Day 33

I don't remember much anymore. When I try to recall what happened in that cave, all I see is blackness. No light, no hint of reflections, no way out. I tried to scream, not from pain, but for help. Who would help me? No one is here with me, the Bunnyman was dead. No one to hear my calls, I guess it was just instinct. We always want someone to hear our cries for help. Funny, no matter how alone I felt, I kept this frivolous hope that someone would just appear and help me. Even if it was just to help me off the ground.


I took a breath, my eyes opened and I was outside. Sun was shining, birds were chirping. It was warm, I'm not home, but I was out of the cave. Shattered pieces of stone were around me. I remembered what it was, I repaired a strange table when I first started exploring this land. I do not know what it did, but I was glad I made it out of that cave. I was in the forest, probably to the north. There was a structure before me that I never recognized. It was a machine of sorts. I stood up to look further. Human curiosity, it will be the death of me.


It started to shoot team out the back and make loud noises. It was activating, gears and cogs all moving their predetermined ways. It was marvelous to watch really. It grew taller, in the form of a face. The mouth opened and revealed a doorway. I heard footsteps coming from it, my heart started racing. I calmly say, “Hello?” What happened next shook me to the very core.


“Hello Wilson, please come in.” I fell backwards. I was floored, the first words from another person in over a month of seclusion. I didn't know how to react, so I ran. The machine started up again and closed. As I was running I heard that same voice laughing. Not too loud, one that was under his breath, like he knew what was going to happen.


I spent the next few hours preparing myself. My experience in this world has made me hardened. I'm not immune to the horrors that resides within this place, and I sure as hell did not know what waited for me behind that door. I did know that this place always has something up it's sleeve. I crafted weapons, more powerful than anything I had ever thought of. My determination came through for me. After just a few short hours, I was well equipped and prepared. It was time to find out what was behind that door.


I walked back to the door. I watched it open. First step. Second step. As soon as my feet were in the door, it slammed shut. I was in the darkness again. Pure darkness. I heard a low growl, one that was all too familiar. It was the monster. I saw it's eyes glaring at me. They were slowly getting bigger and bigger. I readied my weapons, I was prepared this time. I guess you could say I finally embraced my fate.


In an instant, there was light, and I was in a room. The monster was no longer there. I looked around and saw a throne. Numerous torches illuminated this room. I take a few steps forward and hear the voice again. I will never forget what he said.



“Say pal, you don’t look so good. Maybe you should find something to eat”.

Day 32

I did not sleep very well last night. The ambient light in this cave is making me see things in the darkness. They are akin to shadows or creatures I have never seen before. However, they are always in the corner of my eye. I can never get a clear look at them. When I try, there is nothing there. Maybe the isolation is making me crazy. Sometimes they seem to real, like they could actually hurt me. Now that I wrote that down, it seems pretty ridiculous, even for this place.


I have pretty much lost all sense of direction since I have been in the cave. There was an area I remember that was close to camp that I had not explored yet. I waited for the Bunnyman to wake up. I created my travel kit and we continued to explore. I have begun to pack more food each time I go outside of camp. Too many times I have been unprepared for what is waiting for me in the void.


This area was much darker than any other area in the cave. We slowed our pace and I lit myself a torch. The Bunnyman all of a sudden picked up his pace and it grabbed my arm so I could keep up. I couldn't see anything but the Bunnyman knew exactly where to go. My heart started to race, I had never seen him act like this before and I was uneasy about what were running to...or from. Then, we stop, almost instantly. I move my torch forward and there was a rather large hole in front of us. I would not have noticed if it weren't for the Bunnyman.


I started to inspect the hole to find out what made it. I heard something moving, and it was echoing closer to me. Something was in this hole, and it was moving pretty quick. I blink and a large mass shoots up from the ground. I am blown back from the force of it emerging from the whole. My eyes clear from the dust and I see something unspeakable and impossible.


It was large, it was purple, and it was violently moving about. It was a tentacle, much like a squid, but there was no way that is what this monstrosity was attached to. I stood up and the Bunnyman pushed me back. A smaller tentacle shot up from the ground and several more followed. I readied my spear and called out to the Bunnyman. He came to my aid as fast as he could. We would have to work together to take down this creature, and it was not alone.


We charged forward as fast as we could, cutting down the smaller tentacles as fast as we could. There was no end to them. It was like a Hydra, the more we cut down, more took their place. Our only choice was to destroy the main tentacle. When the Bunnyman and I got close, it lowered itself and swung around, knocking us away. As soon as I get up, I hear a loud noise. It was coarse and shrill. It was a scream originating from pain. I look around, and I see the Bunnyman suspended in air by tentacles, pierced through his body. Blood was pouring down like a waterfall. I move swiftly, hopefully I can save this poor soul. I cut him down and his body makes a loud thud onto the hard cave floor.


He wasn't breathing, his white fur now stained with red.


I do not remember much from then on. I remember tears being in my eyes. They were not from sadness, but from anger. I have been angry and ferocious before. But it was nothing like this. It was as if my entire body was so filled with an immeasurable amount of rage. I blacked out. The last thing I remember was being knocked back into reality from a very powerful vibration coming from the ground.



The tentacle was gone. And the ground was shaking. I look ahead of me and the ground begins to split in two. Wildlife was running away and rocks were falling from the ceiling. I move out of the way and I see the Bunnyman's body fall into the newly formed crevice. I realized what this was. It was an earthquake, and who knows what will happen from here.

Day 31

My Bunnyman alarm clock was right on schedule. We needed to eat, but the berry bushes were in short supply and they only yielded so much food. There has to be more food in these caves. It is its own ecosystem, it has to support life somehow. The Bunnyman seems to know what he is doing, I may as well follow him. Strange, I feel so connected to this creature, like a companion. I swear I have heard him mumble words at night, but it may as well be my imagination. I should follow his lead, after all, he has spent more time in this place than I have.


I followed the Bunnyman and we came across a peculiar looking tree. It appeared to have fruit at the top of it. I wouldn't hurt to look, so I climbed the tree and cut down what looked like bananas. I climbed down and retrieved the food and it peeled like a banana and tasted like one. Surely this place is strange, I never thought a banana tree could grow underground. There was plenty of these trees around, so the Bunnyman and I spent some time gathering food. It was peaceful really, I didn't have much stress when foraging. Maybe this cave has some positives. My life doesn't always seem to be in danger here.


I was thinking about calling it a day on the foraging. On my last tree an odd animal popped out of the foliage in the banana tree. It had large eyes and massive ears, it was furry and had a tail. My “brilliant” powers of deduction concluded this is what I would know as a monkey. Since it was a cave dweller, I called it a Splumonkey”. We locked eyes and just stared at each other, waiting for a move to be made. It moved quickly and made a loud noise. As a result, it made me flinch and I fell out of the tree and landed flat on my back. I knew I would feel this in the morning and I felt ok, the ground broke my fall, I was afraid to move but I could feel my legs and arms. My eyes got into focus and I saw the Splumonkey standing over me. I shoo'd it away but then it bit me! I hit back and it got knocked away a few feet. The Splumonkey was not happy and it charged at me with great fervor shouting noises as loud as it could. It tackled me and started to hit me. I was trying my best to throw it off my back but this thing was quick and relentless. It was rummaging through my stuff and it grabbed some of my food.


