Chapter 8 - The Tutorial (Introspection).

Søren reflexively ate piece after piece of the meal on the table in front of him. A meal that had appeared inside the still open panel on the wall to his right. His eyes were inexorably drawn towards the view outside the window on his left. The green, blue, and white orb below looked remarkably Earth like, despite the strange configuration of continents. In the "northern" hemisphere, a vast cap of arctic ice covered the top of the moon. The angle of his view kept the most of the southern hemisphere out of sight, though he could make out distant, blurry shapes past what he had subconsciously labeled as the equator.

Beneath the cap of arctic ice, a long chain of snow-capped mountains stretched across the surface of the moon, bending southward in places and joining with a jagged line of deep valleys and sky-scraping peaks that marched south by south-west along the eastern border of the continent. The land east of the mountains was a smear of browns and oranges with bits of green along a few blue lines here and there. A smaller line of mountains split westward from these peaks and split further as they neared a large inland sea, creating a crescent shaped patch of deep green next to the sea. The other half of the continent was blocked from view by a widespread formation of clouds. Brief flashes of lightning lit up the clouds from below, with a few stray bolts spreading across the top of the clouds like lace.

The colossal gas giant behind the moon filled up the rest of the view, leaving only a sliver of black sky visible. Bands of brown and orange ripped across the surface of the gas giant directly in front of Søren. A large red whorl spun in place off to the right side of his view. More bands of varying widths and shades of brown and orange stretched in both directions, up and down. A dozen or more smaller whorls of red appeared here and there across the surface, trapped between different bands of color. The edges of the whorls appeared to be warped and twisted by the turbulent flow of gas in the planet's atmosphere. Wisps of bright white cloud formations decorated each of the bands, riding the winds at the highest layers and casting dappled shadows below.

Søren's fingers dipped into the bowl of cheese and fruit, but found it empty. The smooth cool surface of the ceramic bowl jolted Søren out of his solemn reverie. He glanced down at the plate and noticed he had polished off the baked fish as well. He couldn't remember tasting any of it. His mind had been completely blank as he internally processed the events of the day so far. Søren frowned at the empty bowl and plate. He picked up the glass of water and took a long drink, emptying the glass. With a mental gesture, he brought up the parts of the user interface he had access to and focused on the chat log. He scrolled backwards until he found the start of stage two.

08:09 > Congratulations Traveler! Stage two of the Tutorial is about to begin. In just a few moments, the door to the next area will open. You will have five minutes to make your escape. Good luck!

08:09 > Oh fuck.

08:09 > You attempt a Perception check.

08:09 > You succeed on the Perception check. (1d100 (72) vs Obfuscate 40%)

08:09 > You notice a [Medical Supplies Cabinet].

08:09 > You attempt a Strength check.

08:09 > You fail the Strength check. (1d100 (38) vs Target 40%)

08:09 > You hit (54) a [Medical Supplies Cabinet]. (1d100 (54) vs Melee Defense 0%)

08:09 > You deal 10 bludgeoning damage to [Medical Supplies Cabinet].

08:09 > You hit (12) a [Medical Supplies Cabinet]. (1d100 (12) vs Melee Defense 0%)

08:09 > You deal 13 bludgeoning damage to [Medical Supplies Cabinet].

08:10 > You acquire a [Satchel].

08:10 > You attempt a Perception check.

08:10 > You succeed on the Perception check. (1d100 (54) vs Stealth 40%)

08:10 > You notice a Tutorial Hordeling (Copper II).

08:10 > You attempt to Aim.

08:10 > You successfully Aim. (1d100 (94) vs Target 80%)

08:10 > You hit (122) Tutorial Hordeling (Copper II). (1d100 (52 + 50 [Aim]) vs Ranged Defense 20%)

08:10 > You deal 255 (115x2 + 25 [Aim]) plasma damage to Tutorial Hordeling (Copper II).

08:10 > You have defeated a Tutorial Hordeling (Copper II). (1/1)

08:10 > You have earned 25 TEK. (215/1000)

08:10 > You have lost 25 reputation with Umber Horde.

08:10 > You have lost 15 reputation with The Collective.

08:11 > I'd kill for a flashlight or even a candle.

08:11 > Time's running out, best get going. I'm going to need a good laugh and a long sleep after this.

08:12 > Warning traveler! You have two minutes remaining.

08:13 > Not a planet. A moon around a planet. What the fuck.

08:13 > Warning traveler! You have one minute remaining.

Søren took a break from parsing through the notifications within the chat log after seeing a long string of successful uses of a Dodge skill to check the TEK in his status bars. Just a little over seventy percent at seven hundred and fifteen out of a thousand. His health was at a hundred of a hundred as well as whatever the purple bar was for. He'd yet to see it drop below a hundred except for when he was waiting to revive after dying and it was at zero.

