FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Inner Animal

Stirring awake, I felt my eyes open to be assaulted by light. My mind felt numb and my arms wobbled as I pulled them up to my face to wipe off the sweat that was beginning to form on my forehead. My mouth was dry, feeling as if cotton was left overnight on my sensitive tongue. My toes curled inward as I slowly began to take in the environment around me. A window over my bed shined in morning light and a rooster crowed outside. A floating green box on the bed stand spun around in place and gave off a strange light. The light grew brighter as I drew closer to it with my hand, but I quickly pulled away. Who knew what the mysterious object would do?

Set on the far side of the wall by a bookcase, a table with four chairs surrounding it bore a candle with an unlit wick. A book was opened on the table and I could see obscure symbols. A quill was present, dipped inside midnight black ink as it waited for its owner to return and write once more. I concluded on the fact that it was a journal and continued to analyze the environment.

Groaning as I sat up, my muscles refused to cooperate. I found myself only being able to sit up on the small bed I was situated in. The white pillows that I was laying only moments before had a miniscule indent in the middle, showing that I was clearly out quite a long time. Shifting my weight to where my feet touched the wooden floor bellow my soles, my bare feet felt cold against the wood. I moved my hand and the ligaments strained as I clenched them.

Placing my feet firmly on the floor, I started to stand up gradually. With wobbling legs, bad footing, and shortness of breath, I managed to successfully tread ½ a foot across the floor before being forced onto my hands and knees.

Clenching my chest as I got back up and walked towards the table, I used it as leverage. I realized I was gasping as sweat dripped from my forehead. The small droplets fell to the ground, hitting the wood like raindrops.

Pulling myself onto a chair, I sat down to catch my breath. The journal that was before me was opened to allow my curious eyes glance at the mysterious symbols. The black symbols looked strange and foreign. I couldn't comprehend any of the letters in front of me. Some curved together to snake into pictures of different objects while others stood by themselves like they were cast away in the sea of black ink. It was like a different language.

Hearing the door knob turn, my instincts kicked in. I quietly closed the journal like I didn't even look at it and placed it at the corner of the table. I left the quill the way it was to allow no misconceptions that I was tampering with the work inside. Leaning back in the chair, I acted like nothing happened.

A jaguar, my size yet female, walked in and gave me an interesting glance. A small smile spread across her lips. She wore the usual leather pants to give herself an edge when it came to stealth, boots that were enchanted to hide her footsteps, and a minuscule dagger that sat sheathed on her right arm. A belt was tied around said arm with the decorative sheath tied onto the belt. She wore a simple fur shirt over her upper torso to keep the piercing cold away. What many didn't know was the fact that bellow the fur was leather to prevent injuries.

"I see you are awake." Aeria said as she took a seat in front of me. I ignored her gaze and looked away, not saying anything.

That seemed to anger her. She gave a growl and grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt. I felt the energy in the back of my mind start to pool once more. I wanted to grasp it and create a raging inferno in the very room. I just wanted to get away.

But I knew better and calmly pushed the energy back.

"Ignoring me won't help the fact that you're stuck here!" She said.

"Why don't you explain yourself then? You're supposed to be dead! You can't be alive!"

Memories of what happened flooded into my mind. I remember fire licking my face, but not burning. I remember the cold feeling of snow on my cheek and then I couldn't recall anything more. Is this one elaborate hoax?

"I am dead! I am just data!" She said as she pulled me to my feet and pushed me backwards onto the bed.

Sitting on the bed stunned, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Thousands of questions jumbled inside my mind. Not only did I have questions about the motives of Harmonics, I had questions on the motives of Aeria. Am I just a pawn in this sick game?

"What do you mean by data?" I hissed.

"You look real to me."

"I am only a bunch of numbers complied together." Aeria said as she walked over to me and sat down on the bed.

"Well then where is my sister?" I asked. I needed answers and nothing was going to halt my progress.

"Again, she is dead."

I looked over and gave a glare right into the AI's face. The emerald green eyes of the jaguar followed my own, not letting any movement out of their sight. My hands clenched and I felt my teeth grind against one another as I tried to calm myself down. Answers wouldn't come easy if I was irked.

"So how are you my sister?"

Giving a sigh at the question, Aeria realized she couldn't ignore me. She cleared her throat, scooted over, and placed a paw on my hand. I quickly recoiled away. She looked hurt, but I didn't care. I still don't trust her.

"I told you. I am just data."

I gave her a strange look. It was hard to hide it and I heard Aeria's laugh ring across the room. It sounded exactly like my sister's laugh. How can it sound so similar?

"I am dead. Well, she is dead." She replied to my look.

Now I was confused once more.

"So who are you really!?" I shouted right into her face. This whole story seemed to be spiraling out of control.

"Don't yell at me! I had to..."