It jumped off me and ran away. I set my bag down and look around to see just what it took from me, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt a moist thud against my back. I slowly stand up and turn my head slowly and see this monkey smiling at me. I take off my shirt and what I saw was a large brown spot that smelled horrid, it was manure. Gagging with sickness I threw the shirt to the ground. I was out for revenge. This damn monkey was not getting away, the Bunnyman showed up and somehow I was able to silently communicate with him to indicate a full on charge attack. We rush after the monkey, trying our best to keep up, sadly my life here has dwindled my endurance and the Bunnyman was built for damage and not speed.


We were chasing the monkey for what seemed like hours. This thing was just mocking us. The Bunnyman and I locked eyes and we knew what to do. I picked up my backpack and I threw it at the Splumonkey. As fast as I could I ran after the backpack as a follow up move, I figured the monkey would be occupied with dodging the backpack I could catch it. It worked perfectly, it dodged the backpack but it did not have enough time to move away from me and I tackled it. The little bastard wiggled free and threw my stuff at me while running away.


After catching my breath I realized I was in a new area of the cave, I was much deeper inside than I expected. I crafted up a torch and explored more. What I saw was quite interesting. I saw unique foliage, almost prehistoric and vibrant flowers. Then there were these massive structures all around of strangely shaped trees. They looked like giant mushrooms and they came in different colors and sizes. Upon making this discovery, the differences between the cave and the surface were night and day. The ecosystem felt different as if it ran itself on a different timer.


I tripped over a large pile of rocks, they looked rather odd compared to the other stones I have found in the cave so I took out my pickaxe to mine them out, my thought process was that something valuable could be hidden in them. I readied my swing and just as I about to put my entire weight behind this swing, I noticed the smallest movement. I stopped the pickaxe, mere inches away from the rock. The formation grew up out of the ground and formed into some sort of golem. It looked like a lobster made of rocks. I looked around as the ground started to rumble and there was a whole herd of these creatures. They didn't attack me, to be honest, I don't even think they noticed me. These Rock Lobsters were more focused on scrounging the ground for loose rubble to feed on. Seeing all of these creatures at once was somewhat beautiful. They blended into the environment so well you wouldn't even know they were there. It made me wonder though, everything here has adapted to its environment to survive, why would these lobsters adapt such a great camouflage?



I went back to my base camp. I had enough excitement for today. As I was heading back, my torch was flickering out. I saw things, I am not sure if they were real, but what I saw shook me. They were monsters in the darkness. When I am left alone with my thoughts, these things seem to appear, but disappear as soon as I look directly their way. I don't seem like myself, I am beginning to question my own sanity. 

Day 30

I awoke to the Bunnyman shaking me. There was no danger, but I guess I was sleeping in. There was no morning sun to wake up to. Just the darkness. The cold and humid atmosphere was uninspiring. I didn't want to do anything but sleep. I have no sense of direction in this place, nor do I have a sense of time. My whole methods are out the window in this cave, and I am not sure if I like the change.


We walked deeper into the cave, discovering the new ecosystem that is so different from the surface. I heard a few peculiar noises. I even saw shadows from the corner of my eyes. My put them out of my mind. The idea of someone following me without my knowledge makes my skin crawl. I look up, and there is a pair of glowing red eyes, floating in the air. The sound of flapping wings were echoing through the tunnel, creating a sound I should fear. A bat dive-bombed me, taking chunks of flesh from my arms. It bit my neck, and I felt as though my life was being drained from me.


The Bunnyman let out a war cry and rushed towards me. It ripped the bat off my neck and bit off one of the wings. The crippled bat slowly died on the floor struggling to fly. The Bunnyman then let out a cry in pain. Another bat flew in behind it, latching onto its back. The Bunnyman quickly grabbed it and threw it against the wall. The bat exploded from the impact, leaving behind a mangled corpse.


Despite my bleeding arms and pulsating neck, I was joyous. This Bunnyman saved my life. This world is not all evil, there is someone here to help me and watch my back. I thanked the Bunnyman with a few carrots and we moved deeper into the cave, on our guard, ready for anything. As we were walking away from the bat corpses, a though crossed my mind, “It would really suck if I turned into a vampire from the bites.”


A large opening was in front of me. Light was leaking through. I ran to see what it was. Maybe it was a saving grace. Maybe it was an exit to a new place in the surface. When I passed through I was shocked. It was an ecosystem just like the surface. It had everything, berry bushes, animals, trees and even some of the surface animals. I moved quickly, I chopped down trees, gathered berries, and set up camp. While it was still cold and damp, it was more comfortable to lay down on than hard rock.


There were no seasons here. I would not have to worry about the Deerclops (if there were more) during winter. Nor would I have to worry about the blazing sun spoiling my food because it was too hot. The dangers are still unknown but this could be the break I have been looking for. As I explored, I noticed rocks jetting up from the ground. I thought, “What the hell?” grabbed my pickaxe, and swung as hard as I could. I shattered the stalagmite and it yielded gold, flint, and stone. I was thrilled. I mined for hours, getting enough gold to build my science machines to make my camp feel more at home.


I went to mine some more after I built the machines. I was thinking in the long term and some extra materials would be helpful. I cam across a peculiar looking stalagmite. I figured it was just a differently formed one and that they all looked different up close, like snowflakes. I swung my pickaxe and heard the loud thud of the pickaxe colliding with the stalagmite. Nothing broke, but I did hear an unsettling sound, snarling. It was loud and raspy, it sounded vaguely familiar. I saw red eyes emerge, one giant red eye and four small red eyes. They belonged to spiders. These spiders were not like the ones on the surface. Their looks appear to be adapted to the surroundings of the cave. Sometimes, evolution really does suck. They saw better in the caves than I did, so when I tried to run, they were always one step ahead of me.


The spider with the big red eye was closing in. I turned to run and I tripped and fell. My leg was stuck on something, a web. I free myself and I get hit in the back with something tough. It was more webbing. The spider with four red eyes was spitting out projectiles of webbing. This Spitter was able to think ahead of me and it knocked me down, pinning me to the tough rocky ground. The two spiders were getting closer and closer. Their mouths watering at the sight of a live meal. I yelled as loud as I could, “Bunnyman, HELP ME!”



I hear the loud footsteps of the Bunnyman approaching. It was sprinting to my aid. It jumped over me and landed directly onto the Spitter, crushing it. The Bunnyman reared up and let out a loud roar. It picked up the cave spider and crushed it in it's hands. The Bunnyman helped me get free of the spider webs. I didn't know what else to do but hug it. This was the second time this Bunnyman saved me. I owed it my life.