"Guess I'll find out eventually," Søren said quietly. He then checked the end of the chat log and observed that while the chat log recorded everything spoken, it didn't record his thoughts. That's good I suppose. He compared the time stamps of the stage three announcement and his most recent speech recorded to text. Thirty-two minutes and change left. Let's see what I've managed to loot so far.

Søren set aside the plate and glass and picked up the satchel resting at his feet. He opened the flap, and unceremoniously dumped the contents onto the table. Curious, Søren checked the chat log for notifications and was not surprised to see that just dumping out the contents was enough to "acquire" the goods into his virtual inventory.

If this is a simulation, it's a damn good one, but then why did I feel hungry, and thirsty? If it's not a simulation... why the fuck do I have a user interface like an old mmorpg.

Søren shook his head and started sorting the individually wrapped pieces from the satchel by shape and size. The functions of most were immediately obvious. Simple gauze like bandages, tubes of ointments and salves labeled in a strange language. I wonder why the announcements are in English but the writing is in this glyph-based language. Hmm, it appears to have similarities to cuneiform. Though a stylized or modernized form. Perhaps it was adjusted for ease of writing or printing each character. Mum would love to see this. The thought of his mother brought on a brief moment of sorrow, but Søren shook his head to clear his mind and refused to give in to despair. He then pressed on with sorting and identifying the numerous items from the satchel.

08:49 > You have acquired [Bandages, Large (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Bandages, Medium (25/25)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Bandages, Small (50/50)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Bandages, Small (50/50)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Bandages, Roll (5/5)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Antibiotic Ointment (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Antibiotic Ointment (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Expired Antibiotic Ointment (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Epinephrine Injector (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Antimycotic Ointment (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Antimycotic Ointment (10/10)].

08:49 > You have acquired [Tincture of Iodine (25/25)].

08:50 > You have acquired [Water Purification Tablets (500/500)].

08:50 > You have acquired [Compression Bandage, 4 ft (2/2)].

08:50 > You have acquired [an unidentified item].

"Not a bad haul," he mused. Søren organized the contents of the satchel into small pockets and pouches and different sized loops that lined the inside and outside of the satchel. An odd thought struck him and he took the plate and scraped off the last remnants of the fish onto the table and used a little water from the pitcher to clean it. He placed the plate, the fork, and the glass into the satchel, nestling them above the rolls of bandages and the elastic wraps. He took the last item in hand and examined it again. The crystalline rod was engraved with a series of sharp lines and carved divots in intricate shapes. Whatever this is... it has to be important. It's purple.

"It'd be nice if I could tell the time without having to say something aloud," Søren said, focusing on his interface. A small clock showing 09:05:42 appeared centered beneath the copper icon his status bars were attached to. The icon had not changed.

I wonder how much of what I see is based on what I know or what my intent is when I concentrate on it. Definitely something to explore further after finishing this damn tutorial. Eight minutes 'til the next stage. Søren stood up and moved to the center of the room. He began a series of stretches to both ready himself for the next stage and discover if he had any lingering soreness or hidden injuries from the prior stages of the tutorial. He felt surprisingly well for the physical punishment he'd suffered.

Søren finished stretching out his body and picked up the satchel. The flap seemed to be held in place by a magnetic-like seal and wouldn't open by just casually picking at the edge. He had to make a determined effort to open the satchel. Intent is the key, I feel. His thoughts turned back to the interface as well. With the satchel organized and sealed, Søren slipped his arms into the straps and waited, focusing his intent on securing the satchel to his shoulders and back. Sure enough, the straps shrunk against his torso and shoulders and pulled the satchel itself onto his back. The soft white material of the satchel adhered to the slightly stiffer, but similar material of the jumpsuit. When the straps stopped shifting and shrinking, Søren wiggled his body and jumped up and down a few times. The satchel itself had also adhered to his jumpsuit.

He glanced at his interface and checked the time. One minute remaining. Søren closed his eyes and stood still, his knees slightly bent and body relaxed. He cleared his mind with a quiet stillness of mind he had learned to use as a young adult to focus himself on the next task. It was a useful tool for calming down and de-stressing. His mother had always been quick tempered, but his father was stoic shoreline that her ire would crash upon to no effect. Søren had inherited that quick temper from his mother, but had also learned from his father to set that temper aside and simply work through the problem, a step at a time.

Then again, his father would say things like, "The dog's kennel is no place to keep a sausage." Never did understand that one da. The wall opposite where Søren entered the rest area slid open with a slight hiss. Beyond the doorway was a workshop filled with workbenches covered with a variety of implements, glassware, and tools. Larger equipment lined the walls.

"Congratulations traveler! Welcome to stage three of the Tutorial. During this stage, you will be required to egress through the door on the opposite wall to advance to the next stage. You have two hours. Good luck!"