"Had to what?! What are you? Who are you?" I said.

"I am bot 109. Listen, you have to hear me out..."

I didn't want to listen. I didn't want any more lies to be told to me, but I had to so I kept my mouth shut. I needed answers and finally I was about to get at least a few. Gripping the sheets on the bed tightly, I waited for Aeria to speak.

"I am not really your sister. I am a hologram that was programmed to help players in the game, but someone broke into the system and uploaded a virus to my computer. I am being controlled by another person."

"Who are you being controlled by?" I asked.

"By a terrorist organization known as Hyperia. I need your help. If you relinquish their control over me, I will help you get out of here." She said as she lifted her sword out of the sheath on her arm.

"How do I do that?"

"You have to kill me." She said as she handed me the dagger.

Instantly feeling my instincts kick in, I grabbed the dagger and threw it towards a wall with force. It landed in the wooden wall by my bed. The dagger was stuck the wood.

"What are you talking about, Aeria?" I shouted.

"You have to erase me. Only then can I be rebooted." She said before taking a knee and letting her neck show.

"One clean swipe is all it takes."

Then I remembered the bandit.

"How come I have to kill you?" I asked.

"The programmer only allowed me to be killed by the player I was assigned to."

That makes sense. It would be foolish to allow just anyone to kill the bot. It had to be the player. What if other bots were made to look like close relatives, friends, or even neighbors? How many NPCs were out there waiting to be discovered?

I was pacing the floor, wondering what the hell was going on. Half my mind was screaming to destroy the bot. The other half of my mind was telling me that it resembled too much of my sister. It would be like killing my sister. She was only data, copied and stored inside the bot's memory. She wasn't my sister.

And yet...

She spoke like her, looked like her, and acted like her. Aeria's emerald green eyes looked up at mine with beauty and maturity. The only part of her I had left to look at in this fake world. The rest was a jaguar and behind that animal was a bot.

A computer.

No mind or organs. It was only data that was human made and a bunch of codes that I didn't understand. Soulless, lifeless, and a machine. No sense of right or wrong, no sense of family, and no sense of goals or pride. I knew what needed to be done before memories of my sister haunted me.

Walking over to the dagger in the wall, I pulled it out of its place. The blade left a mark the size of an index finger on the wooden finish. I held the handle and walked over to Aeria with the blade pointed downward.

Blocking out images of what it would be like to take a life, I concentrated on the goals at hand and held back tears that were threatening to trail down my face and onto my shirt. I reminded myself that the "she" was only an "it" and it would be like destroying an old Ipod.

When the minutes felt like hours, I finally made it to Aeria. I slowly raised the dagger over my head and pointed the sharp blade downward. It was like the game sensed what I was about to do and a heath bar appeared over Aeria's head. 40 HP was glowing brightly. As Aeria said, I wanted to make it fast and painless.

I brought the dagger down, watching as the blade plunged deep into the bot's neck. I let out a primal yell as I made the killing blow. I waited for Aeria to disappear like the bandit and I leaned towards her knowing that she would soon be just a memory.

But instead of feeling the blade inside her neck, I just felt air and fell through her body like a hologram. The knife was still in my hand and I yelled as my shoulder hit the floor with a dull "thunk." I looked back to see Aeria was still kneeling with her eyes closed.

"W-what?" I stammered as I looked at the untouched jaguar. The sound made her open her eyes and she looked back at me with the same confused look.

Then I saw the black note by the HP bar. It read,

"Killing a friendly NPC is strictly forbidden. Try again, and you will be punished. Signed Hyperia."

I was stunned and appalled at the same time. The company must have thought of everything to unsure that the NPC could not be harmed. I got up off the floor and started to frantically swipe at Aeria and watched as the knife cut through her like she was invisible. I was starting to become barbaric, not wanting to stop until I saw the HP bar drop to zero.

That was until I felt something slash across my chest.

Aeria gave a yell as she saw what happened. Where I had cut across Aeria's chest in my frantic anger was now appearing on my own chest. Searing pain burned through my torso and I fell onto my knees. A red liquid lined its way across my white shirt and I knew the cut hit a tender area. I was not fully healed from my recent events in the forest and I watched as my HP bar dropped from 20 to 10. I instantly started to feel fatigue set in. My face reflected back pale and I felt myself becoming dizzy.

I laid on my side as I realized what happened and still felt the pain from the wound. Aeria leaned over my head and I could see on her HP bar something written.

"I warned you. Do it again and your consequences will be even worse."

Aeria held my hand against hers and said, "You will be alright. Let me see if I can help..."

I shook my head and started to rise to my feet. "You have done enough for me. I can handle this by myself."

I stumbled towards the bed and Aeria wrapped an arm around my shoulder for support. Sitting upon the sheets and holding my wound on my chest, I realized that attempting to kill Aeria gave me more questions than answers.

