Red Dead To The World

Dropping In

My first memory was of watching television in my old two-bedroom home.  That milestone of my life hasn't left me, no matter how long I lived.  I can only say for sure that one other event stood out for me with utter clarity.  Most know the event as the end of the world, but I remember it as the first explosion of awareness of a more extraordinary life.  The end of the world started not with fire but a worldwide sound.

Ding!

System Message

World Update Commencing…

Installing New Software…

Welcome to the system time before teleportation 60s after the world update is completed.

Software Update Complete

I dropped my ps4 controller and watched my dark souls character die.  All my hard ground souls were gone instantly, possibly forever, if I died a second time. Although that shouldn't have been my most pressing concern, the blue screen in front of my face seemed rather insistent.

My power suddenly cut out, leaving me alone in my trailer with a glowing blue screen.  If my neighbor across the street didn't have power, I would have blamed the blackout on the system. But, after careful consideration, I decided it must have been the tree limb hanging over the power line.  Outside, the wind blew hard enough to steal a trampoline.

I searched the screen for a settings menu and quickly changed it to black with reds words.  With my second most concern out of the way, I chose to reward the mysterious window with my attention.  Half of my mind concluded this was too good to be true or a trap by aliens the second it appeared.  No one handed world-breaking tech out for free.

"Stats,"  I ordered clearly.

Ding!

System Message

Basic Tutorial Activated

My eyes twitched at the lack of skip options.  What was this an early 2000s model?  That had to be it; I was stuck with a system from the early 2000s while everyone else enjoyed learning on the fly.

Ding!

Choose A Name

This was an important step to take; whatever name I chose would be the name I was stuck with for the rest of my life.  Should I pick something normal like John or something?  I snorted at that.  Who wanted to be normal?

"RuthlessRedRex," I declared with the self-deprecation that only gaming for 18hours straight could grant.

Ding!

Choose A Nickname

"Red," I said with all the seriousness I could muster.

Ding!

Player Red must now choose parameters to define the player.

That wasn't normal; I could choose my stats as parameters that would govern my system from this point onward.  "System, can I gain other parameters at a later date?"  I asked but didn't expect an answer.

Ding!

The system is processing your inquiry…

Answer: Items of great power, specific skills, and classes can add parameters to the system.  This system can only guarantee a player up to 6 parameters.

I didn't like the sound of that.  While my black screen was badass, it didn't make me stronger.

The only way forward was to choose.  From the beginning, I tossed the luck parameter away out of hand.  Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, and Agility were a must.  While most gamers preferred to go with primarily magic builds, I had a thing for bruisers.  The classic intelligence and wisdom stats were there, along with qi, magic, faith, and radiation.  Yea, I had no idea why radiation was even there.  Maybe there was a hulk build option.  While that didn't precisely rub me the wrong way, there were other discrepancies.  Namely, things like the parameters dragon, ghost, horse, black, white, red, and indigo troubled me.  Perhaps going classic wasn't the best idea.

"System, is there a way to increase a parameter without the system?  Could I grow stronger without the system's input?"  I asked.

Ding!

The system is processing your inquiry…

Answer: Yes, these parameters only affect what the system will prioritize.

For a moment, I wondered if anyone else bothered asking the system itself.  Most who weren't freaking out probably focused on metagaming.  How the system operated determined the pro gamer's next move?  Those who read a litrpg or a hundred knew how grinding could save lives.  Or end them in most cases.  It all depended on the world they would be sent to or if they weren't transported to a different world.  What if they only teleported a few feet to the left or something like that?  Their entire would collapse as gamers attempted to level up, and the government smashed everyone down.  New laws would appear quickly, and I didn't want to think about that.

I needed to choose parameters and get through the damn tutorial.  For a moment, I put minimaxing off the table and thought about what I wanted to be.  Well, when I thought of power, I pictured Goku and Vegeta. So Qi became my 5th parameter after that.  It was no contest.  While an intelligence stat would be great, and I'm sure it would come in handy in many ways, I didn't want it.  I've seen too many litrpgs where the characters who invest into that stat became robots. So without another thought, I tossed that one out on its ass.  What did I need then?

Well, the easy answer.  I needed perception.

Perception – A parameter that governs the senses.  Spotting hidden traps, predators, and treasures are rewarded by upgrades to this parameter.  For those who wish to move at superhuman speeds, this parameter is invaluable.

That quenched it, I needed this skill, and that finished off my parameters.

The second I finished my selection, power filled my body.  Aches and pains that came naturally from aging faded, and even my eyesight cleared up.  I have always had to wear contacts, and now I could see better than ever before.

