felt something odd in the air. The unknown sensation was strange yet pleasing.
It was a completely different scenario from the cosy and warm atmosphere of his bedroom.
Seth felt another headache coming, but he tried to take deep breaths. I need to stay calm, he told himself as he tried to process the information that was presented to him.
The last thing he remembered was going to bed. His wife, Sarah, had been working on an art project of hers, so he had simply played games and gone to bed in his pyjamas without disturbing her. By that logic, was he dreaming? But it felt too real.
He pinched his cheeks and they hurt. He looked down at his pyjamas to find the hem soiled and a bit crumpled, just like his entire backside, probably from laying on the floor for so long.
"This doesn't seem like a dream," Seth muttered. He wasn't the type to dream a lot, but whenever he did, they were about a clown with an axe chasing him. Certainly not like this.
"All this is so weird. I don't know what's happening."
He felt like he would collapse any second out of panic. He frowned, taking a step back to lean against the wall. As he did that, something fell from his pockets onto the floor.
He blinked down at the object. It was a knife.
"What is this doing in my pocket?" He picked the knife up and examined it. Looking closely, it looked more like a dagger rather than a simple kitchen knife. The blade was sharp and the hilt had intricate designs on it, with symbols woven on the fabric. He didn't recognise them, but it seemed like something he’d spot in an antique store.
He kept inspecting it, wondering how it had appeared in his pocket. He had never seen such a dagger before.
Suddenly, something opened up in front of his vision. He stumbled back startled, hitting his head on the wall as he cried out in pain. Ouch!
"Is that a hologram?" he asked, looking at the text floating in the air. It was transparent and he could see through it, but he couldn't deny that it was there in the air, straight out of a scene from the last Avengers movie.
The Dark Blade - ???
No information is available.
Seth stared at the holographic screen for a minute, then back to the dagger in his hand. The screen just hovered there. When he moved, it moved with him.
He held his head again, wondering if he’d gone crazy. Maybe that was the case? Maybe he had some kind of injury while he was sleeping, and now, he was in a coma. Sarah must be sitting beside him, praying to God for him to wake up.
"That doesn't seem like a good explanation. That's probably the worst explanation of this scenario."
Sighing, he shook his head, shoving those thoughts aside and focusing on the screen. He tried to touch it, but his hand passed through it.
"So, it's really like a hologram. Can I get information for everything in this cave, then? Is that it? Or are there any more screens?"
As he spoke, two more screens opened up in his view. This time, with a different set of information.
One of them simply had his information and the other was titled 'Stats'.
Name: Seth Williams
Age/Sex: 31 years/Male
Affiliations: None
Class: None
Rank: None
Level: 0
Titles: Dimensional Traveller
Skills: Identify (Level 1)
Mana: 110
Health: 100
Stats
Strength - 10
Agility - 12
Constitution - 10
Wisdom - 11
Luck - 14
"Reminds me of a video game,” he said, more and more bewildered by what was going on. His eyes were glued to the screen. "Is this my status screen? And why don't I have levels?"
Even in the video games he’d played, no one started without any levels. Was he not a playable character? Things were becoming weirder by the second.
In the next ten minutes, Seth kept experimenting with the holograms and realised that he could make them appear and disappear with just a thought. It was a bit surreal and he was sure that something was wrong with his mind, but it was still something he felt fascinated about.
"So, now, I have a mental command hologram and a skill that lets me identify stuff,” he said, looking over at the strange looking algae on the wall next to him. A screen popped up as he focused on it.
Green Algae - Plant organism.
When he desired to not see it, it disappeared like it was never there.
"Weird," he said, wondering what to do next. He’d found himself in a cave and had holograms in his mind, reminding him of video games and anime. If he had been transported to another world, it was a joke he couldn't accept.
Maybe I should try to ex—
Suddenly, he heard a scratching sound, like a cat clawing at a wall interrupted his thoughts of finding an exit from the cave. He shuddered instinctively, sensing something nearby. The sounds of footsteps appeared beside him and the scratching sounds increased.
He looked around and when he finally saw it, he froze.
Right there on his left, a tiger-like creature sat, its claws scratching the rocks it perched on. It looked like a tiger, but had a shiny black coat. Its build looked powerful and its claws sharp. Its mouth was open, teeth glinting sharper than the dagger he held in his hand. Saliva dripped down from it.
One strange feature was that the creature didn't have eyes. Only a mouth, nose and ears, making him look more alien than a tiger.
A holographic screen opened up as soon as he saw it.
Forsaken Prowler - ???
Other than the fantastical name of the creature, there was no information. Yet Seth knew it was powerful.
All his instincts told him to run away as the Prowler faced him. If it had eyes, Seth was sure that he would be reflected as prey in them.
"You are a good kitty, right?" he asked nervously, trying to back away from the Prowler. The next moment, it snarled and leaped at him with extended claws that promised agony. He leaped to the side, his body hitting the ground and rolling. The rough texture of the rocky floor gnawed at his skin, leaving a trail of stinging pain as he desperately sought safety from the creature’s grasp.
Without wasting a moment, Seth ran, knowing that the Forsaken Prowler was just behind him. If his stats were anything to go by, his ability to run was better than average and he hoped that it would be enough to escape.