"Hyperia must have known that I would have you decommission me. They must have put all NPCs indestructible." She said with concern in her voice.

"Well then how can I destroy you?" I said with a pang of remorse.

"You cannot. You must get through this game before I-"

She was cut off as her image blanked in and out. Her eyes turned a deep red and she gave a yell. Her hand lunged for my throat and I felt my life flash before my eyes as the jaguar's claws dug into my neck.

Looking into the crimson eyes, I realized that Aeria lost control. At first, I could feel her grip weakening as Aeria fought against the person tapping into her mind. The claws on her hand retracted and the green color started to return to her eyes and I saw her mouth the words,

"Leave before Hyperia..."

That was all I needed. I unlatched her grip from my neck and ran out the door. Many patrons inside the inn glanced in my direction as I bolted out of the door. My feet on the floor made a loud clunking sound on the wood which got many of the other player's attention who didn't hear the door burst open.

"Someone is trying to kill me!" I shouted as loud as I could.

The players sitting on the bar stools all looked at each other. I had the most worried look on my face and they could sense my fear. Some of the players at the table got up and ran over to me. Other players burst out laughing like they heard the funniest joke in the world. I couldn't blame them. It was ridiculous.

The first to walk up to me was a tiger. He was tall, bulky, and built like a tank. A huge great sword was on his back that was as big as some of the players in the room. Everyone hushed up when his mouth moved. I looked at his HP bar to see it was all the way at 200 and his level was 20. His silver armor shined in the light from the candles around the bar and I saw a crest on his armor. The crest was the city of Blizzard's emblem. It was a lion with his hand gripped on a sword and a shield displayed proudly in the other.

"You are only a level one. You should still be immune from injury..." He stated as he put a hand on his shoulder. His face quickly changed when he saw my heath bar at 10.

He grabbed my shoulder at that moment and pulled me away from the crowd. He pushed past the individuals that were starting to gather around us and hurryingly pulled me outside into the cold outdoors. His eyes were fierce yet his stance and speech were controlled.

"Explain everything, novice." He said as his eyes locked with my own. He had an intense aurora around him. I realized maybe this player was looking for answers as well and we could explain our stories to make this all make sense.

"Listen, I cannot talk long because I am being chased by an AI that is trying to kill me! We need to get out of here! I think she is being controlled by Hyperia!" I said abruptly.

I almost bit my tongue when I said "she." I reminded myself that Aeria was only a computer and that she was only data.

But at the same time...

The tiger's stance calmed, but I noticed he still had a burning fire within the ocean colored pupil. He nodded, but before we could formulate a plan, the sound of a bow being drawn could be heard. The arrow screamed past my ear and I heard the sound of a dull hit of the tip hitting a tree behind us. I gulped and the level 20 unsheathed the sword on his back.

"GET AWAY FROM HERE! HOW MANY MORE LIVES ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled. His voice shook the very branches and snow fell from the trees. It felt almost as if the earth was nothing beneath this man's mighty voice.

Instead of being answered by Aeria's soft voice, a man's voice came from the mouth of the panther.

"As many as it takes to show the errors of your ways!"

The voice was harsh, cold, and heartless. It was monotone and lifeless. Chilling me to the bone, it felt as if my legs were liquid. I couldn't move. Feeling my bare toes clench against the icy chill of the snow, I knew that something was going to happen.

"GET OUT OF HYPERIA'S COMPUTERS! Come back out from behind the monitors and face us you cowards!" The tiger roared as he barred his teeth and beat his hand against his breastplate. Echoing through the forest, a clang resounded that shook me in my numbed state. I felt warm again...

Another arrow pierced the air and collided with the ground where the tiger was standing, "Give us Jacob and no one will die. He knows too much."

"I don't believe I will be the one dying today." He said as he pushed me backwards into the snow. My body landed in the powder and I couldn't do anything, but watch at what was happening.

With that, the massive swordsman charged at Aeria like a speeding train. The person that was controlling her laughed and his voice was high pitched and maniacal. He worked her like a puppet and jumped swiftly out of the way just in time before the giant sword smashed into where the AI's body would have been.

"Even if you kill me, I will find another host to control! I will never die!" The voice said. Aeria drew back an arrow against her will and fired. The tiger put the sword in front of his body and blocked the projectile with ease.

The tiger made another charge, but I noticed something while sitting dumbfounded in the snow at what was taking place. I looked to my right to see my hand was on fire and the snow around my skin was melted. I grinned. Maybe I could help out in the fight after all.

Aiming my palm and poking at the energy building in the back of my mind, I grasped the mana and pushed it through my body until it found its way to my palm. The energy combusted when it was unleashed and a fireball flew right by Aeria.