Ding!

Stats

STR 1

CON 1

DEX 1

AGL 1

QI 1

PER 1

PP 24

System Message

Place parameter points until there are no more.

I wasn't an i***t; wherever I appeared, I'd need a lot of speed and perception if I was to survive.  Surviving the first few minutes of wherever I appeared would be crucial.  Once I established a base of operations and didn't die immediately, I could worry less valuable stats.

"I'm two steps ahead of you game,"  I said.

Stats

STR 2

CON 3

DEX 3

AGL 10

QI 6

PER 6

PP 0

The points were greater than anything I'd ever felt.  Energy filled my limbs until suddenly I felt a horrible snap and fell over on my coffee table.  A scream blasted out of my mouth as my bones broke and quickly reset, my muscles felt like molten glass, and every sensation grew increasingly intense.  It was the perception; I realized my mistake too late.  My perception made the sensations worse.

Ding!

I groaned and opened my eyes.

System Message

Basic Tutorial Complete

Reward: 1 Random D to SSS Rank Skill

Rolling Now…

Parameter Chosen QI

Ding!

Root Of Black Dragons lvl1

Type: QI

Rank A+

Description – The essence of a black dragon lives within your qi, allowing the user to learn exclusive black dragon abilities and access dragon-only areas.

Acts to Level – Black dragons are bringers of chaos and misery omens hated by all. Therefore, actions that cause rampant destruction will level up this skill.

Abilities

1.        Hatchling's Stomach – Like a newly born black dragon, you hunger.  Food that would generally make you sick will recover HP.

2.      Black Dragon's Blood – Immunity to most poisons and diseases.

3.      Hatchling's Flames – Dragon fire that even a hatchling can conjure.

4.      Immature Dragon's core – With every breath, your body gathers and stores mana like a dragon.  Magic Parameter unlocked.

I felt a stirring in my chest, almost like a heart attack. "Oh, my god, am I dying."  My arm went numb, and I coughed out a mouth full of blood.  Then my heart stopped.  I felt it, and I waited to die.  For a long minute, I waited and forced myself to breathe.  There was nothing, no heartbeat, but I hadn't died.  More than the sudden game stuff, this freaked me out.

Slowly with arms much stronger than I was used to, I pushed myself to my feet.  Pushing my hand against my chest didn't help; there was nothing there.  What was going on?

After another few minutes, I felt a beat.  It was quiet and so slow I might have missed it.

Ding!

My eyes shifted to the screen.

System Message

World Update Complete

Teleporting In 60s

I scrambled to my fridge.  "Inventory," I yelled and saw a small window appear in space.  I filled my inventory from half-eaten pizza to the spaghetti I made the other night, to cheese and soda.  Then a thought hit me, my AR15 and all the ammo were in my bedroom.  If I wasn't so hungry, maybe I would have thought about it first.

Teleporting in 35s

I shot across the room and tripped over my nightstand before digging under my bed. The second my hand grasped the gun, I shoved it in my inventory and ripped the door off my dresser.  I managed to stuff three boxes in before my stomach flipped.

All around me, blue sparkles gathered as I snatched a machete from the nearby corner.

Ding!

System Message

Teleporting Commenced

A thought occurred to me then, could I have taken my truck. But, wait, what about my fleshlight? She was in my closet and out of reach.  It wasn't fair. I had needs and not enough time to get everything.  What about the lube in my other bathroom?  It would be such a waste to leave it behind.  "PS4 baby, I'm sorry daddy isn't going to be home for a while.  Fleshlight, you're the woman of the house so take care of it."  I yelled before the blue sparkles finally took me.

My first teleportation was the most traumatic.  If going from one universe to another wasn't harrowing enough, I had chosen perception, a parameter that made everything more sensitive.

The unmistakable silver of gleaming horseshoes welcomed me to the new world just before they smashed into my groin.

Ahhhhhh!

"My d**k," I yelled and rolled on the ground, tucking my head in as I made a circle.  An insane dry heat blasted my half-naked body, and briars cut into my skin as I rolled.  "It will never be the same again,"  I yelled as I rolled.  "f**k you, 2021."  I broke out as the pain reached a crescendo between my yells and cursing.

I felt something metal around my neck vibrate, and I stopped on the spot.  Memories of another life blasted me in the face like a long stream of diarrhea.  For my sanity I referred to my other as he instead of I.