Day 29

I never expected this to happen. I am back where I started when I first woke up. This time around, I am cold and hungry, not to mention discouraged. There was not much to salvage from the destroyed ruins that was my camp. Most of my food was destroyed, my machines were demolished and my shelter was nonexistent. I have to rebuild, but I just do not want to. What would be the point? I don't know if there are more of these Deerclops monsters out there. Hell, I don't even want to think of something worse. My hands tremble just at the thought.


I needed materials. I had to rebuild. There was no question about it. I had to get my head back in the game. Shelter, a place to sleep, this is what is going to help me stay sane. I traveled to the south. I do not know why I chose this direction, but I remembered there being a lot of trees and berry bushes. As I wandered I completely ignored the berries and trees. I didn't gather anything. I just kept walking. I guess just telling myself everything was going to be alright wasn't enough. I looked up at the sky. The sun shining bright blinded me. I closed my eyes and I fell.


I feel quite a ways. I got back to my feet and saw that I fell down a hole. I was able to climb out to see where I was. This hole was not here before. The large black basalt rock was here. I wonder what changed. It seems like this world's seasons are not the only thing changing. I jumped back down the hole. I wanted to see what was in there. After inspecting the area, it was a cave. There wasn't much light. Some small slivers from the ceiling and the hole were the most light there was. I walked forward, the further I went, the darker it was. The humidity was thick and it was cold. I did not know what to expect in this place. I should have turned back, but I had to see what was here. Surely I was meant to find this place.


I saw flickers of light further down the cave. I rushed to the area and there were fireflies. They were beautiful. Odd, I never saw myself using that word to describe something in this world. When huddled together, these fireflies generated a lot of light. It is a shame I had nothing to catch them with. This place is getting darker the further I go, and I have no sense of direction. I don't know what to do except to keep going.


Light was being produced by peculiar flowers and fireflies throughout the tunnels I was traveling in. While the area was still really dark, these small sources of light provided enough for me to see. The cave seems to have an entirely different ecosystem. One that seems to foreign, like it isn't supposed to be here. It even seems man-made, as if someone put it here. That just seems ridiculous though. I kept hearing noises all around me. I could not tell where they were coming from due to the echo the tunnel provided. I lit a torch to my own benefit. The light made me safe, it still does. I felt like I was being watched.


I heard footsteps, my stomach was in my throat and my heart pounding. I started to run. I didn't want to stop. My legs were on fire, my lungs were filling up with cold and damp air, and my heart was beating faster than ever. As I was running, I saw shadows appear as if they were chasing me. Like they were hunting me. I closed my eyes, hoping they would disappear. That's when I felt like I was floating. What goes up must come down. I tripped on a rock and landed square on my face. The torch landed in a puddle of water, extinguishing the flame. I look up, and see red eyes staring right back at me.



I got up, lit another torch and readied my spear. I was ready to fight. I brought the torch up higher and saw that those red eyes belonged to a creature that I saw on the surface. It was a bunny. But this bunny was more, feral I guess you could say. It wasn't like the ones up top. It was standing on two legs and had a large build. Like it adapted to a new environment. I rustled through my backpack, looking for food to give it. This place didn't seem to have much and I could use the good karma. I found some carrots and the, Bunny...man ate them happily. I gave it a pat on the head and continued through the cave. I heard footsteps following me, it was the Bunnyman. It was following me. It was my friend now I guess. Even if it couldn't talk, at least it was some kind of companion. There was no telling the time of day here. The Bunnyman yawned and as did I. I guess it was time to sleep. The floor is had and damp, but I have been through worse.  

Day 28

The ground shaking, from falling trees, the loud crackle of wood snapping, and footsteps that would wake the gods, something was coming. I woke to hear loud roars, it was big. I was in my tent, afraid to come out. The woods near me were crumbling. The sound of animals fleeing was thick in the air. The rumbling of heavy footsteps was gaining. Whatever was outside, was about to meet me.


A loud roar pierced my ears and shook the fabric of my being. I got as close to the ground and I could, as I held my hands against my ears. A massive wave of air flew passed my body. It was cold. I opened my eyes and my tent was gone. I look behind me and I see the cause of the destruction. It was tall, hairy, had antlers and only one eye. It roared again directly at me and slammed its fist down on the ground, hoping to squash me.


I rolled out of the way and quickly got to my feet. I backed away and saw this gargantuan monster standing before me. It was breathing heavily and had hate in its eyes. Another roar was let out; it brought me to my knees. I looked around the area and there was nothing but destruction. My chests, my machines, my food, everything was destroyed. I did see my backpack with stuff from yesterday still intact though.


I picked up speed and dashed towards the bag. The monster tried to stop me. I ducked under his sweeping punch attacks and run right under its legs. I picked up the bag and got out my fire wand. It was looking pretty decrepit and I was unsure if it would hold up. I had no options. I got myself some distance and when the monster turned around, I launched a series of fireballs. Direct hits however, the monster put out the fires on its face with ease and I just pissed it off. I retreated into the forest, hopefully to gain some kind of element of surprise.


That is when I saw of the pigs I saved from the spiders in the early days of me being here. They seemed to recognize me. They sensed the monster was getting close. They stood behind me, ready to fight. The monster broke through the woods and the pigs charged forward. One was stepped on, completely pulverized under the weight of this creature’s foot. One pig managed to climb up the back of the monster, but he fell off and died on impact. The last pig was the most valiant. Then the creature picked up the pig, it was still trying to fight, and the monster bit off its head. Blood was falling to the ground and the monster let out a victory roar.


I tried to throw a fire ball but it backfired somehow and burnt my hand. Then the wand busted into pieces. The pain in my hand was excruciating. I dropped to my knees in pain. The monster stepped forward and hit me, I flew into a tree. I lay there, slumped against the tree. The monster was slowly approaching. My eyes were beginning to close.


“Let’s get it Lucy! Let’s show this Deerclops who is king of the forest!”


A man with a peculiar voice showed up and began to fight the monster that he called, Deerclops. I heard him screaming in pain yelling, “The goddamn curse!” My eyes were more open and I saw a large animal fighting the Deerclops. It seemed to be winning, but the Deerclops got a lucky shot and hit the attacking creature away. It was down for the count. The Deerclops was wounded and distracted. I slowly stood up, took a broken tree branch and limped my way to make my last stand.


I stabbed the back of the leg and brought the Deerclops to the ground. I went to its head and trust the branch into its neck. The Deerclops roared in extreme pain as blood began to cover the landscape. I was covered in its blood. I clutched my side, broken ribs most likely, and limped off towards my camp. The Deerclops went crashing down, dead. I remembered the creature that helped me, but it was gone. It must have run away. I wish I could have given it my thanks.



I arrived back at camp. I guess I am back to square one.

Day 27

Something terrible happened. I woke up abruptly to a thick smoke filling up my lungs. My eyes were burning and my skin felt like it was melting. My eye cleared up a bit and I saw orange and red. My head was pounding. The loud crackle of fire was piercing my ears and the boom of falling trees made it feel like I was getting hit. I look around and I see the animals fleeing, pigs, spiders, birds, rabbits…Everything was leaving. Running for their lives. The loud roar of the fire was terrifying. It didn’t feel real. Was I in Hell? Did I die?