Watching as my mana bar decreased, I felt fatigue move through my body. I slowly rose to my feet with wobbling legs. Then I noticed a green bar that was bellow my mana and HP bar go all the way up. It filled the bar and then reset with a gold symbol.

"Level two reached. New skills unlocked."

I realized now wasn't the time to see what I achieved. The controlled panther just gave a grin and the tiger looked backwards to see where the fireball came from. Then I felt a burst of energy move through my entire body. I growled at the sensation and noticed my heath bar went all the way up and mana bar did likewise while the green bar reset back to the beginning. I realized my heath bar was also larger and my mana bar increased as well. The green bar also required more xp to level up again.

"I see the novice just leveled up..." A heavy sigh came out of the jaguar's mouth, "More work for me..."

The tiger that was guarding me grinned and said, "That is if you can get through me."

"And me." I said as I walked up by the tiger.

He was surprised with my confidence and shook his head. "Get back. I don't want you to die."

"I will at least help."

He didn't deny my argument since he knew he wouldn't get anywhere arguing with me. I took that as a "whatever" and snapped my fingers to see sparks fly from my hands.

"It seems magic is my chosen class." I thought as I let the energy pool on my palms to light them. The fire burned until it was almost all the way up my arm. There was no pain and I instead felt the flames lick my arm. It was strange. It was almost like the flames tickled my skin. I knew the flames were there, but at the same time it was almost as if it was natural.

Like throwing a baseball, I flung my arm forward and threw a fireball in the jaguar's direction. The hacker jumped out of the way before pulling back an arrow and letting the string go. I yipped as I saw my death spiraling towards me, but the tiger jumped in front of the arrow to hit it away with his great sword.

All of a sudden as the tiger charged again towards Aeria, the panther started to tumble onto her knees and hiss.

"NO! NOT NOW! YOU WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK!" The male voice said as he struggled to take back Aeria's body. Aeria herself put up a hand and yelled,

"GO! Hurry!"

The tiger stopped mid run and ran towards me. I was immediately picked up like a weighted nothing. I was carried away deeper into the forest and didn't realize I had an arrow lodged in my back until I fainted.

Stirring awake, I was met with familiar sunlight on my face and I felt a dull pain shoot through my chest. I grimaced before looking down at my naked chest. A bandage was wrapped around my upper body and I groaned as I got up. The bandage was flexible and I found myself leaning upward easily in the bed.

Realizing I was in another inn, I sighed as I got up off the bed. "What is with people dragging me to inns?" I thought grumpily as I checked out my surroundings.

Bookcases lined the walls which allowed whoever was in the room to brush up on their literature. A small window over my bed told me it was the late afternoon. The sun was just setting in the sky. The orange tint of the sky was beautiful.

Then I saw something outside the window. I jumped on top of the bed stand to look outside and to my surprise I saw a house. Actually, to my surprise, I saw multiple houses and each had their chimneys blowing out puffs of grey smoke into the air. The houses were made of stone and candles were lit on their windows. The houses were made to keep in warmth and keep out the piercing cold.

Seeing a male tiger, I knew exactly who it was. It was the knight that helped me at the inn. He had striped fur that lined his arms which could be seen since he was wearing more casual clothes. Instead of the noticeable Blizzard crest on his breastplate, he wore a heavy undershirt that protected him from the cold. It still had the emblem on it.

As I scanned the environment, I saw the tiger's orange eyes stare up at me in the window. Quickly jumping off the bed stand, I didn't want to have a chat with my newest companion just yet. I looked down at my apparel and realized I was in my underwear and that was it.

Blushing, I walked to the dresser and picked out the nicest pair of pants I could find and the warmest shirt. I put on the pants to feel that they were lined with soft fur to keep my legs insulated and I put on the shirt to feel that it was lined with fur as well. It felt wonderful to finally be in actual clothes. Then I remembered...

Where the hell am I?

Realizing that I needed to figure out where I was, I opened the door of my room open. The openness of the room and the way everything was built told me this was no inn, but someone's house. I fire crackled in the living room. Two more rooms signaled that there was more than me living in the home.

The atmosphere of the living room was warm and inviting. A dining set with tables and chairs were in the far right corner. More bookcases lined the room with enough reading material to entertain a person for weeks.

A book, opened to the page that it was last left on, had a scarlet bookmark placed inside. A cup of tea laid on the table by the couch and round spectacles were placed on the page. The smell of the tee made its way over to me and tickled my senses. It smelled of cinnamon and I felt my dry throat fill with the warm air.

Steam flew from the cup and moved in my direction. The cup was still warm and my senses tingled as the steam danced around my nose. It was almost as if the tea was calling my name. Even just a sniff triggered euphoric feelings. I looked around to see if anyone was looking and I quietly walked towards the provoking drink.