The Red of this world was a man who grew up the oldest of six children.  He loved to bully the weak and even drowned his second youngest brother.  At age 28, he was injured in a hunting accident and became reliant on his younger brothers.  He was destined to inherit the family estate, and his younger brothers weren't having it.  They drugged his wine and sold him to some traveling merchants.  Red was taken to auction and sold to a powerful centaur sorceress for five copper coins.  In a fit of s****l hysteria, Red tried to mount the centauress, and that's when I took over.

When the pain finally started to subside, I pushed up only to fall over.  My right arm was lame.  No matter how I tried to move it, it remained limp.  "You bastards, first you take ps4 chan, then fleshlight waifu, and now you've taken my wanking arm.  There's nothing left; you've taken it all from me."  I cried out to the harsh sky.

"I could have sworn I kicked you in the balls instead of your head."  I turned to see the glowering face of the cutest girl I've ever seen IRL.  As if by magic, I straightened up and faced her.  The large ebony ears on her head flattened.

"Well, you see, human males have brains in their heads and their balls,"  I said with utter certainty.

"Are you saying this, so I won't geld you, or are you serious?  I've never heard of such a thing in animal anatomy class."  At that moment, I realized I'd made a horrible mistake.  I should have chosen charisma as one of my parameters.  How could I be so stupid?

Ding!

1st Quest

Don't Get Gelded

Reward: +1 relationship with Kale

Kale: 5/100 Tolerated As property

Failure: A hot knife to your testicles.

Knowing what was on the line, I straightened up and changed my voice to that of an expert. Then, with the same tact as I'd used to sell insurance to countless people, I activated my bullshit skill.

"Oh, they are there.  Though you can't see them with the naked eye because they're so tiny.  But that doesn't mean they're not important.  If men weren't completely devoted to s*x, we'd take over the world or try to do crazy things like becoming gods."  I said.

Kale tapped her chin and raised her hand.  A chain appeared linked to my collar, and I felt another buzz of warning but kept my face hard and concentrated on her.  Our eyes met, and I felt a sudden shock.  What might have been a slight pinch to most people felt like a jolt from an electric fence.  Instead of crying out, I kept my teeth clenched.  She raised an eyebrow and the voltage.  My body shook as I felt like I'd just jammed a fork into an electric socket for the second time in my life.

She smiled.  "Wow, even when you spout out bullshit, you keep to it.  If you were a centaur, that might be admirable.  Let's test your resolve."  Kale cackled and upped the voltage.

Suddenly I was a teenager again about to cross an electric fence in the rain.  The pain took me to that moment.  "Say you lied, and the pain will stop."  She said.

I raised my hand at her.  "Fire breath," I called, and nothing happened. Instead, she turned up the voltage.  Even my lame arm was jumping at that point.

The memory of that first meeting won't leave me for as long as I live.  For half an hour, Kale tortured me in the middle of the southern steps of Taur in the eastern Audi continent.  Eventually, she stopped.  Drool clung to my mouth, and my throat felt broken from all my screaming.

Ding!

1st Quest Completed

Don't Get Gelded

Rewarded: +1 Relationship Point with Kale

Kale 6/100 Grudgingly respectable for a human slave.

Ding!

Skill Learned

Pain Resistance lvl3

Rank: D

Type: PER

Description: A skill defined by the user's ability to accept pain.

ATL (Acts to Level) – Withstand incredible amounts of pain, formulate thoughts, complete complex action, or completely ignore the pain.

Abilities

1.      Prism Status – Pain comes in many varieties, and now your vision will be tented while in pain.  The longer you feel pain and the more severe the rainbow, the user's vision will change from red to violet.

I stared at my black screen and realized that now my pain would tint the world around me.  A rainbow of pain could now become an apt description.  This game was bullying me.

Ding!

Skill Learned

Shock Resistance lvl2

Rank: D

Type: CON

Description: The user's very body becomes resistant to harmful electrical attacks.

ATL (Acts to Level) – Withstand electrical attacks to increase this skill's level.

Abilities

1.      Redirect: Transfer 10% of electrical damage away from vital organs.

Thank you, game; I really needed a helpful ability.  Though I wondered why it didn't let me burn the pretty sadist waifu.  I was my own man, and the system wouldn't change that.

"To tell you the truth, I don't believe in gelding other sapient races. But, listen, I am your master. You shouldn't lie to me even as a joke.  After your pathetic attempt to mount me, I had to punish you."  She glared at me with both pity and contempt.

I stared down to see my d**k hanging out of my loincloth.  It was a withered thing much smaller than in my other body. But, really, I'm not just saying that.