I stood up and regained a sense of reality, this was actually happening and I had to leave. I ran as fast as I could to get out. My legs were in so much pain. My lungs felt like they too were on fire. I could barely breathe and the coughing was excruciating. I didn’t want to stop running. Almost like a wall, I was freezing. I made it out of the fire. I watched this fire slowly dissipate. Trees fell, animals that were clinging onto their last thread of life finally passed on. Some of the bigger ones went back when the fire was gone, looking for their loved ones. Many found the ones they were looking for, but they couldn’t leave with them to find a new home.


“What have I done? Did my campfire start this fire? Was I the cause of this tragedy?” I thought to myself.

On the morning of the fire I barely escaped with my life. The forest I burned has damaged the ecosystem in a devastating way. Food and shelter has been destroyed for the wildlife here, and it was my fault. There was no life left. Just the burnt aftermath. It was such a grim scene. Small animals looking for their parents only to find them burnt to a crisp, lifeless and gone forever. How will these animals live in a world that is trying to kill them? How will they survive against monsters like me? I had to leave; I could not witness this anymore.

I wanted to head back to my base camp. At least there were no trees I could catch on fire there. I wanted to hibernate through winter, even though that is not an option. I needed to formulate a new game plan. I wandered in the direction of my base camp, not really caring what could happen to me. When I try to recall what happened, I am coming up blank. I ended up shooting passed my camp to a somewhat familiar area.

It was high noon and despite the sun shining, it was incredibly cold, I didn’t care though. I came upon an igloo. When I looked at my map, it was in the same place where I found that odd brick like outline. However, this time around, there was someone or something there and it was not kind to visitors.

I was attacked, by what looked like a walrus, but it had feet, hands and clothing. It was an odd sight to see but seeing those pigs for the first time kind of desensitized me to surprise when it comes to the inhabitants of this place. This walrus was not alone. He had a smaller walrus with him and a hound that was blue. He sicked the hound on me first. I reached into my backpack and grabbed what I thought was a spear. It was not a spear; it was a stick with a red gem on the end. I had no idea where this came from; I do not remember getting it or packing it. However, I made do and tried to use it as a weapon. It wasn’t sharp so I used it as a club. I smacked the hound on the head and a fireball shot out the gem hitting the igloo.

It was a wand of sorts. I kicked the hound back and shot another fireball at it. I hit the hound square in the face. It caught on fire and eventually stopped moving. I look at the walrus and we lock eyes. I saw the anger flare up, he charged after me. I sidestepped him and threw a fireball at his back. It hit, but he just shook it off like it was nothing. He turned with a blow gun in his hand. He fired off some darts; I was able to dodge them. I couldn’t get close; I didn’t want to get hit. They could be poisoned or tranquilizers. I could hear the darts whistle passed me. He ran out of darts in one pocket and he had to find the rest he had. This was my chance.


I move in closer to make sure I hit him. He finds more darts and fires them. Left, right, left, right, duck, slide I moved with seamless ease. I fire off two fireballs, this time catching him on fire. He ran around in a panic, screaming for mercy. He dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Still alive, but unwilling to fight. He was slowly dying. I turn to see the smaller walrus standing by the igloo, ready to fight. He was ready to kill. It had to be a kid; I may have well just killed his parent or guardian. The little guy charged after me, I raised the fire wand and threw a single fireball. Direct Hit.

Day 26

There was more to the forest where the Pig King was. I wanted to see what was there for my map, and it was more of an excuse not to go into the swamp. Traveling and exploring is hard in this weather. I have to find something suitable to wear. My heat stone works and all, but it still loses heat and I need to stop and make a fire to reheat it, my firewood supplies are dwindling fast. 

The morning was colder than I expected. As I was exploring the forest behind the Pig King I noticed the ocean. The wind chill was making it colder and it explained a lot. The waves crashing against the cliff was enough to send a chill up my spine. I heard some rustling in the trees, not form the wind though. It was from something inside the tree. I looked around and saw nothing.
 

I turn away to continue on with my business when I heard an animal call I never heard before. A bunch of oddly shaped animals came bursting through the trees. I was knocked down. I closed my eyes waiting to be trampled and bitten. None of that happened. When I opened my eyes I saw not a drooling angry monster, but a bunch of penguins. They were just staring at me, worst as if they were making sure I was ok. I stood up and they scurried off into the distance.
 

I continued to explore the forest throughout the afternoon and early evening. I was growing very tired so I stopped to catch my breath and warm up a bit. I look around and I see two graves. When I to closer I saw that they were plain tombstones. There wasn't a name or a date of death. I saw a group of flowers nearby so I picked them and made two small grave blankets. I don't know what compelled me to do such an act but I felt obligated.
 

As I placed them on the graves I started to tear up. I had a lot of pent up emotion and thought about the last few days and it was coming up now when faced with a gruesome truth. The exact reason I began to cry was somewhat of a mystery. Maybe I still felt guilty about killing those pigs, or maybe it was the thought that no one would put flowers on my grave.
 

It was getting dark and I decided to set up camp. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Day 25

While yesterday was rather uneventful and cold, I got a lot done and it was nice not having something trying to kill me for a day. I created what I call a Heat Stone. It holds its heat at a comfortable level for hours. Since I haven't found a good enough material to make a coat out of, this will have to do. I cannot be idle for too long though for I fear winter will take me. Today I plan on heading back to that forest. I want to meet with that big pig. Maybe I can try to trade with him. This journey will be quite dangerous, but I have to take risks and I must make peace with the inhabitants. 

I left as soon as I could I did not want to make it back to camp by the skin of my teeth again. I had no idea how long this meeting could take or if I would come back alive. I pressed on. I made a small travel pack with everything I needed. I find this to be way more efficient than my previous plan. That was load as much stuff as I could carry and hope for the best. Since I figured out what those wormholes were last night I figured I would try it again from this direction.
 

When I jumped into the wormhole a second time, I still had that uneasy feeling of being in total darkness. Then that strange gravity change came, when I felt like I was falling up. I was spat out onto the ground; I have to work on my landing. I do not think my ass can take this kind of punishment. I walked toward the forest but I to turn around somehow.

My little detour wasn't terrible. I found something rather peculiar in a small clearing. Before I could leave the trees I stopped, I thought it was a little too quiet. I looked around and the place was outlined with spider webs and spider nests. I had to take care of them first. Luckily the nests were small and there were few spiders. I had the element of surprise so they were no trouble. I walked to the object in the middle of the clearing and it was a box with a crank. When I turned the crank nothing happened. When I thought about it, I felt like some of the things I found were connected. The box thing, this crank thing, and that gold ring are related somehow, I just have to figure it out and make that connection.

