A system. I have a game system. This is actually happening.
The venomwolf circled him warily, clearly confused about what had just hit it. Smart enough to recognise that something had changed. Smart enough to be cautious.
More text scrolled across the screen:
[INITIAL BOND DETECTED: PHOENIX EGG (DORMANT)]
[ANALYZING HOST CONDITION...]
[CRITICAL: HOST BODY SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES 72 HOURS AGO]
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED] [WARMTH FUNCTION: ACTIVE]
Alex felt something warm press against his chest. He looked down. There, tucked inside his torn shirt against his skin, was an egg. Roughly the size of a football, its shell covered in golden patterns that pulsed with the same light as the marks on his hands.
The egg was radiating heat. Not burning, just constant, gentle warmth that was slowly driving away the bone-deep cold he'd woken with.
I have a phoenix egg. Of course I do. Because this is my life now.
The venomwolf snarled, deciding that injured prey was still prey, system or no system. It began advancing again, more cautiously this time, testing for another surprise.
Alex scrambled backward on his hands and knees, searching desperately for anything he could use as a weapon. His hand closed around a thick piece of deadwood. Not much, but better than nothing.
The wolf lunged.
Alex swung the branch with both hands. It connected with the side of the wolf's head with a dull thunk that jarred his arms. The creature yelped and backed off, shaking its head, but it wasn't seriously hurt.
Think. Think like it's a game. What would I do in a MOBA? Kite. Create distance. Use terrain.
But he didn't have abilities to kite with. He had a stick and a glowing egg.
The wolf circled right, trying to flank him. Alex kept the tree at his back, Branch raised defensively. His mind raced through possibilities.
The system said something about bonding. About evolution. What does that mean? How do I...
The wolf attacked from a different angle. Alex swung again, missed this time. The creature's jaws snapped shut inches from his leg.
Then the egg pulsed.
A wave of warmth flooded through Alex's body, stronger this time. The cold that had been sapping his strength vanished. His muscles stopped trembling. His vision sharpened.
[EMERGENCY WARMTH: STAGE 2]
[HOST VITALS STABILIZING]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO HYPOTHERMIA: 6 HOURS REMAINING]
Six hours. I have six hours before I freeze to death out here.
That realisation cut through the panic. The wolf wasn't his only problem. Even if he survived this fight, the night would kill him.
The wolf lunged again. This time Alex was ready. He sidestepped. His younger body more agile than he expected, and brought the branch down on the creature's back as it passed. The wolf yelped and spun, faster than something that size should be able to move.
They faced each other, both breathing hard. The wolf had a limp now, favouring its left foreleg. Blood dripped from where the branch had split skin.
It's hurt. Not much, but it's hurt. I can use that.
Alex's gamer instincts were kicking in now. Pattern recognition. Cooldown tracking. Positioning.
The wolf was favouring its right side, compensating for the injured leg. That meant its right-side attacks would be stronger but its left side would be vulnerable.
Bait it into attacking right, dodge left, counter-strike. Basic stuff.
Easier thought than done when the enemy had fangs the length of his fingers.
Alex shifted his weight, deliberately exposing his right side. The wolf's eyes tracked the movement. It tensed, preparing to spring.
Come on. Take the bait.
The wolf lunged, jaws aimed at Alex's exposed side.
Alex threw himself left. The wolf's momentum carried it past him. He spun and swung the branch with everything he had, aiming for the injured foreleg.
The impact sent vibrations up his arms. The wolf's leg buckled. The creature crashed to the ground, snarling in pain and fury.
Alex didn't think. He just acted. He brought the branch down on the wolf's skull. Once. Twice. Three times.
The wolf stopped moving.
Alex stood there, breathing hard, staring at the corpse. His hands were shaking. Blood, the wolf's blood, covered his makeshift weapon and speckled his arms.
I just killed something. With a stick. I just beat a mutant wolf to death.
His stomach lurched. For a moment he thought he might throw up.
But the cold was seeping back in. The egg's warmth was steady but not enough. His body was still injured, still weak. And somewhere out there in the dark forest, there were more things like the venomwolf.
No time for shock. Survival first. Process later.
A new notification appeared:
[VENOMWOLF DEFEATED] [ESSENCE DETECTED: WOLF SPIRIT CORE]
[ABSORB? YES/NO]
Alex looked at the notification, then at the wolf's corpse. Through the blood and matted fur, he could see something glowing faintly in the creature's chest cavity. A core. Like a video game drop.
Absorb essence. That's what the system said. Kill beasts, absorb their essence, evolve summons.
But he didn't have a summon yet. Just an egg.
Does it matter? The system is offering. Might as well take it.
"Yes," Alex said aloud, his voice rough.
The wolf's corpse began to glow. Silver light seeped from its wounds, coalescing into a sphere that lifted into the air. The sphere drifted toward Alex and pressed against his chest, right where the egg rested.
The warmth intensified. Not painful, just overwhelming. The silver light flowed into the egg, and the golden patterns on its shell blazed brighter for a moment before fading back to their normal pulse.