"You've suffered enough for now."  A cruel smile overtook her deceptively gentle face.  She raised her pinky and let it fall limp.  "For some reason, you remind me of my father.  Maybe that's why I bought you."  Kale said.

"What happened to your father?"  I asked.

"He was a fool and should die like one."  My collar vibrated in a warning.  "Slave, don't ever ask me something so personal again.  The next time you do, I'll shock you until you stop moving and sell your corpse to a necromancer to recover my coppers."  Kale said.

I grasped my collar and gave it a tug.  Electricity violently erupted around my neck in response.  When it died down, I was on my knees, shivering.

Ding!

Shock Resistance lvl4

"If you're done making a fool, I'll show you how to prepare my tent.  Pay attention; I want you to set it up for me every evening.  We're far from the herd, and if I have to reapply my insecticide ward again before my tent is prepared, I'll make your other shocks seem pleasant."  Kale said before smiling.  "Do I hear a yes, mistress?"

"Yes, mistress," I said.

If you think my will had been broken from the initial shocks, then you'd be right.  Going from comfortably playing video games to being shocked nearly to death had changed my attitude.  No, I hadn't given up but, what choice did I have.  I could shoot her, but what if my collar had a kill switch.  If I made a slave collar, that's what I would add.

Somehow, I needed to convince her that she wanted to free me.  That meant I needed to be a good slave.  The thought revolted me to my core. Yet, even after all those shocks, this place didn't seem real.

Mere hours ago, I had been comfortably playing video games.  Now I was here a slave, cold and hungry.  The system didn't do anything to help that.

Maybe if I had packed some bolt cutters, I could get out of this. So why didn't I plan for something like this?  A crafting build with lots of luck might have been precisely what I needed.

Kale escorted me off the road and pulled off her green pack.  I watched her move, showing off solid muscle beneath her human arms.  She had the most enormous breasts I'd ever seen held back only by a leather bra under a tunic.  Despite the heat, her skin was paler and better cared for than my own.  Her coat, an immaculate black speckled with white, had been brushed out recently.  I had to admit she was a graceful woman, even on four legs.  She moved like a dancer but not the kind named after liquor.  I wanted to touch her.

Before I could stop myself, I was already petting her side.  "Maybe there is some truth to your brains being in your balls."  This time when the shock hit, I tried to focus on anything.  My vision quickly shifted from red to orange and stopped at yellow.

My mind traveled to what I would do when I was free.  I would destroy everything from the east to the west.  I'd rain down untold misery on the land and pay it back for my pain through my actions.  Thoughts of causing an apocalypse were strangely comforting.

Ding!

Pain Resistance lvl5

New Ability

Malevolence – Pain causes negative thoughts to take root and slowly turns the user into an edgier person.  -20% Pain when focusing on dark thoughts.

My senses went haywire, and for a moment, everything became overstimulated.

Ding!

Pain Resistance has reached lvl5 +1 PER

PER 7

Suddenly my body felt tougher than it had ever been. Yet, for a moment, I felt as if a blow to my junk wouldn't affect me quite as bad as it had before.

Ding!

Shock Resistance lvl5

New Ability

Static Absorption – 5% of shock damage is converted into endurance.

Ding!

Shock Resistance has reached lvl5 +1 CON

CON 4

After the shock subsided, I felt wide awake.  Kale quickly put away the tent before tossing it at my feet. I stared at it dumbly before reaching down and failed to lift it.

"How do you expect me to put up your tent with only one arm?"  I asked.

"With the speed of a slave who doesn't want to be sold off to a necromancer,"  Kale replied.

I was starting to wonder if she even knew any necromancers.

Ding!

2nd Quest

Set The Tent

Reward: +1 Relationship Point with Kale

After flipping open the bag, I began the slow process of putting up a tent.  It wasn't easy, but after an hour of work, I managed it.  Once the tent was up, Kale stepped inside and inspected my work.  Despite its foldability, it wasn't complicated.  Anyone with half a brain and experience pissing themselves trying to open the door to a tent learned how tents worked early.  While there were strange scribbles all over the tent, I figured out what they did quickly.

Ding!

2nd Quest Completed

Set The Tent

Rewarded +1 RP with Kale

Relationship Kale 7/100 She grudgingly thinks you're a slave that was barely worth 5 coppers.

She quickly closed her tent.  "Guard the entrance.  If you try to run from a predator, your collar will shock you.  I'd suggest finding a rock to defend yourself."  I felt my eyes twitch at her words.

"What about food? I haven't eaten in a while?"  I asked.