I loaded the crank thing in my pack and moved on. I found the road that lead down the middle of the forest so I wouldn't get lost again. When I saw the shadowed figure I felt something approach me from behind. I turn around and there are two pig guards behind me ensuring I do not run away. The signal me forward and I. Approach the big pig. Upon seeing his crown, I can't to the conclusion that he was a king. This would make sense given his size.
 

I thought the grass skirt looked familiar on the Pig King. Then I remembered those pigs I killed. They must have been guards for him. My heart started racing. When I was directly in front of him I got down on my knees and bowed. He then started speaking.

"I am the Pig King, and you have trespassed into my territory. What is your purpose for being here?"

"My name is Wilson, and I apologize for trespassing. Trust me, it was never my intention. I do not know how I got here, but I am fighting for my survival. I saw you the other day but I ran. I want to trade with you. I found some odd items you may be interested in."

The Pig King looked at me, sniffed the air and he got a very angry look on his face. My heart started racing. He spoke again.

"You smell like my people, why is that?"

I started shaking. There was a lump in my throat. Would he know if I was lying? Sweat was beading down my forehead. I opened my mouth.

"I am truly sorry to give you this news. I killed three of your men. I was adorned with their blood and I am haunted by the actions I took. The attacked me first and I had to defend myself. If you wish to punish me, you deserve every right. "

Tears were rolling down my cheeks. I looked at the ground in shame. I prepared for death. I heard weapons being drawn. I held my breath embracing my fare. Suddenly I hear the pig king shout.

"STOP! I feel as though this man is genuine and he acted in self-defense. We must forgive this man."

I opened my eyes and I see two spears pointed at me, inches away from my face. I let out a sigh of relief and thanked the Pig King. I began crying unable to control myself. I had my life, but I was shown mercy. I will never forgive myself, but someone did. These are experiences I will never forget.
 

I stood up, bowed, and began to walk away. The Pig King called me back.
 

"Wilson, you said you had items to trade."

"Yes I almost forgot. What are you willing to part with for these?"

I showed him what I had, and he took everything. In return I got a small pile of gold nuggets.
 

"I sense you are a smart man Wilson. I am sure you can find a use for these."
 

I thanked the Pig King and took my leave back towards camp. It started to get dark. I took the route through the wormhole and soon I was in front of a fire.




I walked away with my life intact. I have a warm fire, and cooking food. Today was a good day. A small weight has been lifted from my shoulders. On my way back to camp a thought crossed my mind. That thought, was exploration of the Swamp area I found. I have to see what it holds for me, and it is something I am not looking forward to. I have to take things one at a time. I need to focus on the task at hand, survive winter. Well, the food is good, I am heading to bed. 

Day 24

I wake up and much to my dismay snow was outside. I am freezing. I cannot remember the last time I was this cold. My muscles are tense, my bones are like ice cubes, and I can barely move my fingers. I have to stay in the camp, hopefully I can adjust to the new temperature. However, I have to remain productive. 

I started a fire so I can keep warm periodically through the day. I knew I had enough resources. That seems like the one thing I did right, was gather firewood. My first order of business was to reassess my situation. I needed to go through my items and see what I had so I knew what I was going to need to last through all of winter.

I was surprised with what I found, I almost forgot about how I collected some of the more unique items. While they didn't seem to have a direct use, I wanted to keep them around just in case. I came to an odd conclusion when going through my resources. I couldn't quite finish my thoughts, so the alchemy engine was the first thing that came to mind.

My idea was this. Rocks can hold heat without melting depending on the temperature. Wile they tend to lose the heat fast, I can try to make something that allows them to hold that heat for longer than a few minutes. Hopefully it will hold the heat for hours. The alchemy engine is a mysterious machine, I was sure it could alter the materials enough to get what I needed done.
 

I let the machine do its thing and after some trial and error, I got something rather peculiar. It was a rock that was slightly blue with some lines on it. I put it near the fire being that is the only way I can heat things up. Nothing immediately happened. I found myself staring at it. I. Was waiting too hard, if that makes any sense. I took my mind off of it. I decided to continue working with my items, rationing out my food and materials. Soon, I forgot about the stone.

I made new armor, the previous one was ragged and barely holding together. I also made weapons that were more durable. These were things that I needed to get done. Sure they were rather boring, but I felt focused and that feeling was comforting. Soon darkness fell.

The fire was dying out so I tended to it, then I noticed something that made me gleam with joy. The rock that I had paced near the fire was glowing a bright red. I was cautious to touch it but I did anyway. It wasn't hot at all. It was rather warm. Despite the color that resembled something very hot, it was easy to touch. A normal rock would have been scalding hot and losing heat as soon as I got it away from the fire. The machine worked, and I made something to keep me warm. I was ecstatic. I made more and placed then in my tent when they were heated.

While today was rather mellow I know what I must do. I must. Go see the Pig King to hopefully get some information from him and maybe even some goods. I have to make peace with the inhabitants.
 

Day 23

Yesterday was a rough day for me. I didn’t get any sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I saw what I did. I will never forgive myself for what I did. Nothing deserves that kind of brutality. While I continue to beat myself up about what I did, I have to continue to prepare for winter. My To-Do list is as follows.
  • Find food
  • Explore West
  • Devise a way to stay warm while exploring
Food is definitely a top priority. I ran out of rations last night.

I was becoming sluggish. Winter was definitely showing this morning. I could not top shivering. I didn’t see any snow so I assumed I would have more time to prepare before the harshest part of winter shows up. To keep things realistic, it will show up when I don’t want it to. I need to craft myself a coat. I can’t be walking around in the snow and cold without one. My beard has grown to be quite the blanket, but that only does so much. I ran out of food rations, but I knew I had food back at my main camp. It ran across my mind that a lot of that food may be spoiled. Regardless, that was something I needed to get around to.

I found a rather thick forest of evergreen trees slightly north of the desert area I found the abandoned camp in. It was really ominous but inviting. The forest was very dense, there was a road going down the middle of it though. Curiosity struck me again and my justification was that I may find food down this area. This world I am in, it seems to take advantage of my scientific nature to discover new things.

The woods felt like they were watching me as I was passing through. The strong wind was making the trees move and the noises from them moving somehow made it seem quieter. I felt uneasy, but I could not stop walking forward. I had to know what this area held for me.

I started to hear noises. Not from the trees but from something of someone else. I slowed my pace once I saw a huge silhouette. It was daunting with how big this thing looked. I thought it was a mountain but I noticed movements of what appeared to be a head. I hid behind a tree to hopefully see what was going on but also not be seen.

After a few minutes of observing I saw the head turn, and an arm raise up. It was pointing right at me. I saw the hand, but it wasn’t a hand, it was a hoof! This massive thing was a pig! Then I realized it was pointing at me. I saw two figures approach me but before they could fully see me I bolted. I looked to the sky and noticed the darkness approaching me. Fast.

I heard more footsteps. I look behind me and those figures were gone, but I saw those red eyes chasing me. The monster that only came out at night, my heart skipped a beat. I picked up my pace hoping to outrun it. I was running faster than I ever had, but it was gaining on me. All of a sudden, I stopped. My subconscious was oddly aware of my surroundings and it stopped me right before one of those living holes.