I picked up the saucer and then heard a "bloop" sound. I jumped and looked around, but then saw my message box in my peripheral vision. A red number "1" showed by a speech bubble. I tapped my index finger against the bubble to see the square chat appear. On a tab up on the top marked "whisper," I knew this conversation was between me and whoever sent me the message.

"Oh ya, I forgot I was in a game." I thought as I realized I could be instantly messaged from anywhere.

"Dear noob, if you drink from my tea, you will find yourself in a bad situation. Please put the saucer down so I don't have to wipe you from this earth." -Winter

I gave a snort at the message and looked around again with no worry on my face. As I brought the cup to my lips, another sound of a message received rang and a "1" appeared on the speech bubble. I gave a resounding cry of anguish at not being able to drink in peace.

"Oh, you don't think I am serious? Go ahead and drink the tea, see what happens." -Winter

This time I gave a gruff sigh and a chuckle, looked around again and waited for another message to appear as I brought the warm cup to my lips. Instead, I was greeted with a pistol against my back. I gulped and slowly set the saucer down on the table where I picked it up from.

"Rule one, never drink my tea."

I put my hands on the top of my head and turned around to see a human female giving me a glare. A white cat tail whipped back and forth and her yellow eyes probed my very soul. One of her stockings was longer than the other and had a red and black pattern like a checker board.

Around her waist, a rapier was sheathed and ready to be taken out for fighting at a moment's notice. She wore a black shirt that had red stripes going down until eventually meeting with the black shorts she wore that showed her cream colored legs.

A small cape that went down to the middle of her back was present and connected to that cape was a midnight black hood which laid still. Blizzard's emblem was displayed on her silver shoulder plating. To me, her style was very bipolar. To her, it must have been comfortable. The only thing that was actually in order was her crimson red hair that was cut to a moderate size and curled at the end. Her eyes darted from me to the tea and back to me again like she was analyzing what provoked me to grab the tea in the first place.

Pointing the pistol up in the air, she levitated the saucer and the cup into the air and into her hand. Levitating the flintlock pistol so she could take a sip, she lifted the cup to her mouth and took a drink of the hot liquid. She snapped her open hand and the pistol dropped from levitating and into her left hand. I looked at her with a stunned look.

"What? Never saw a witch before?" She said before giving a chuckle. Her voice was high pitched and almost childish.

I shook my head.

"How long have I been knocked out?" I asked before walking to the couch and sitting down. Before I ask who the mysterious character was, I wanted to know how long it was since I have been in the game.

"Total or just in Blizzard?" She asked.

"Total."

She gave a smirk which showed her feline fangs that were still present. "One full week. Devon, the tiger who saved you from being completely erased, informed me."

"How can I trust you?" I asked while getting up and aiming my palm at her and probing my mind for the mana.

She gave a laugh that rang through the building. "You think a fireball will kill me? Take a look at my level."

I looked at the far right corner to see she was a level 35 Chaos Witch. I put my hand down knowing that if I instigated a battle in a town, it would start a pvp match between me and her. I would rather not become a pile of ashes.

I instantly put my hand down by my side.

"Good noob." She said teasingly. Skipping up to me and giving me a small tap on my head, I felt a piercing headache move through my mind. It was as if my skull was going to split in two. At the same time, I saw the witch's inventory pop up. Along with the mannequin of her character that displayed what she had equipped, I noticed that the "disposables" tab was blinking violently. I put two and two together to realize she was using a scroll to cast a spell.

"Let's see if my assumption was correct..." She said as she scanned my thoughts. Her yellow eyes turned into a dark blue. It felt as if I could feel her body inside my thoughts, picking them apart and organizing them like papers.

"Oh, it seems you were out for two weeks instead of one."

All of a sudden, I felt the headache leave and my mind was free from her probing once more. I was panting and drips of sweat were falling from my forehead.

"Why did you probe my mind?!" I shouted.

"I needed to actually see how long you were out for. Devon took a guess. I don't like guesses. I decided to look for answers in the one thing that would give them to me." She said while pulling up her inventory and saw that her scroll was gone.

"You owe me a new scroll. Those don't come cheap." She said as she closed the menu.

Giving her a ridiculous look, I said I didn't want her to probe my mind in the first place and asked her if she saw anything private.

"Don't worry about any mischievous crap you got yourself into. I wasn't interested in any of that. Whenever a player uses a psyche scroll, they are looking for one thought and when that thought is found the scroll disappears. Only telepath witches or wizards can literally search a person's mind."

"So what kind of wizard am I?" I asked before sitting back down on the couch. "What have I gotten myself into?" I thought silently to myself.

"You are a Chaos Wizard. The game has already given you your class when you opened the item you got in the beginning."

