“-uck!” The garbled shout announced Eli’s arrival as he plummeted to the ground. With only a split second to react, he managed to get both hands down to catch himself before faceplanting into the earth. Of course, his momentum continued forward, and he rolled ass-over-head to land almost flat on his back with an oof of exploding air. Stunned for a few moments, he could only stare at the darkness overhead.

A slash of bright light and a boom of exploding sound rattled his teeth, and he rolled away from the detonation. Unsure who was attacking him now, he raised a hand to protect his head while glancing around to assess the threat but paused in confusion. In front of him was a massive tree root. Panning his eyes up, he caught the edges of a dark shadowy shape that nearly blocked out the grey sky. While almost indistinct to his normal vision, he toggled on Manasight, and the gigantic tree glowed brightly with green and blue streams of light that reached up into the heavens. Beyond it, the sky seemed on fire with lightning, each flash presaged by a smaller explosion of colored radiance.

He ducked when another loud explosion went off almost directly overhead, belatedly covering his ears from the painful sound. Another clap of muffled thunder, followed by the whisper and patter of thick drops smacking the hardened dirt nearby, soon joined by countless more. The sudden deluge drowned out the rest of the world’s sounds like a waterfall had formed overhead.

“There’s no way,” he whispered, pulling his hands away from his head while looking around at the familiar scene. Beyond the large root, a short grassy slope led to a formation of rocks resembling ancient Stonehenge back on Earth. Unlike his last time here, the area was deserted.

He glanced at his HUD for clues.

Update received

Processing…

Executing

“Fuck!”

His eyes quickly scrolled up the chat window but found only the same old messages from before. “Guide, cancel the update!” he commanded, not wanting another run-in with the ghostly spider construct or Goon. While his heartbeat’s audible thumps mingled with the rush of remembered pain, he wracked his brain for a way to stop the update, quickly thinking through the instructions he’d memorized. Unfortunately, he came up empty unless the buggy piece of tech followed the verbal command.

Please wait

A strange roiling in his gut made him look down, one hand touching his stomach in concern. He turned on Lifesight, and the glowing tree shifted into a dark shadowy mass of muted browns, but he ignored it to study his insides. His willpower peeled back the layers to expose a maelstrom of gurgling fluids within his gut, like a washing machine gone mad. He scrunched his eyes closed when a pulse of nausea struck him, warning him of what was to come.

Feeling a spark of panic, he glanced at his surroundings again while the din of heavy rain continued unabated. A stronger wave of queasiness struck him, and he was soon leaning against the big root, a hand over his mouth while he focused on not throwing up.

Not wanting to puke all over his likely camping spot, he hurried away from the tree’s cover, almost crouching over with aching nausea torturing his guts. It felt like his intestines were now aflame, the twisting pain only growing. With his hand against his stomach, he sent a pulse of healing energy into his body while continuing to move towards the nearby trees.

Only making it a little farther into the woods, he fell to his knees as his legs buckled, landing hard against the ground. He turned his head at the last moment, just before fluids erupted to blast the muddy ground off to the side. Much of his thinking ceased while his stomach brought up the remains of his last meal.

A new type of pain brought his attention back, the pressure lower down, sending a spike of fear through him. His guts had clearly decided that there was more than one way to evacuate a human body, and the other top option was now on the table. With a thought, his clothing vanished into his DS just before a fresh wave of agony forced him to curl into a miserable, naked ball on his side. Seconds later, his bowels released.

***

An unholy stench invading his nose jerked Eli awake, his head flinching back to escape. He tried to push himself away but slipped on something cold and slimy under him. Breathing carefully through his mouth, he still gagged a few times while keeping any dry heaves at bay. He made it onto his hands and knees with some effort, the wet ground trying to shift out from under him. He finally settled for a humiliating naked crawl towards a nearby tree while attempting to keep his hands and legs from the noxious bits of unspeakable fluids and tissues that his body had ejected.

Finding relatively dry earth around the base of the trunk, he managed to get onto his feet, turning to survey the scene. A light drizzle of rain pattered the ground beyond his tree’s foliage. Overhead, the storm almost raced away while white whispy shapes and hints of blue dotted the heavens.

A handful of meters away, the ground was churned up from where he’d thrashed while sick. Bits of debris and unrecognizable material dotted the small pools of liquid. He tried not to look too closely, his mind shying away from the horrors he’d just experienced.

“Seriously, what the hell?” he muttered, still breathing through his mouth. He spat a few times, trying to remove the last vestiges of whatever vileness remained. Slowly shaking his head at the vagaries of his existence, he carefully walked towards the massive tree near where he’d first appeared.

With his senses under assault from the sour and disgusting stench of whatever his body had ejected, his first priority was to get clean. It didn’t take long before he’d dug a small pit in the muddy earth beyond the massive tree’s canopy. Pulling out the flexible roof from the old lean-to he’d used the last time here, he layered the bottom of the hole with the plastic-like material to capture fresh rainwater.

