“Well, don’t just sit there staring up at me like a brainless boof, bring the carcass in here and let’s make some soup.”

My first thought was, holy shit a person. But what came out of my mouth was, “Soup?” I mentally gagged on the idea.

As the woman disappeared into her tree, a notification popped up.

Congratulations

You killed a Feline Forest Stalker. And you did it all by yourself. You must be a dog person.

Our estimated survival rate for you has increased by 1%.

Your Thumb Candle ability is now level 2.

You’ve earned three experience points (ex-pts)! Ex-pts can be used to access new abilities. Learn more about ex-pts and how to divvy them up in your Abilities tab.

New abilities sounded interesting. I opened the Abilities tab and found a long list of ability names and short descriptions. All but two were completely grayed out. I briefly scanned through them.

Illumination

Thumb Candle - 0 ex-pts needed to access Let your thumb light the way Floating Lantern - 20 ex-pts needed to access Getting tired of holding your thumb up to see in the dark? How about a fireball over your shoulder?

*Additional Illumination Abilities can be added

Storage

Small Inventory - 0 ex-pts needed to access (50 slots) A small storage space accessible by your interface. Medium Inventory - 100 ex-pts needed to access (500 slots) A medium storage space accessible by your interface. Large Inventory - 500 ex-pts needed to access (1000 slots) A large storage space accessible by your interface. Big-Ass Inventory - 1000 ex-pts needed to access (Infinite slots) Pretty sure you can guess the description for this one.

*Additional Storage Abilities can be added

Spaces and Rooms

Outhouse - 25 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) Yep, this is exactly what you think it is. Caution, anything sent down the hole will instantly disintegrate, so you might want to reconsider giving your friend a swirly, at least in this shit bucket. Greenhouse - 50 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) Many professions require gardens to reach their full potential. While yours does not, we thought we’d give you one anyway. Never know when having a pocket dimension with fertile soil and a mini sun will come in handy. If anything, you can grow a flower patch and go sun tanning. Caution, anything that is not categorized as plant life will suffocate when this room is closed. Room of Solace - 75 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) Getting fed up with the people around you? Just need a place to sit and think? Then this is the perfect room for you. Complete with a writing desk, cushioned arm chair, and fireplace. Caution, anything that requires air to breath will suffocate when this room is closed. Zookeeper’s Cage - 100 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) As you’ve discovered (hopefully not the hard way), you cannot store anything that is alive in your inventories or other rooms. The Zookeeper’s Cage, however, is designed specifically to sustain life. This was once referred to as the Torture Chamber by a sick, sadistic bastard named Jimmy who no longer works at LEIE, but we don’t call it that. Mapper’s Room - 125 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) This room contains a wall map of the entire Lynn Ella World. I don’t think I need to spell out the benefits of having a map. This one, however, automatically marks the locations of your Teleportation Doorways once they’re set and active. Keep in mind, the areas you’ve physically been in will display much more useful detail. Simulations Training Room - 3000 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) The description for the ability is currently locked. Impenetrable Domain - 4000 ex-pts needed to access (Integrity gain per level) The description for the ability is currently locked. Memory Recall Room - 5000 ex-pts needed to access (Time gain per level) The description for the ability is currently locked.

*Additional Spaces and Rooms Abilities can be added

Portals and Doorways

Peeping Tom - 15 ex-pts needed to access (Time gain per level) Temporarily see through solid objects Astral Projection - 30 ex-pts needed to access (Time gain per level) Temporarily project your consciousness within a radius Momentum Portal - 45 ex-pts needed to access (Area gain per level) The longer a moving object(s) is/are trapped inside a Momentum Portal, the more momentum it gains. Once an exit portal is opened, the object or objects inside will be released. Living beings can access momentum portals, but unless you open an exit quickly, they will suffocate. Teleportation Doorways - 60 ex-pts needed to access (Quantity gain per level) These doorways come in pairs and are only visible to you, unless you grant someone access. Once you set up a doorway you can travel any distance to set up another. Once set up, you’ll be able to teleport back and forth instantaneously. Initially, you’ll just have one pair of Teleportation Doorways, but as this ability levels up, you’ll gain more pairs. Caution, once a doorway becomes active, it cannot be moved.