The cave was big enough for him to not worry about space to run and he soon found a tunnel. He ran inside, scratching sounds coming from behind him.
I need to run away. If that monster catches me, I'm dead!
Those thoughts rang in his head as he put every fibre of his being into running. The tunnel was dark with barely any light, but Seth had no option. He kept running into the darkness, adrenaline rushing through his veins, taking turns at every junction in an attempt to lose the Prowler.
When he haphazardly looked over his shoulder, he saw the Prowler there, not moving. Its ears perked up as he took another step and it made its way towards Seth.
His eyes widened as his mind ran along with his legs.
That creature doesn't have eyes. It's relying on his hearing to find me. Fuck! I am making too much noise.
He looked down at his bare feet; the rocks had scraped his skin a bit. If he had known that he was going to wake up in a cave, he’d have slept in his sports shoes.
He couldn't lower his speed or the Prowler would simply catch up to him. Instead, Seth picked up a few rocks while running and chucked them away from him.
They hit the wall with a loud thud and the Prowler suddenly stopped in its tracks. Seth grinned, taking the time to hide behind a large stalagmite. He tried to make as little noise as possible as he hid.
Slowly craning his neck, he kept an eye on the Prowler as it walked towards the place he had thrown the rock. It was as he had expected.
Suddenly, the Prowler stopped and moved its head towards the stalagmite he was hiding behind. It slowly started walking towards Seth, ears perked up.
He can't see me. Don't worry. Don't think too much!
He repeatedly said in his mind as the Prowler slowly moved towards him. Seth hid completely behind the stalagmite. Each step the monster took, his heart thundered loudly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He gulped, his whole body shaking due to fear. Saliva dripped from the mouth of the Prowler as it stalked closer, its claws scratching against the rocks.
Judging by the sound of my heartbeat, the Prowler might notice me just by that. I'm dead, he thought, his life flashing by in front of him. He didn't know how he had gotten here and now, he was going to be killed by a creature he had never seen before. He doubted anyone would even find his body.
His legs hurt and he had no clue if his stamina would last long if he tried to run again. However, he still had to try, even if it was just one last attempt.
He tried to calm himself as the Prowler came closer. He prepared to run again if the Prowler discovered him. Now, it was just one step away from him, coming to a halt as it tried to find its prey. Seth could almost feel the Prowler breathing beside him.
He prepared for an attack, his mouth running dry. Yet the attack never came no matter how much he waited.
What is going on?
Seth blinked his eyes as he heard a sudden squeaking noise, like the crying of a helpless animal. The sensation of breathing on his neck disappeared.
Peeking out his neck, he looked up and his body froze. The Forsaken Prowler was in the air, struggling and hissing in the grasp of a monster that he never wanted to see even in a nightmare.
It was a centipede. A giant one, almost 100 feet in length, dozens of legs running everywhere in the room. It looked down at the Prowler with eight eyes.
It held the Prowler by its fangs as the monster struggled, trying to escape the grasp of the giant insect. In the next moment, fangs dug into its body, ripping it apart.
Seth kept staring at the whole thing with shock. A screen appeared in his vision.
Giant Centry - ???
He just stood there, staring as the Giant Centry ate the remains of the Prowler. He just wished in his heart that the monster would leave without seeing him, but the next second, one of the eyes suddenly locked onto him.
Fear and despair creeped up in his heart as the Giant Centry looked down upon him, its fangs bloodied from the remains of the Prowler. Going by the size of the monster, he wouldn't be able to outrun it. His last moments would be in the mouth of a giant, ugly insect.
Those thoughts filled his head as he froze, waiting for the Giant Centry to make its move. But the monster simply turned back to make his way into an opening that seemed to be another tunnel.
"I, I survived!" Seth exclaimed, sighing out in relief. His eyes were almost teary from the near death experience he just had. He was sure that he would die, but the Giant Centry had left him alone.
Maybe his high luck stat had saved him? Or maybe the Giant Centry simply didn't like human meat. He didn't know and he didn't want to know. The only thing that mattered was that he had survived.
I need to get out of here!
He quickly made his way back to the tunnel where he had appeared. Aside from the Prowler, he didn't see any monsters there and if he could find a safe spot, then he would be able to plan out his next move.
As he ran, questions about this place, the monsters, and how he would get back to his family and friends came to his mind. By this point, he had already quashed the possibility of this being a dream. It was as real as it could be.
Now, he needed a way out of here. A way to survive. Or he would just get eaten by the next monster. Luck won't always help him.
Suddenly, something appeared like a static, stopping him in his tracks.
You have taken part in defeating a Forsaken Prowler!
You have levelled up!
You have turned Level 1! You have turned Rank 1!
You are now eligible to choose a class. Do you want to look at the options?
A class? Seth thought back to his status screen, then back to the monsters — his thoughts stopped at his near death experience. If it was really like a video game, then a class might be a way to achieve power. Power to survive and maybe find a way out of this hellhole.
I don't know how I came here, but I need to survive and get a way back to my family no matter what!
He knew he didn't want to be helpless. He took a deep breath and focused on the screen, ready to choose his class.