While the water rose, he stood nearby in the light rain scrubbing his body with some wavyleaf. The root bulb, harvested the day before he and Dara made it to Herria, worked beautifully. Vigorously rubbing the plant with a bit of water between his hands, the suds scrubbed his skin clean while leaving a slight minty yet musty smell behind. When the rain slackened, he used a small ceramic bowl he found in his DS to dip into the pooled water to wash away the lather and residue. After three full washes, his skin red in places, he considered himself clean enough to worry about his other tasks.

***

Less than an hour later, Eli was finishing the last of his meal while sitting on a few thin blankets with a fire nearby. Wearing the same linen pants and light green shirt, he remained barefoot, though he’d pulled out a few pairs of sandals he might fashion into something that would work. He definitely didn’t plan on hiking through the woods barefoot.

Tipping up the brown wax wrapper to get the last little bits, he smiled at the scrumptious granola and chocolate flavor before the trash vanished into his DS. After his recent frenetic cleaning session, he’d been ravenous with a kind of hunger he hadn’t felt since some of the darker days after the Fall. It had taken probably half a kilo of jerky, a few handfuls of sad trail mix, and some of the flatbread to take the edge off. He’d finally pulled out one of his last remaining magic rations, the Lovely Feast’s “well-fed” buff managing to fill the apparent void in his gut.

While stuffing his face, he’d been pleasantly surprised by the state of his provisions. He’d taken the foodstuffs off the cultists and bandits weeks ago, which fed him and Dara during their trek. Yet when he pulled out the jerky, it was just as soft and sweet as when he’d first stored it away. Even the bread hadn’t gone stale, somehow preserved or maybe locked in stasis while inside the storage bracelet. He didn’t have an unlimited food supply, but there was enough to last him a few more days.

He set another log in the fire, briefly sending up a small shower of sparks. The fuel had also come from his storage, collected on the previous trek. Now that he knew how ample the internal storage was, he’d be sure to gather more wood once the forest floor had dried out a bit. There’d also be plenty of opportunities now that he was about to hike through the same creepy forest.

The small black-framed mirror lay on one corner of his blanket, helpful in viewing tricky angles. He’d looked over his body while eating, turning off Lifesight after only a glimpse of the gurgling fluids in his gut busy processing his meal. Even without using the vision ability, the results were already surprising. Whatever disgustingness he’d just gone through, his body had changed along the way.

He held up a hand, slowly turning it around while his ability focused on different aspects of his arm. The limb was unblemished, the veins standing out stark underneath, with the tendons and muscles shifting clearly even to his normal vision. The scar he’d had near his left elbow, evidence of a poorly timed jump over a fence as a kid, was now missing. Even more, the other mementos he’d acquired over the years like stretch marks, acne scars, moles, and freckles had all vanished to be replaced with soft pale skin.

He held up a hand, slowly turning it around while his ability focused on different aspects of his arm. The limb was unblemished, the veins standing out stark underneath, with the tendons and muscles shifting clearly even to his normal vision. The scar he’d had near his left elbow, evidence of a poorly timed jump over a fence as a kid, was now missing. Even more, the other mementos he’d acquired over the years like stretch marks, acne scars, moles, and freckles had all vanished to be replaced with soft pale skin.

Another result of the recent nastiness was that all his old hair was gone. It was a strange sensation, as if the lack of hair on his legs, arms, head, and everywhere else made him extra naked. The beard that had been growing for the past few weeks was gone, which conveniently put off shaving for a while longer. Curiously enough, new hair was already sprouting all over his body, making him itch in the weirdest places. Even the edge of his eyelids itched with the eyelashes coming in below his new eyebrows.

A tiny motion within his HUD grabbed his attention.

Update Complete

What little new hair he had tried to stand up at the notification. “Guide, list installed programs.”

Basic Protocols 2.0.1

Language

Greater System Auxiliary – Patch 5.106…

A long string of numbers filled up almost the entire following line in the chatbox as if this program had been updated a bazillion times.

“Shitballs,” he said with a sigh, his shoulders sagging. He had no idea what the patch meant, but he had a hard time thinking it could be good. He didn’t even know how it got installed, not only in another world but also out in the wilderness with only a bunch of trees and stones for company.

Talay. At least I’m alive. Worst case, I do another reset and remove the patch.

With that thought, he straightened up, trying to bury the anxiousness and worry that had erupted. After all, he’d removed malicious programs before and could do it again. For now, he just had to pick himself up and keep going. He toggled his status to see if anything else had changed after the disgusting time he’d just had.

“Well, shit,” he said without thinking, his eyes immediately spotting that another significant shift had occurred. Reading the multiple new lines and format, he held in a frustrated yell. Instead, he muttered, “Wonderful,” with dripping sarcasm coloring his tone.

Trying to push the anger away, he pulled out his notes and a green-colored graphite pencil. He riffled through the pages, pulling out a few sheets he’d dedicated to his evolution and levels. Reviewing his notes, he circled a few areas and made a couple of question marks around others.