*Additional Portals and Doorways Abilities can be added

Manipulation Spheres

Chronokinesis Sphere - 300 ex-pts needed to access (Time and area gain per level) Alter the passing of time within a designated sphere. Great if you’re trying to slow a charging monster or speed the growth of a tender plant. This effect is temporary. Spacialists are not affected by this. Time Dilation Sphere - 600 ex-pts needed to access (Time and area gain per level) Exponentially increase your own physical speed within a designated sphere, causing time to appear to slow for you, and only you. This effect is temporary. Caution, Spacialists have been known to occasionally suffer headaches and nausea afterward. Crafting Sphere - 900 ex-pts needed to access (Time and area gain per level) All forms of matter can be crafted into whatever you design within a designated sphere. Stuck in a prison cell? No worries, just bend the bars back like noodles and run like hell. This effect is temporary. Time Loop Sphere - 1200 ex-pts needed to access (Time and area gain per level) As the great hair stylist, Albert Einstein, once said, “Insanity is doing something over and over and expecting a different result.” Now you can inflict insanity on others. Anyone or anything caught within your time loop sphere will repeat the last ten seconds over and over until your sphere dissolves. This effect is temporary. Spacialists are not affected by this.

*Additional Manipulation Spheres Abilities can be added

Offensive and Defensive

Crunch Grenade - 15 ex-pts needed to access (Quantity gain per level) Instead of blasting a radius to bits like a normal grenade, a crunch grenade condenses all matter within it’s blast radius into a single marble. This marble can be used over and over. Careful not to lose it. Telekinesis - 100 ex-pts needed to access (Mass gain per level) Move objects like a freaking Jedi. Two-Finger Pow Pow - 50 ex-pts needed to access (Speed gain per level) The description for the ability is currently locked. Wall of Protection - 200 ex-pts needed to access (Integrity gain per level) The description for the ability is currently locked.

*Additional Offensive and Defensive Abilities can be added

You have three unapplied experience points. Please choose an ability to apply it/them to.

This got me excited. I was seriously lamenting my accidental choice of profession until I saw this list. There were actually some cool moves in here. A Spacilist probably still wouldn’t have been my first choice, but at least this was something I could work with.

I noticed if I mentally clicked on an ability a more in depth description appeared. I’d have to dive into each of these and learn more about experience points and ability levels later. At the moment, I had a dead animal to attend to.

I looked at the dead cat, or what was left of it. It’s upper half clung to a clump of mud on the edge of the pool. It’s once yellow eyes pointed in different directions, void of life. Seeing it in this pitiful state almost made me feel bad for it.

Almost.

I had no desire to touch it, let alone eat it. But it would be stupid to ignore a request from someone—litterally the only other person I’ve met so far—who apparently wanted to make me food, no matter how disgusting that food probably was.

Could I even eat food?

I got up and walked over to it. The thing probably weighed as much as I did. I cringed as I bent to pick it up. Just as my hand got near it, a line of text popped up—not in my interface but floating across the back of my hand.

Add to Small Inventory: Yes or No.

I mentally selected yes and the cat vanished. Water filled the void the body left and splashed up in my face.

“Well, that was easy,” I said, wiping off the water.

I opened my Small Inventory tab. The interface had the inventory nicely organized into a grid display. There were fifty square sections, all of them empty except for the first in the top left hand corner.

In the box was an image of the cat standing on its hind legs, the words Feline Forest Stalker Carcass listed beneath it in tiny font.

I selected it and a description filled the page.

Feline Forest Stalker Carcass

The remnants of what used to be one of the friskiest cats in the forest. It’s skin makes for incredibly good quality clothing.

Remove from Small Inventory: Yes or No.

I stood up, walked over, and entered the open doorway in the tree. I had to hunch over to get in.

Notification

You have entered a Safe Zone. While you’re here you cannot be harmed or harm others.

Safe zone name: Bangwilly Forest - Gruda’s Humble Abode.

“Well, you’re in a right mess, aren’t you?” said Gruda, eyeing me. I stopped and looked down at myself. I hadn’t realized how dirty I’d gotten until she pointed it out.

“Oh, yeah, look at that,” I said.

Gruda was definitely not human. She came up to about my waist but her shoulder span was nearly twice as mine. Her hair was the color of moss. Or, perhaps that was moss on her head, I honestly couldn’t tell. Her attire appeared to be made from Feline Forest Stalker skin. It was the same color and sheen.

She was standing by a blazing hearth stirring a cauldron of liquid. She scrunched her eyebrows at me. “I told you to bring in the beast, boy.”

“Right, yeah, I’ve got it. One sec.”

I pulled up my small inventory again. The description of the cat was still up. I opted to remove it and a small holographic outline of the cat appeared to the right of my interface exactly the way the dagger did. I reached for it and the cat materialized in my arms. The weight of it yanked me forward and off my feet. I hit the ground, face scrunching into the boiled rib cage of the animal. It made a squishy suction sound when I pulled it out.

“Ouh, fu—”

Gruda let out a long, hissy cackle of a laugh.

“Ah, a Spacialist, I see. That’s rare. We have much to talk about then. Come boy, bring that body over here and take a seat.”