[ESSENCE ABSORBED: WOLF SPIRIT CORE]
[STORED IN: PHOENIX EGG (DORMANT)]
[ESSENCE COUNT: 1/10 REQUIRED FOR HATCHING]
The wolf's corpse collapsed into ash, scattering in a wind that Alex hadn't noticed before.
He stood there in the alien forest, covered in blood, holding a glowing egg, staring at a blue screen that floated in his vision.
This is real. I died on Earth and woke up in a fantasy world with a game system and a phoenix egg and I just killed a monster.
The reality of it hit him all at once. His legs gave out. He sat down hard, back against a tree, and just breathed.
Marcus betrayed me. I died. I'm in someone else's body. There's a system. There's magic. There are monsters.
It was all too much.
But the cold was still there, biting at his extremities. The egg's warmth was keeping hypothermia at bay, but barely. And the forest was full of sounds, distant howls, the rustle of things moving through underbrush, the occasional roar that made his blood run cold.
Can't stay here. Need shelter. Need fire. Need to survive the night.
Alex forced himself to stand. His legs trembled but held. He looked around, trying to orient himself.
The system interface was still there, hovering at the edge of his vision. Alex focused on it, and menus expanded.
[ALEX PROCTOR - LEVEL 1 SUMMONER]
[HP: 15/45] [STAMINA: 8/30]
[STATUS: HYPOTHERMIA (MODERATE) - 5 HOURS 47 MINUTES REMAINING]
[BONDED BEASTS: 0/8]
His health was critically low. His stamina was almost gone. And he had less than six hours before he froze to death.
Okay. Priorities. First: Don't freeze. Second: Don't get eaten. Third: Figure out what the hell is going on.
Alex spotted a rocky outcropping maybe fifty yards away, partially hidden by undergrowth. Not quite a cave, but it would block the wind. Better than nothing.
He stumbled toward it, clutching the egg against his chest. The warmth it provided was the only thing keeping him functional.
The outcropping was better than he'd hoped. Not just a rock face, but an actual shallow cave, barely deep enough to lie down in. Dry. Protected. And the entrance was narrow enough that nothing much larger than him could get in easily.
Defensible position. Good.
Alex crawled inside and immediately felt better. Out of the wind, the egg's warmth was more effective. His shivering began to subside.
[STATUS UPDATE: HYPOTHERMIA (MILD) - ESTIMATED TIME: 8 HOURS 12 MINUTES]
Not good, but better.
Alex arranged himself in the back of the shallow cave, the egg cradled against his chest. The golden patterns pulsed in a steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat.
A phoenix egg. The system said it's dormant. Needs ten essence to hatch. I have one.
Nine more to go. Which meant nine more fights like the venomwolf.
I can't do this. I barely survived that wolf with luck and a stick.
But even as he thought it, Alex knew he didn't have a choice. This world wasn't going to give him a tutorial. It wasn't going to hold his hand.
It was going to try to kill him. And he either adapted or died.
Again, he thought bitterly. Died again.
No. That wasn't acceptable.
Alex closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, and tried to calm his racing thoughts.
Okay. Take stock. What do I have?
One: A system. Game-like interface, apparently gives him powers or abilities. Still figuring out how it works.
Two: A phoenix egg. Needs essence to hatch. Provides warmth. Might be powerful once it hatches.
Three: Knowledge of the previous body's owner. Fragmented, but it's there. He knew what a venomwolf was. Knew this was the Wyrmwood. Knew about tamers and guilds.
Four: Gaming instincts. Pattern recognition, strategic thinking, kiting, positioning. Not useless in a world that operated on game logic.
Not much. But it's something.
The egg pulsed against his chest, its warmth seeping into his bones. Alex found himself stroking the shell unconsciously, the way he might pet a cat.
"Just you and me, huh?" he whispered. "Whatever you are, we're stuck together now."
The egg pulsed again, slightly warmer. Almost like it was responding.
Bond, the system had said. Bonding sequence complete.
Was the egg aware? Could it understand him?
Doesn't matter right now. Rest. Recover. Deal with tomorrow when it comes.
Alex shifted, trying to find a comfortable position on the stone floor. Every muscle in his body ached. The claw marks on his chest throbbed. He was exhausted, terrified, and completely out of his depth.
But he was alive.
For now, that was enough.
Outside the cave, the alien forest was alive with sound. Distant howls. The rustle of things hunting in the night. The wind through those massive trees.
Inside, Alex held a glowing egg and tried not to think about how many ways he could die before morning.
Marcus thought he'd won. Thought five grand was worth destroying me.
Alex's jaw tightened.
Well, joke's on him. I'm not done yet. Not even close.
He closed his eyes, the egg's warmth lulling him toward sleep despite his fear.
His last conscious thought: Tomorrow, I start figuring out how to survive in this world. And maybe, just maybe, I'll find a way to thrive.
Then exhaustion claimed him, and Alex slept fitfully in a cave in an alien forest, clutching the only thing keeping him alive.
The phoenix egg pulsed steadily through the night, its golden patterns casting faint light on the cave walls.
Keeping its bond-mate warm.
Keeping him alive.
For now.