I had no choice. I had to take a leap of faith, literally. The monster was gaining on me and I leapt into the hole. It was dark, and I was unsure of where I was going. I wanted to at least hit the bottom of this hole soon so I wouldn’t die. Then, my direction shifted. I started “falling up” and I saw the opening again. I shot out of the hole. After rubbing my hurt backside I looked around. There was still some light out and I saw where I was. I was just due south of my camp. I finally caught a break. I ran as fast as I could to my camp.

Rummaging through my chests I found stuff I could light my fire pit with. I sparked the flint and the roaring fire started.


That pig was massive, but I want to go back and make contact soon. I want to be more prepared in terms of fighting readiness and weather readiness. My fire is roaring, and I just found some meat. So that smells delicious right now. After I eat, I am going to get some rest in my tent. Something cold just fell on my hand, it looked like water. Great, it just started snowing. 

Day 22

When I was recalling the events of what I saw yesterday at the empty camp to had to stop writing. My hands were trembling and I just couldn’t continue on. Discovering this camp has put a real damper on my emotions and thoughts about this dreaded place. However, I must talk about what I saw. Or else I will not get over it. I hope. When I turned the corner of the camp, I saw nothing but a few items. There was no one in the camp. I looked further into the camp, there was a chest. I rummaged through it, hoping to find something that indicated someone else was here. Maybe they were chronicling their survival like I am. I found some basic tools and material, even some food. Sadly, I didn’t find a journal. I looked in the opposite corner of the camp and I saw bones. I didn’t know what they were, much too big for being human. Maybe they were from the Beefalos outside.

I was getting ready to leave, but my legs stopped moving and I dropped to my knees. I started crying. Not from pain, but from my shattered hope. I wanted someone to be here. Hell, part of me wanted them to be injured so I can feel useful and I could patch them up. I wanted anything or anyone to be here. All I found was crippling disappointment and anger. I am tired of this place.

I found an odd looking waypoint. There were some pigs circling it, like they were on watch. They appeared to be wearing some kind of clothing, possibly symbolizing a tribe they belonged to. I wanted to meet them, hoping to establish some kind of friendly connection. Out of nowhere they shouted, “SAVE THE KING!” And they started charging at me. I stood my ground despite being outnumbered three to one. Despite how quickly they ran towards me, their actual fighting skills felt sluggish. So I was able to predict their movements and react with ease.

A pig worked its way into a blind spot of mine and threw a haymaker that knocked me to the ground. Another one followed up to stomp on me. I rolled out of the way and picked up a spear. In one motion I thrust my spear under the head of the pig. It went completely through and the stone spearhead was sticking out the top. Blood ran down my hand and I let the dead pig fall back. There were two left and almost unphased by their comrade falling. I broke off the spear that was stuck in the pig and used it to club down the next pig. I battered this animal to the ground. I beat it so bad the handle I had was no more than a pile of splinters.

I heard the final pig close in on me from behind. I spun around and threw a punch landing square on its nose. It stumbled and I walked closer and kicked it to the ground. I moved around its large body to the head, I lifted my foot, and plunged it into the skull of this defenseless pig. The blow made my leg and foot numb due to how much force I used. The sound of crunching bones and rupturing blood vessels filled my ears and red blood covered my entire leg. I moved my foot and a spurt of blood shot up and hit me on the face. I was angry, almost bloodthirsty. I felt like I was on fire and nothing could put me out.

When I stepped back to see what I had done, I snapped out of my rage and truly realized what happened. Tears started to well up in my eyes and there was a knot in my throat. My stomach started doing flips until I vomited. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. As I am writing this, I still can’t and the very thought makes me sick. “Was this murder?” I thought to myself. I know they were pigs, but they were shaped to resemble humans. I even began to question my judgment. I doubted even being attacked and I just blacked out and went on a rampage. I will never know, because I am alone. The caved in remnants of the curb stomped pig, the impaled pig with its eye wide open, and the swollen pig with a bruised up face and broken bones, these are the closest things to people I have come in contact with, and I murdered them.

I wandered away from the aftermath of my fight, I began to feel colder. The wind may have been making me cold due to being covered in blood, or that it was my subconscious telling me that I did a horrible thing. My heart felt frozen, I could barely move. In the distance I saw something shimmering in the sun. I felt compelled to find out what it was. It was a rather large gold ring. I picked it up and put it over my shoulder. It was too unique to leave behind.

The events that transpired today are something I will never forget. I am tired, but when I close my eyes I see the images of what I had done. The stench of blood is still on me because I couldn’t find any water to wash it off. I found bits of bone embedded into my shoe. I don’t want to become a monster. I don’t want to be a violent survivor in this world, but it may prove to be no choice.

The fire is crackling and the warmth feels nice. I looked to the sky and something cold lands on my forehead. I am going to lay inside my tent. Hopefully I can fall asleep. 

Day 21

I woke on the 21st day to find a heavy chill weighing over me. It was the morning, but this was no morning chill. I felt as though winter was approaching. I hadn’t been near my Wintometer for some time so I wasn’t keeping an eye on it. I walked away from my burnt campfire and took in the landscape. That is when I noticed something rather peculiar; the animals seem to have changed. Before, I saw only crows and red birds. Now, I only witnessed blue birds flying around. Even the area around me had this blue like color to it. Like the place is signifying that it is getting colder. I am nowhere near prepared for this; I have to get to work.

I wanted to collect a surplus of firewood so I wouldn’t run out so quickly. If I wanted to survive winter, I needed to make sure I had the means to stay warm. I had to stay productive at the same time. My stock of food was dangerously low. While I wasn’t feeling hungry, I was going to need it through winter. I was in a Savannah like area and the rabbits were still out for some reason. I didn’t have the bait or the means to catch them, so I looked like an idiot running after something I was never going to catch. I stopped to gather my breath, and that is when I heard an unfamiliar noise.

I wasn’t scared, curiosity took over and I followed the deep mooing sounds to a clearing. I saw large silhouettes in the distance. They were daunting to look at, but I couldn’t stop my feet from moving closer. What I saw, was a supposedly docile creature. It was a four legged buffalo cow thing with shaggy fur. It was built to last through winter with its herd.

I didn’t know how to approach these creatures, but I had to name them. It feels odd, even writing this, but I want to call them Beefalos. It was getting dark so I curried around looking for a nice place to set up camp for the night.

As I moved around the herd of Beefalos I saw a wooden wall. Upon further inspection, this was a camp of sorts. It was manmade, it had to be. “But, how could that be? Could there really be someone else here?” I thought to myself. I had to find the entrance. My feet just took off at blinding speed.
I had to remain positive, “this place had to have been made with human hands” I said. Adrenaline was running through my body, it was carrying me all the way to the entrance of this camp. After a couple minutes of running I came to the entrance. I froze. What was once adrenaline was now fear. It went straight to my stomach and it was like a swallowed a lead ingot. What was once excitement was now anxiety.

