The skinning went quickly. In my previous life, I’d gotten the time down to fifteen minutes, but that was for a deer hanging from a tree. It was more of a hassle to do it on the ground, and a lot of shoving of the carcass around was necessary to get the job done. I was pleased with the result though. Hardly any hair got on the meat.

I carved out the tenderloins, the backstrap, and the quarters. There was a good amount of meat on the neck too, and I stripped as much as I could, along with any other stray bits. I was cutting the head free when I felt a hint of cool air coming from the antler. It was still chilly to the touch.

Huh. Now, wouldn’t that make for a cool spearhead?

I needed the buck’s brain anyway, so I used the dagger to chisel the antler free of the skull. It left a decent-sized hole, and I went to get the pot helm to pour the brain inside. It fit. Nice. (I’d need the brain for when it came time to tan the hide.)

I put the hide in the pool, just outside my cave. It needed to stay there for a couple of days before the tanning process could begin. Then, once all the meat was butchered (and tallow and sinew saved), I dragged the rest of the carcass away to the same spot I’d left the innards. Later, when I needed the bones, I knew where to come to get them.

Back at the glen, I rinsed off any blood and moved the meat to the back of the cave where it was cooler. I was just about to go build an improvised smoker when I had a crazy idea. In stories, heroes often performed miraculous feats by filling their weapons with qi. Could I do the same? I went to go get the antler and sat beside the meat.

“Here goes.”

I closed my eyes and focused my attention on the qi flowing through my meridians. I visualized a small amount moving from my heart dantian down into my arms and hands. My mind then directed the qi to cross the boundary of my skin into the antler.

The antler felt more solid as a result, but it didn’t grow colder. I tried adding more qi, but the result was the same. Then I wondered if I was micromanaging the process too much. Instead of moving the qi directly, I held the intention of activating the antler’s power.

The qi didn’t respond. Not after a minute. Not after five or even fifteen. I was just about to give up when something twitched, a muscle I never knew I had. It wasn’t physical. Not mental either, at least not in the way we think of intelligence. It was instinctual, a function of will.

The “muscle” twitched again. I felt like a baby using a spoon for the first time. It was messy and awkward, but eventually, I got it. The antler flared with cold, and I dropped it before my hands froze to its surface.

The key was using mana, not qi, and a quick look at my status page confirmed it: I was at Mana 14/15.

Cold air radiated from the antler and chilled the whole back of the cave. Depending on how long the charge lasted, I may not need to worry about smoking the meat after all. Okay, yes, a spear that froze its targets would be cool, but a working refrigerator… that was even cooler. And more likely to keep me alive long term.

I stacked rocks around the deer meat and filled the gaps with straw and mud. Then I used the largest and flattest of the stones as a door. Altogether, it took half an hour to assemble the refrigerator, and the antler continued to radiate cold the entire time. I placed it inside with the meat and planned to check it often to see how long the charge lasted.

I’d left the tenderloins and heart out. They were our reward for defending the glen. I started the fire and grilled the tenderloins whole. The heart, I sliced thin, so it’d be more tender. Both tenderloins and heart were delicacies though, and I didn’t risk them on the fire for long.

I ate mine when the insides were barely warmed through. The juices ran down my chin, and man, oh man, there was nothing better. I would’ve killed for some salt, sure, but fresh tenderloin and sliced deer heart were the food of love growing up.

Ikfael agreed. Her eyes nearly rolled up inside her head after the first bite.

After lunch, I sat back by the fire. The glen was safe. The deer was butchered and the meat safely stored. The antler was still going, and the hide was soaking. Everything time sensitive was settled and...

Woob woob woob. The otter fell asleep.

There was nothing that needed doing, and I could finally open my notifications without worry.

Congratulations. You have collected enough silverlight to choose a Path. Wait! Read me first.

And I was blocked again. This time by another notification. I really, really, really wanted to look at my Path options, but when the System tells you to wait, you wait.

Ahem. You have reached a Wisdom milestone. Checking for new Talents. Sorry, no new Talents were triggered. The base benefits of Wisdom 15 are now active: a stronger connection to others and the world, including the System.

