Day 17

Mother finally gets around to naming Sister. She is now named Niala, which translates to: 'beloved girl'. I can't really disagree with the name. She is completely unable to make herself obnoxious. I suppose I could just be biased.

I spend the day practising fencing with the rasp, because my sword is very fragile. Also the rasp, being heavier is better for physical training. I also practice dagger use, empty-handed. During this my sister Niala mimics me the entire time, not quite understanding what I'm doing. She considers it a dance.

I've decided to adopt my new name Chirrik as it is the only one I am known as. Besides 'John' has unpleasant meanings in the rat language (death trap). Although calling myself 'clever one' seems a bit egotistical, so I shortened it to Rick.

Day 18

More training, some wrestling as well to help build up strength and Niala is overjoyed by the physical contact. I'll add that I'm starting to grow a little bigger than her but despite that she's still quite strong.

My teeth are growing in and our food is only half milk, the other half being pine-nuts and grains.

Also as a precaution I have used the rasp to grind off a moderate quantity of gold dust from one of the pieces of bullion and placed it in a purse made out of part of the jewel bag. It should be equivalent to coinage, I assume and safer to carry than one of the gigantic jewels... I think they are sapphires by the way.

Day 19-23

Training, training and more training.

I have a few spare daggers prepared now. Also I modified Niala's ring, adding a short needle tied to it on the underside, with a cap to keep it from hurting her during normal activities. It should serve as a weapon of last resort as her fur hides it adequately. As for myself I turned the old handkerchief into a belt to hold my épée.

Day 24

Unpleasant.

We are fully weaned... I miss my milk...

I can't get anything done, I'm surprised how addicted to it I am as I go through withdrawal. Nuts and grains just aren't the same. Niala isn't doing much better either. She's cranky.

Day 25

Still quite irritated over the milk thing...

However Mother has announced that we will be following her as she goes 'out'.

She then proceeds to tell us a fair bit about the forest ecosystem. Does that mean we are actually going outside the town?! Huzzah! I've been feeling so incredibly cramped in here, surrounded by walls and no sunlight.

Niala is nervous, but happy to be spending more time with Mother.

I pack all the equipment I think I'll need... a dagger, the épée on my belt and a small amount of gold dust as insurance. I also add a backup weapon like Niala's made from a ring I found in the back room. Last thing I need is to be helpless.

It is fairly heavy but I have been lifting weights and running for extended periods to improve stamina. I feel confident I can move around almost as agilely as normal. I intend to keep an eye out for useful materials for even better weaponry and equipment.

The town itself is only five streets branching off a single main passage, filled with open-doored rooms. At one end is a makeshift barricade of junk blocking a passageway and in the other a river... I'm surprised. Why doesn't this place flood? There is no evidence of water damage. The water flow is so stable... it seems artificial.

The rats we pass gawk at me and Niala, admiring the rings and gaping at the weapons. Great... security is simply running while the attacker stumbles through garbage?! I'm surprised we don't have more predators ambling through here day in and out. We are an easy meal.

Most of the rats we pass are brown or gray. Niala is a little different, she's hazel. There are a few darker and lighter shade rats, but they seem to be rare. I'd estimate there are a few thousand rats here and several hundred rooms. Our own home seems to be quite empty. Earlier depredation?

The garbage pile itself has small grooves for travel and I notice several spikes pointing forward. Still it is very crude.

The passage itself is straight and paved, the height being thirty foot and the width forty. It leads to a small room which branches off in three other directions aside from the one we just came from.

Our town was to the South, to the East was the Forest, to the West the Swamp and North was a multitude of small and moderate rooms and snaking passages leading in all directions, including up and down.

I noted the stink of the amphibian lead toward the swamp... I'll be seeing you soon.

The passage to the forest rapidly became alive with plant-life, the floor mossy. The forest itself was plants like pine trees and oak mixed with the bizarre: giant fungi. Huge pale blue mushrooms stood several feet high.

“Watch the blue mushrooms, they make you see things that aren't there if you get too close.” [Mother]

Psychotropic spores, gotcha.

I look around, pleased to be out in the open... dammit, we're in some kind of crystal bubble that lets sunlight in!

The room is massive, I can't see the far side.

There are tunnels branching off every so often. Mother points out several.

“Those tunnels are death. Don't go down them.”

…

Okay then...

For now we are foragers!

Chirrik has obtained Class Change!Original Class: ChildCurrent Class: Forager

Skills Learned:

Gather (Lesser):Info: The skill which allows the user to collect simple edible foodstuffs and low tier resources for constructive purposes. This skill can be improved.

Nourishment (lesser):Info: The skill which improves the user's ability to take in nutrients from unprepared or rancid food-stuff. This skill can be improved.

Piercing Weapon Use (simple):Info: Due to image training and experience the user has gained the ability to use simple stabbing weapons with greater skill. It also automatically improves maintenance on these weapons, resulting in increased durability for all simple piercing weapons. This skill can be improved.

Detect Resources (Lesser):Info: This skill enables the user to find any source of food or usable resource of lower tier. When activated detected resources will glow yellow.

For some reason there are blue windows in front of my eyes!

I try to sweep them away but they remain, my paw passing through them like they were holograms.

Calm down... lets think logically. They are very computer game-like.

I gesture, making a dismissing wave. It remains.

I'm fairly sure I'm not mad, my sister is panicking at nothing as well.

“Status off.” [Rick]

It vanishes, suddenly.

“Status on.” [Rick]

The same windows reappear.

Huh.

Well, better read them just in case.

…

Wow... just wow. This world is incredibly game-like. Is something like this actually reality?!

“Detect resources.” [Rick]

My vision subtly overlays with a glow several objects and plants in direct sight.

“You'd think this area would have been cleared out by the other rats...” [Rick]

“Stuff appears when anyone enters. There is always enough food for everyone.” [Mother]

…

A respawn setting on resources?! Wait... that probably means monsters too, if this is game-like.

I pause to advise Niala on the status screen use before asking the pressing question.

“Do the monsters reappear when they die?” [Rick]

“Not immediately, they are replaced by new monsters which are usually the same as the old which travel to get here.” [Mother]

“'Usually'?” [Rick]

“Sometimes worse versions come that change how safe areas are. Right now the forest only has a small amount of dangerous animals. There is a big one that eats everything here once a month. The swamp doesn't have one like that, but there are a few strong ones that eat anything that moves. The monster you met was weaker than those.” [Mother]

“So, there are still a 'few' dangerous ones still in the forest?” [Rick] “How many?”

“More than I have fingers.” [Mother]

Rats can't count? Damn. That means the day could be wrong too.

“How long until the 'big one' hunts?” [Rick]

“A week?” [Mother]

…

“You don't know, do you?” [Rick]

“No, not really.” [Mother]

“I'm a Gatherer just like Mother!” [Niala]

Gatherer? Not Forager? Different classes for different skill-sets and experiences? I wonder what the difference is.

“What skills did you get?” [Rick]

“Um... Gather Food, Detect Food, Appraise Jewelery, Hidden Weapon Proficiency and Healing Hug.” [Niala]

“'Healing Hug'? What does that do?” [Rick]

As she tackled me I only had time to wonder... why did I ask?

As she snuggles up on my chest I understand.

This does feel nice. Have you already got me figured out, system?

What we learned:

Monsters and items respawn, sometimes with a difference.

The Rats live by farming items not fields.

Sometimes skills are silly.