I thought back to the necklace that was given to me from before. If I remember correctly, I believe Aeria said something about The Key of Knowledge. It must have unlocked my class.

"What item did you get?" I asked curiously.

She gave me a strange look. The witch then replaced the look with her natural face. She must not get the question a lot.

"My item was a locket." The witch said melancholy.

Splitting the conversation like a knife, tension brewed that I could almost feel. I knew that asking another question might bring terrible memories to the girl so I stopped and waited in silence.

Then finally the witch spoke softly, "Come on. Let's get Devon. He can point you where to go next."

Nodding and still keeping silent, I followed the now quiet witch outside into the cold air. Following the girl past market stalls, weapon shops, and multiple alchemy shops, the town was a hub for marketing.

Catching up to Devon, the witch poked his shoulder and the tiger turned around smiling,

"Glad to see you are awake!" He said clearly looking at me. I thanked him for saving my life.

"I wasn't just going to watch you die." He stated as he put down the large box that he was carrying. It must have been his armor since it clanked and clattered when he set it down as the metal clashed against each other.

"So where are you heading off to?" The witch asked, her mood increasing again and having that childish pitch.

"Blizzard Castle. The King is getting crazier since different guilds are trying to come to power. He thinks a guild is going to make an attack." He said gruffly and rolling his eyes.

"Like they would attack the King. That would be suicide. They would have to have help."

"What guild?" I asked. I wanted to know my environment before I got too comfortable.

"The Raven. They are masters of hiding in the shadows. The King thinks they have a base somewhere UNDERNEATH Blizzard." Devon said with a snort.

Nodding like I understood what he was talking about, I didn't wish to continue on with the subject and asked Devon what needed to speak with me about.

"You're going to love this. You get to find your inner animal today!" He said as he put a hand on my shoulder.

I blinked and had no idea what he was talking about. He seemed to have gotten the body language.

"Let me explain. You see, your inner animal is what you will transform into when we take you to the Spring of Choosing. You will see when Phoenix and I take you." Devon said. He stepped back and motioned to his form.

"I am a tiger. Phoenix used to be a cat until she drank a potion that transformed her halfway back into a human." He said as he pointed at Phoenix's tail and then at her skin.

"Meow." She said sarcastically with a tone of disgust in her voice.

"Why don't I show you around town?" Devon said with excitement as he put an arm around me, and to Phoenix's demise, started walking without her. It seems she was offended that she was not the center of attention.

"WAIT FOR ME!" She shouted as she hurried behind us, not wanting to be left behind.

Taking me around the marketing district, Devon showed me what each stall specialized in. Some had a multitude of weapons for sale while others had scrolls, enchantments, and even their services to teach certain skills. Some others catered to clothing and accessories.

"Blizzard is the main marketing town in the North. Some people even migrate from far away as Alcart just to see what new wares we have." Devon chimed in as he eyed up a mysterious looking cuisine. It looked like an insect.

"There is some interesting stuff that is sold here so make sure you know what you are buying."

Right when he said that, the mysterious cuisine jumped to life and spat out a green goop before dying. The rest followed suit. I nearly lost my lunch at the sight and asked Devon if he would continue to somewhere quieter. The voices of hundreds of marketers started to give me a headache. Devon said he knew just the place.

Phoenix was quiet nearly the whole time and was browsing the different enchantment books. Then she saw us walking away again. She gave a huff and hurried to catch back up with us.

What felt like a few paces over a scenic bridge that went over a frozen river, Devon led me to a place that amazed me. What stood before me was a vast park full of lush trees with beautiful red leaves that reminded me of the color of crimson. Flowers of every kind and every color bloomed, each one a different color then the next to make the area even more admirable. Growing on the ground like it didn't even notice the cold, lustful green grass blanketed the area with its presence. I was in awe at what I was seeing. Everything was so alive and undisturbed by the season of winter. Devon noticed my expression and grinned.

"It is one of my favorite places to go when I am worried. The flowers and trees soothe me."

"How is this..."

"Real?" He said knowing the exact words that I was about to say. "I will show you."

He walked up to the outskirts of the garden and gave it a soft tap. The shield around his finger wobbled like the ripple effect on a lake when a rock was thrown in. He motioned me closer and I hesitated, but then curiosity got the best of me. Walking up by the tiger, I gave the shield a tap as he did and felt warmth on the very tip.

Sticking my hand all the way in, I felt warmth trail up my hand. Walking through the barrier, I looked up to see a sun beaming down at me. It was like the garden was a whole world that was shut away from everywhere else. It was enchanting and almost like it cast its own spell on me.

Devon walked in and Phoenix followed suit. All three of us just admired the foliage surrounding us in silence. The sweet smell of the flowers intoxicated me. I wanted to spend all day in the park.

"Although this garden is beautiful, it has a very melancholy back story." Devon said as he walked up by a rose and picked it. It was an orange that matched his coat.