“That’s a whole lot of crap to take in. I guess my new level makes sense, especially after the trial and evolution. Plus, my evolution line changed to Initiate, just like Fluxi predicted. Not sure why ‘body’ got added to the line. Does that mean there are other types of evolutions?”

He placed a fresh sheet on the stack and started writing down the newest details while comparing them against his old notes. “Why didn’t Fluxi warn me about these changes, or does my status screen also evolve to show more stuff?” He wrote down Fluxi’s name, writing out a few of the questions he wanted to ask her.

“At least some of the differences make some sense. I’ve used Manasight and Flamethrower a good bit, but why are Lifesight and Healing still Mundane? Do I need to evolve the others, assuming that’s a good thing? There are so many new concepts, and everything keeps changing. It’d be nice if someone gave me an instruction manual,” he muttered, wondering if that was something Fluxi might help with.

The last line was new too. Eli guessed that the “transformation sickness” was his ongoing nausea, though the sensation was lessening. The estimated duration part was different, but he wasn't about to complain if his status started providing times for any buffs or such. He’d have to examine his body to confirm that everything looked healthy and fine.

Nodding almost absently along with the thought, he picked up the little mirror, toggling Manasight as he held it up. He stopped, his green eyes staring back at him. He blinked once, twice, the strange incongruity taking a moment to click with his thoughts. A glance at his HUD, but Manasight’s wedge glowed brightly with activity within the multicolored ability wheel he’d set up weeks ago.

What the hell is happening? First, I appear back at this poor imitation of Stonehenge, get sicker than I’ve ever been, and spew ungodly nastiness from all orifices. I get a mysterious software update for a piece of hardware that no one should even know about. My body and status change, and now Manasight doesn’t make my eyes glow? Why do the rules keep changing? Damn it!

He smacked his fist into the blanket next to him, the resounding thump and sudden move scattering his notes into a chaotic mess across the blanket and hard ground nearby. A fresh surge of anger pulsed like a red sheet across his vision. He reached out to ball up the offending pages and throw them away, but his sanity suddenly intruded.

Talay.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on stepping back from the ignited rage. Trying to imagine a wall between himself and his fury, he slowly counted to ten while settling back into a cross-legged position. He closed his eyes, forcing his muscles to relax until his chin rested against his chest.

Thinking of his anger and where it was coming from, he faced it and recognized the fear for what it was. So many things had radically changed over the past few weeks, and it seemed like the rug kept getting pulled out from under him every time he felt like he was getting somewhere. Still, although he might be scared, alone, and far too aware of his failures, he was alive.

Where there’s life, there’s hope. Sure, I’m back here again, but what’s wrong with that? Like before, I’ll learn the new rules, even if they keep changing them on me.

Opening his eyes again to see the mess of papers, he pushed down the tiny surge of anger at the sight. Taking another slow breath and blowing it out with almost a rueful chuckle, he focused on the simple task of cleaning up after his little temper tantrum. He carefully picked his way through the mess on hands and knees, brushing off a bit of loose dirt and muck on some of his notes before they disappeared into his DS.

Once done, he stood and stretched his hands overhead, yawning for a moment while trying to distance himself from his childish actions. Glancing at the time in his HUD, he frowned before looking at Lackar in the sky. Unless Lurra’s star or the planet had drastically shifted since he’d been here last, Guide’s clock was off again.

“Guide, reset your clock to fifteen hundred hours,” Eli said. He wasn’t sure if his estimation was close to correct, but it had to be better than the 05:03:07 displayed.

A slight break in the trees caught his attention, the small opening to the east almost beckoning. Turning south, the overgrown trail beyond the stone monument provided a different choice.

“At least I know my options from here. But do I head west along the tiny trail like last time or south towards Bishal?”

His natural inclination was to go west toward the known variables. He might face more bandits again, though he’d probably make good time traveling alone through the heavy forest. There was also the question of whether Dara and Wolf were doing okay. He’d only had a brief glimpse of them after killing Boruta, and he wasn’t even sure if it had been some hallucination created by his injuries.

On the other hand, to the south was Bishal. Dara had said it was a big city, only a couple of days away and much larger than Herria. Eli could finally get some fresh supplies, including some shoes at a minimum. There might even be a way to find the agents Wolf had sent looking for Duarte and have them send along a message. Then again, that sounded like wishful thinking.

“Herria is farther away to the west,” he mused, staring at the trees in that direction. “Dara and Wolf should be in that direction, too, assuming they’re still there. It’s been about a day since that fight with Boruta, but Fluxi mentioned time-dilation. Could time be different here? Or maybe it’s different in that strange, shrouded place I was in?”

He shook off the thoughts with a smile, realizing where he had to go. After everything he’d found in this new world, he wasn’t about to forget about his friends. There’d be time for adventure once he was sure they were okay.

“Maybe I can talk them into coming along? Honestly, who doesn’t love a road trip?”