"If you dig, you should find some worms, eat up.  Humans can't digest my food anyway."  Kale said.  I turned to see her munching on a bar larger than my arm.  She was so much larger than me that it was shocking to watch her eat.  Her mouth quickly opened wide enough to fit my fists stacked on top of each other.

Ding!

3rd Quest

Survive the Night

Reward: +1 RP with Kale, +1 Bronze Skill Roll

I shook my head and pulled some cold pizza from my inventory.  After finishing off probably some of the only pizza left in the world, I drank from my trusty water jug. Unfortunately, my issekai adventure wasn't turning out how I planned it.  My skills weren't overpowered, I became a slave immediately, and I couldn't run away if I wanted to.  Worse of all, the only waifu to speak of had a p***y wide enough to stick my d**k in and never touch a side. Indeed it was a grimdark world.

I'd only nodded off for half a second when I awoke.  Something had stepped so silently that it disturbed my senses.

Ding

PER +1

PER 8

My eyes snapped open, and so did my AR15 resting on my knee.  A black-haired girl with wolf ears, crimson eyes, and a black wolf lower body shrieked.  I raised my gun and fired.

She proved much faster and dodged before I fired.  I inventoried the gun and pulled my machete.  Before I could move much, she caught my wrist and broke my grip.  I screamed and headbutted her.

Blood gushed from the wound. She growled and lifted me off the ground, pulled her hand back as red claws gathered, superimposing her fingers.  "Crimson Wolf Claws," She shouted before swiping her claws across my chest.  The pain tried to overwhelm me but failed to live up to being electrocuted. But, of course, the tremendous bloody gash she left behind made up for that.

Despite the blood gushing from my chest, it wasn't enough to bring me down.  I kneed my attacker in the chest, and her grip slackened enough to break it.  The second I fell, I reached into my inventory for my rifle.  The second it appeared, I fired.  The bullet blasted a hole through her chest.  Her eyes widened in disbelief.  She held the wound as I struggled to line my shaking hand up for a second shot.  Before I could finish her, she used the tent as cover to flee.

The second she was gone, I stared down at my wound.  Where she'd slashed me, the wound bubbled and oozed purple smoke.  I stared at it in disbelief.

Blood and purple smog poured from my wound, and I grew weaker with every heartbeat.  My body grew colder with every drop of blood lost.  I searched my skills for anything that might help until I found what I needed.  Hatchling's stomach, food that would usually make me sick, will heal me.

I stared at the blood-smeared harsh grass on the ground.  When my teeth touched the rugged grass, I felt disgusted but ripped it up anyway.  Eating grass while I was dying sounded stupid as hell, but maybe it would work.  When I swallowed, I felt my throat bleed.

In moments a bout of terrible hunger hit me.  Suddenly, I couldn't get enough grass.  For an hour, I was more goat than man-eating the grass like a man hypnotized into thinking he was a goat.

Ding!

New Skill

Close Combat lvl5

Type: STR

Rank: D

Description – A blundering struggle to fight at close range with any means necessary.

ATL – Any fight in close quarters.

Abilities

1.      Beginner's Guts – +10% chance to resist fear skills

2.      Haymaker – An all-out attack +100% damage.

Ding!

Close Combat has reached lvl5 +1STR

STR 3

Ding!

New Skill

Marksmanship lvl2

Type: DEX

Rank: D

Description – Hit a target reliably from a distance.

ATL – Shoot distant targets with a ranged weapon

Abilities

1.      Beginner's Focus – When a situation becomes dangerous +10% Accuracy.

Cold desert winds hit me, and I knew I wasn't dying from bleeding out.  I shivered and hugged my knees but couldn't get warm. No, I was freezing, and if I didn't do something soon, the cold would kill me.

My first thought was to try and start a fire. Unfortunately, my hands were almost too cold to move.  I didn't know how to use hatchling's fire, and no amount of struggling would help.  But I was strong, fast, and durable.  If I was an average human, that wolf claw would have ripped my guts out.  So, I did the only thing that came to mind, I dug a hole.

Despite the ruggedness of the country, the soil gave way to my hands.  Like some crazy mole, I only had to burrow deep enough to fit my body.  When my hole was ready, I climbed into it and covered my body with dirt.  It wasn't a campfire, but it kept me alive.  Slowly, my eyes closed, and for the second time that night, I fell asleep.

My dream that night was strangely pleasant.  In the distant past of my mind, I drove a gocart.  After ignoring my dad's orders and the need to tighten the bolt on one of the wheels, I rode around the backyard until the wheel flew off.