"A mage by the name of Orinson was the first player to die in the game. Since you lose your memory when you die, Orinson wanted to pass with something he could remember himself by. When he hit the floor, he used his last bit of magic to grow a tree and enchanted the tree to drop seeds that would grow themselves. In about a day, this park was born and mages that knew Orinson casted a shield around the park to preserve it. It is called Orinson Garden ever since the story has been told." Devon said before pointing to the great tree that rose above all the others. Branches upon branches crisscrossed one another and the leaves glowed redder then all the rest.

"That is his tree."

"So is he still alive?" I asked, pondering on what exactly happens when a player dies.

"Yes, but he doesn't remember anything from his previous gaming session. The hacker controlling this game made it so that if you die, you respawn with no recollection of your previous self. It's like you are born again." Devon said before handing the rose to Phoenix who pocketed the plant.

"So how does a person get out of this world?"

Devon grinned and sighed. "It is terrible, but you have to beat the final boss."

I gasped at that comment. It was almost impossible to comprehend. It would take months to beat the boss and years if I died. The notion of even reaching the final boss was laughable at minimum. So I decided to do just that and laugh.

"How can anyone expect to even get out of here!?" I said loudly. Some of the people picnicking and strolling gave me a stare before continuing.

"That is why guilds were invented. One man is strong, but thousands of men are stronger." He said. "Don't worry; some people have already escaped the game."

I was shocked at that statement even more. Pondering on the information that was given to me, I was in a haze and their chatter sounded faded as we walked out of the garden and past the huge castle. If I was paying attention to the draw bridge in the front, the large towers that decorated the four corners, and the patrolling guards, I would have instantly recognized the area as Blizzard Castle. A banner hung down from the front gate with the lion emblem and I didn't even notice it.

When I finally looked upward, I noticed that it was starting to become nightfall. The bustle of the town quieted some as the different knights, mages, and merchants all decided it was time to get shut eye. Devon and Phoenix both decided it was time to take me to the Spring of Choosing and next thing I knew I was on a horse galloping behind Devon and Phoenix.

When we arrived at a dark entrance to a forest, a sign read "Spring of Choosing." Walking in with the great sword on his back, Devon walked in first and was followed closely by Phoenix. Snapping her fingers, Phoenix lit up the dark forest with a small orb of light that followed her. I watched as another scroll disappeared on her inventory screen.

As I walked behind Phoenix, I heard the squawk of a crow behind me and jumped. Phoenix chuckled and teased,

"Afraid of a little black bird?"

Blushing red hot, I was about to retaliate against the comment until our group came to an abrupt halt. Wondering what was going on, my senses peaked and I heard a rustling. I looked pasted Devon's body to see two wolves growling furiously with their fangs ready to tear us apart.

The wolf on the right followed my movements and I noticed something blinking. I glanced to the right of the beast to see a level 4 and a full HP bar. I gulped and realized that if I wanted to prove myself, I better do it now.

"I will take care of them." I said as I walked forward in front of Devon. The tiger gave a worried glance at Phoenix, but she just shrugged.

"He isn't going to learn if he doesn't try."

As I walked forward, the wolves started to growl louder and one made a movement towards me. I looked for the mana in the back of my head, concentrated and threw a fireball. It collided with the wolf and I watched as its HP bar dropped until it was ¾ gone. The other one attacked and I threw another ball of fire its way. It made a direct contact with its head and he flew backwards and didn't get up. It exploded in a burst of light and 10xp shined above it. I watched as the green bar moved forward a bit before stopping.

Looking for an opening, the other wolf noticed he was missing a partner and grew worried. That was when I noticed two feet running away by its HP bar. Instantly knowing that the wolf was going to flee, I watched as the beast tucked its tail between its legs and ran. I received 8xp from the scuffle with that wolf. I heard clapping and turned around to see a tiger giving me an applause and Phoenix sarcastically clapping and yawning.

"Congratulations on your first kill!" Devon said as he gave me a slap on my back. Phoenix wasn't so enthusiastic.

"Ya, ya. Congratulations on killing one wolf and making the other one wet his pants. Wait till you face bandits!" She said with fake enthusiasm. I decided to just ignore her.

All three of us continued down the path, not having trouble with anymore wolves and finally made it to a sparkling pond. Koi fish swam in a yin yang pattern inside the crystal clear water and I smiled as I watched the fish make their patterns in the water.

I looked around and noticed that the grass was lush like in the garden and that the trees had a blue tint to their bark and leaves. Jumping when I heard Devon behind me, I heard him say the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of,

"For this, you're going to have to walk in with only your underwear on unless you like ripped clothes."

Deciding to just follow what I was told, I disrobed and shook my head. "I never thought I would do anything like this." I said as I felt cold air rush against my naked skin.