I took my first step, and the crunching of the dead grass was so loud it hurt my ears.

The entrance spiraled in and it felt like it lasted forever, the anticipation was debilitating. I was growing colder and colder. I could see nothing, no light from a fire, no chatter of people, not even the sounds of the Beefalos. I peek around a corner to see what was inside the camp. I saw nothing.

Day 19/20

I found another shrine with the pig heads surrounding it and the broken slab in the middle. Like before, I felt the need to fix this shrine. I really hope these do not come back to bite me in the ass later. Their presence is very creepy. I continued going south walking along the shoreline as usual. I began to hear noises again, similar to when the hounds attacked me near my camp. I began to wander aimlessly and fall out of my current state of mind. I feel as though my sanity is starting to dwindle away. During this time I was seeing hallucinations. When I try to recall what they looked like I see more than two legs and random shapes. It is rather peculiar to say the least.

I am broken out of my trance with an abrupt blunt hit to my chest. I try to get up but I am being held down. The sounds I had heard earlier were hounds. These ones were more organized. The one pinning me down was staring at me, right into my eyes. I felt cold and terrified. I had to break eye contact and see if I was close to a weapon. I see my spear lying next to me. I broke an arm free and grabbed it. At the last second I pull it in front of me and the hound bites down. My spear’s wooden handle was preventing it from biting me. I hear another growl and a second hound appears.

I head-butt the hound on top of me and daze it. The second hound began to sprint after me. I ball up a fist and let this hound have it. A right hook directly to the nose. I heard crunching, but unsure if it was my hand or the hound’s nose. The hound I head-butted was getting up. I dropped my spear and ran after it. I jumped on its back and put my hands in its mouth. I pry open the jaws and in one quick motion I yank its head, snapping the neck. It fell lifeless to the ground. I had a moment to catch my breath but I didn’t have long. The hound I punched was gone. I hear a loud bark and it dashed past me. I was knocked to the ground. It was slowly approaching me. I take a quick breath and get up.
I picked up my spear and threw it at the charging hound. I landed a direct hit, square in its right eye. It started losing momentum and fell to the ground. I was feeling particularly good at this moment. I narrowly escaped death yet again to these beasts.



I spent the rest of the day getting my bearings to figure out just where I was. All the excitement made me lose my sense of direction.


Day 20

The morning of the 20th day has come and I reflected on just how far I have come. The area I woke up in was rather barren. There was not much to see. It felt like a desert. I noticed a nest with one of those oddly colored eggs. I flashed back to when I fought the mother of this egg. The tall bird was large but quick and ruthless. I looked around, and I didn’t notice the bird anywhere. I picked up the egg and I made the mistake of turning my back on the nest. I heard heavy footsteps creep behind me and I saw the tall shadow rise above me. I don’t bother looking back and I run away, as fast I could. This bird wasted no time in chasing me and was gaining fast. I had to think quickly. I decided to climb a nearby tree hoping it was stupid enough to lose interest by losing sight of me.

Sure enough, when I got into the leaves, it couldn’t find me. I was about eye level with this beast. I readied my spear, and took advantage of the ignorance it had of my location. I line up my shot, and leap from the tree. The sun was beaming down on my back and I saw my shadow cover this bird and it squawked in surprise and fear. I plummeted toward the bird and thrust my spear into its very large eye. I used the body to break my fall

Day 15/16/17/18

Day 15

After I did some more exploring I made my way back to camp I wanted to make better axe. In one hand and stored my items in my chest and sat near my alchemy engine to figure out a way to make sturdier tools. Some odd reason the goal here isn’t flimsy it’s scary and strong. And it acts out of the extra gold I had. Because the contacts by more hounds had some of their teeth but I didn’t quite know what to do with them and said keep them for a rainy day and I was able to collect some spider eggs. Those jewels were making me curious as to what I could make out of them. I had to keep my priorities straight and had an idea to create a tent. I was able to use the excessive amount of spider silk I had with some rope and reinforced branches I made the tent. Maybe this tent will help me regain some of my sanity as I feel as though every day I get crazier and crazier. I wanted to sleep for the rest of the day. It was starting to get cold outside. I look at my Wintometer and the liquid was dropping. I went to my tent and slept for the rest of the day and night.


 Day 16

Woke up and started traveling south I explored pretty much all of the north and east of my camp. It was time I head south and see what was down there. I followed the shoreline as my guide as I usually do, it and filling in the gaps later. I came across the borders of a rather peculiar area, the ground was somewhat purple and the humidity as I got closer that more and more intense. There was a feeling of uneasiness going through my body. The trees and bushes are thorny and it looked as though there were monsters hiding in the ground. When crossed the borders I wanted to leave. So I did, and continued exploring the south.


Day 17

I still have much to explore of the southern borders of this world, but I was too paranoid to explore the swamp. When I discovered it, a chill ran through my spine. I found another skeleton, all though this is not the first one I found in this area I kept thinking to myself, “What if that was me? Could that be if I don't survive?” It was an unusual find. There was something on the ground next to this skeleton. When I got closer I noticed it was a miner’s hat. One of those helmets with a light on the front. There was also a pickaxe and a few golden nuggets lay about. He must have been a miner of sorts. Although I find it strange to say someone is a miner when they don’t harvest minerals form underground.

As I was walking away I felt as though my mind was slipping away. Not like before when I would zone out. It felt as though I was going insane. I found some peculiar flowers near me. They felt evil. I know that sounds strange even when I am writing it but that is the best way I could explain them. They were in a circle, with an object in the middle. The item was a box with a handle. I don't know what I could use it for but I had to pick it up and take it with me just in case. You never know when you might need something like that.

Day 18

I spent most of my morning just roaming the area, taking notes on what I had discovered. I came across an area that was rather misty and chilly. I had a feeling that this is a place where the dead slept. The area I stumbled upon was a graveyard. As I recall this are by writing this journal entry I become more and more terrified for my own well-being and state of mind. I was in this graveyard but something came over me. I grabbed my shovel and started digging out the graves. As I dug up each and every grave I felt less like myself and more like a selfish evil being. I couldn't stop I had to keep finding out what was in these graves. I mostly found odd trinkets, probably items they were buried with that belonged to them. I came across the last of the graves and there was something very unsettling about this one. I ignored my thoughts and dug up the grave. I heard a loud yell, there was nothing around me. That is when something rose from the ground, a ghost. It opened its mouth and it let out a piercing shriek like ungreased grinding metal.

This must have been my punishment. No matter how far I ran from the ghost, it chased me. I could not hide. This thing was out for blood. I realized I had a fight. As confirmation that this was no ordinary place, I was able to fight the ghost with my spear. I was screaming, flailing my spear about hitting the ghost. It made no noise of being hurt, and eventually, it was gone. My eyes were closed the entire time. When I write this, I begin to wonder, was that ghost really there? I will never forget this experience, and the unspeakable crimes I had just committed, and that alone is haunting my dreams. 