Did the notification just clear its throat?

Shush. It was my first time. Cut me some slack.

Wait… Diriktot?

Of course not. You think a god has the time to be following you around?

Then who are you?

Use that Intelligence 14 you're so proud of and think about it.

The System is sentient? Or maybe it’s an agent of the System? Some kind of machine angel?

Woah, that would be cool, wouldn’t it? It’d be like Ghost in the Shell, except with a real ghost.

I’d totally watch that.

Yeah, me too. Somebody call Masamune Shirow and tell him to get on it.

Wait. How are we having a conversation about anime? Oh my god, you’re me!

Ding! Ding! Ding! Or, more accurately, I’m a combination of your sub and super consciousnesses filtered through a System layer granted by Wisdom 15.

I’m guessing other people don’t get quite the same level of verve and clarity as yours truly provides, but then you’re special. Or at least you like to think so. Issues much?

I...uh… I’m not sure how to answer that.

It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. I don’t have anyone I can tell.

*sigh* I’m so lonely.

You just typed the word sigh.

What else am I going to do? I’m limited to text and these little notification sounds.

I heard a soft chime. That’s lovely.

Nice, right? And I can do classic emoji. Watch me flip a table:

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻.

Oh my god, I love that one so much.

You’re clearly me. I’m absolutely convinced. So what do we do next? What do I need to know before I look at my Path options?

First, this is a special circumstance, and we won’t be able to communicate like this normally. Basically, I’m hijacking the notification subroutines to make this conversation happen.

Two, I can now provide you with descriptions of Attributes, Talents, Skills, etc. etc. You don’t have to spend precious time exploring your innermost feelings to find out what they do.

Three, the information I provide is my best guess based on what I can understand of the System layer using Wisdom 15, your Talents, Blessings, Skills, blah, blah, blah. You can use the information to get a jump start on developing your build and choosing a Path.

Four, don’t depend on me too much long term. The System layer is helpful, but isn’t exactly innovative. It’s designed to help the greatest number of people survive in a harsh world. The people who do the most interesting things are the ones who forge their own paths. But then you knew that already. Poke around, experiment, and color outside the lines.

Okay, inspirational speech over. Get out there and have some fun. And please don’t die. If you go, so do I.

The notification winked out, and I was left speechless. System-Me had really given me a lot to think about, but the question that kept coming back over and over was, “Am I really that snarky?”

The otter snorted in her sleep and turned over.

I rubbed my face and gathered the stray thoughts wandering in my head. “Notifications.”

Congratulations. You have collected enough silverlight to choose a path. Please select from one of the following options: Half-Pint Hermit Hobby Spiritualist Lazy Spear Novice Hydromancer Otter’s Pet Survivalist Wild Child Young Forester Half-Pint Hermit: You live alone, so that you can investigate the nature of reality without interruption. Your Skills focus on keeping you alive in the wilderness, while you gaze at your belly button for long periods of time. Hobby Spiritualist: You talk to dead people and things. Sometimes they talk back. Your Skills focus on doing more of that (and getting them to do you favors). Lazy Spear: Spears make for great walking sticks, levers, trap detectors, and so much more. Sometimes you even stab things with them. Your Skills focus on all the ways spears can be useful, including a little bit of combat. Novice Hydromancer: I don’t know how you got this one. You haven’t even cast a spell yet, although all the parts are now there and in working order. Otter’s Pet: This is so embarrassing. Just move on. Survivalist: You live in the wild, ready for the zombie apocalypse. Your Skills focus on keeping you alive in the wilderness, with a focus on tools and fortifying your shelter. Wild Child: You are the wild. Your skills focus on tapping your untamed nature and instinctive use of qi. Less tools and more savage fury. Young Forester: Your heart is one with the land, and you are its caretaker, protecting its denizens and spirits. Your skills focus on a blend of survival, martial, and nature magic. Great shot on that buck, by the way. He was a big one.

Well, that was certainly a list of options all right, and now I had to pick one.