"Neither would we."

All of a sudden, one of my tabs labeled "quests" started to blink violently. I opened up the tab and noticed that the quest called "Spring of Choosing" had checkmarks by certain objectives that we had already completed including entering the forest, killing the two wolves, and discovering the spring. The only thing left was labeled,

"Unleash your inner animal."

I gulped at the thought of that. Just the fact of turning into something I had no control over sent shivers down my spine. I looked over to Devon and he pointed at the spring and said,

"I promise that you will not be hurt. It may feel strange, but you will be fine. We all had to go through it."

Nodding and walking towards the waters with my arms wrapped around my skin, I knew that the water was going to be cold. As I dipped my foot into the crystal clear water, I realized I was mistaken. The water was actually warm, maybe even hot. I instantly took my foot out and looked at Phoenix and Devon for reassurance that the water was supposed to be that way.

Giving me an impatient look, I knew I wouldn't get any comfort from her. Looking at Devon, he gave me a thumbs up and a relaxed smile. Deciding to relax as well, I slowly put my body in the water and walked towards the middle. All of a sudden, the koi started to swim around me as I moved to the center of the spring. I could feel their scales rubbing against my leg.

"Alright, you ready Jacob?"

Nodding, I breathed deeply to calm myself down. Pulling out a book, Phoenix walked over to the spring and started to chant. The water started to glow and I gasped at the illumination. As Phoenix chanted faster, the pool glowed brighter until it was hard to see.

Noticing that she was also holding something, I saw the blue rose that was from Orinson's Garden. She broke off a pedal and I caught her voice saying,

"Now, show yourself inner animal and appear before us!"

The rose burst into a bright light and disappeared into white wisps. Collecting and gathering, the wisps moved towards me and I was too petrified to move. Watching as they came closer, I waited for what they would do.

The wisps flew directly into my chest, being absorbed into my chest. Feeling my heart start to beat faster, I felt a strange sensation move through my body. My arms started to throb and my legs wobbled under me. Letting out a primal growl, I knew that something was happening.

Feeling something warm creep up my legs and over my chest, neck, and face, I rubbed my hand against the soft fur. Noticing that my hand was shifting into something else, I yipped as I realized it was widening and claws quickly replaced my fingernails.

Giving another growl at the transformation that was happening, I felt a pressure at my feet and noticed that they were paws as well.

Touching my nose, I watched as it grew outward into a muzzle in awe. Giving a groan as my teeth turned into sharper fangs, I took my finger and poked the almost dagger like teeth. As I turned around to see a yellow coat covering my back and lower body, I realized that I would not see my human skin again. Then I noticed something else forming...

Building up in my backside, I felt an acute pressure. Then I watched in surprise as a tail shot out of my backside. Dotted with black spots and having a black tip at the end, my newest tail swung back and forth between my legs. I realized just then that my chosen animal was a cheetah.

Turning back around and watching as my yellow fur started to become dotted with black spots, I knew that my transformation was nearly complete. I felt the top of my head to feel two small ears that moved upward whenever they heard sound. Listening carefully, I could hear the chatter of a mercenary group from a mile away, I could hear birds chirping on trees outside the forest, and the rustle of leaves on the blue leaves of the trees as a cold wind blew through them.

Noticing that my sight and smell also improved, it felt exhilarating to smell all the different smells of the forest and seeing in detail I never saw before. Everything looked much clearer and sharper like I was looking through a magnifying class.

Feeling the pressure die down and seeing the glow of the water fade away, I knew that the transformation was complete. Excited yet scared of my new foreign body, I was worried about taking my first step forward in my new body. Devon beamed at me as he saw my new appearance. Phoenix just yawned.

As I took my first step, my legs wobbled. Not used to my new body, my legs collapsed from under me. I looked into my eyes to see if they didn't change. I wasn't surprised when I saw they took on a more predator appearance and were a more piercing blue rather than my more tame blue that I had when I was a human. Devon walked forward to help me, but Phoenix held out an arm to stop him.

"Let him figure out his new form by himself." She stated. Devon just gave a nod.

Getting up slowly and taking another step, I found each stop getting progressively easier. I fell a few times into the warm water, but I kept going until I reached the edge. Offering me a hand, the tiger pulled me up out of the water and onto dry land.

Seeing the blinking quest tab in the lower right corner, I tapped it and opened the menu. The "Spring of Choosing" quest had all checkmarks by the objectives and a blinking "finished" button appeared at the bottom. I knew what I had to do. I pressed the button and I was rewarded with a hundred gold. The money appeared out of thin air and into my open hand. I realized it would be the first of many rewards.

"That was just the first of many quests!" Devon said as he looked at the small pouch that housed the gold.

I sighed.

I wish he wasn't so right.