Day 14

Yesterday I found a rather peculiar area. The ground was checkerboard, there were machines moving in when I got close their shape became more apparent. One was of a chess piece known as a rook; the other was similar to the chess piece, bishop. I came across it at night so I did not want to attack it right away. The last fight I had was a tough one and the shape of my armor and weapons was looking grim. I needed time resupply and prepare. There was something there those pieces were guarding something.
As I got closer to the area I could see the outline of what they were guarding it was circular but that was all I can make out. Hotline my load of putting my backpack down and made multiple weapons mostly extra spears. It was time for me to fight maybe this thing they were guarding was meant to get out of here.


Crept up slowly on the rook, hoping it wouldn’t see me and I could get the jump on it. Sadly this wasn’t the case and it noticed me immediately. At this moment I knew the element of surprise was out of the question. I had to go for an all-out attack. This enemy was so unlike anything I had seen in this world. It was made of metal; I had no idea if my weapons of stone would do anything. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to think on my feet when I got closer. I charge in spear at the ready to stab this rook. My spear collides with the sturdy brass of the Rook and my spear splinters and shatters. I am knocked back and my arms feel numb due to the vibrations from colliding with the metal exterior.


It was advancing towards me. Hopping closer and closer, it readied an attack. But it wasn’t as swift as I thought it was. It took some time to charge up before attacking. I grabbed another spear and saw it had exposed parts of its body. I had to make these my target. I waited for an opening. Right after it launched an attack, I swiftly dodged and thrust my spear into the exposed wiring. The Rook sputtered and started vibrating. It soon shorted out and lay dormant on the ground.


Out of the corner of my eye I see a glowing yellow light. I look and quickly lean back to move out of the way. Then I look to my other side, and I see another yellow ball of light, it hit me directly in the chest and knocked me down. The shot knocked the wind right out of me. I regain my breath and two more shots are fired. I rolled out of the way and got my bearings. I see two Bishops firing at me. The time in between was much less than the Rook. These too were almost covered in brass, almost impenetrable.


For some stupid reason, I stand still, ready for the next shot. I try to hit away the next energy shot taken at me. It shatters my spear and hits me square in the face. I go blind and there is a ringing in my ears. I start breathing heavily, my sight is slowly coming back, and the bishops are standing over me. A Rook is slowly approaching behind them. I grab a spear from my back and get on my feet. I hear the whirring of the Bishops getting prepared for the next attack. I look up, and I see the heads of the Bishop, supported by an unprotected neck.


I smirk; the Rook was now gearing up for an attack. I only had a small window to attack. I roll to the left as the Bishop on the right fires its first shot, almost immediately after the left Bishops fires, I roll the opposite direction. The rook attacks, extending its head at me. I roll backwards, then change direction and sprint forward, using the rook head as a stepping stone. I use the two bishops as walls and use them to jump higher. I slice the first Bishop’s head off. I use the body as a means to project myself toward the remaining Bishop. I knock it down and shove my spear into the exposed neck. It short circuits and stops moving. I hear the Rook charging up for another attack, I move behind it and use every bit of energy left to ram my spear into the exposed back. I lift it into the air and slam it down. It was just a bundle of gears now. I had to take a breather. All this physical activity was killing me.


With the Guardians dead I was able to inspect the area to see what they were guarding. I am unsure if it was actually worth it. It was just a wooden platform with some are writing on the sides. But for some reason, I felt like I knew what it was. I thought to myself, “It seems like a nexus to another world.” It was too heavy to pickup and it looked unfinished. A charted the location on my map and headed back out and that’s when I saw laying on the ground near those dead Bishops, sparkling purple gems. I gathered them it took note of the white pillars surrounding area. I destroyed them with my Pickaxe to notice that I collected marvel. The oddly shaped trees were also made of marble as a destroyed them like clip the marble and moved on.



There wasn’t much that when on that day after my fight I didn’t want to go back to camp just hit a one to discover more of this area.

Day 13

My alarm that morning was the loud screech of what sounded like a bird. I heard birds in this area before but nothing sounded this large. I open my eyes and see a large towering figure above me with slender legs, a very round body, and a single eye staring directly at me. Despite its large body, it struck at me with haste using its beak. I was able to roll out of the way but it still grazed my arm cutting my clothes and my skin, drawing blood. I look around for my spear and I see that it is between me and this Tallbird. We lock eyes waiting for someone to make the first move. I let out a war-cry and sprinted as hard as I could. The Tallbird charged forward as well gaining distance with its long legs. I leap and roll over my spear picking it up, landing on my feet, sending every bit of energy into my legs. I jumped as high as I could with my spear directly above my head.


I hear squishing and crunching. I dropped to the ground and looked up. I killed the Tallbird. It fell to the ground letting out a large thud and a plum of dust bellowed form under it. I found its nest and took the egg, feeling as though I had earned it. Already on alert, I was filled with adrenaline. I was edging for a fight. Maybe my confidence got the best of me because that I faced a giant that was easily four times my size. I kept exploring, until I saw a massive spider nest the biggest I’d ever seen. I prepared myself for my next move.


I take my first step into the territory of the spiders. Six spiders spring out ready to defend their home. Three of which were warrior spiders. This was the most I’d ever seen of that type in one place. I felt as though they were protecting something like I was getting closer to an area of importance. That didn’t deter me from fighting them. I knock the smaller spiders away. This left me open to attack from the warrior spiders. I go to stab the spider closest to me and the worst possible thing happened, my spear broke off into the spider. I now had a useless piece of wood against five other spiders. My bravery turned into fear.


The spiders were slowly advancing on me; I quickly look in my backpack to see if there was anything I could use. I had no time to make a new spear and that is when I saw it. I saw my axe. In one motion three of the smaller Spiders lunge at me and I cut them down. They fall to the ground in pieces. I then grabbed my pickaxe, with my axe in one hand and pickaxe in the other I charge forward towards the last two spiders. I yelled as loud as I could I leaped into the air and slammed downward impaling both of the spiders with my weapons.


I was starting to make my way south following the shoreline to the west my quarry was starting to get bigger and bigger. I came across a very strange area. I saw a beige colored tree that was rectangular in shape. Next to it was something moving. It was very stiff almost robotic, as I get closer it seems to know where I am; it readies itself for a fight but doesn’t come after me. I looked closer it was a chess piece and there was more like it guarding something in the center of their small arena. I had to get their but in my current state there was nothing I could do. I back farther away so I didn’t feel as though I was going be watched through the night. I made a campfire readied multiple weapons.


For tomorrow morning, I launch my attack on this chess-like arena.


Day 12

I charted my newly explored area and noticed I was close to base. I started heading south when I heard a strange noise. I looked around but there was nothing. I continued on, shaking that strange noise out of mind, but I hear the noise again as if something is watching me. I quicken my pace and see my camp in sight. I got closer, then a loud grunting and a bellowing noise almost a howl echoed across the valley. I turn around and that’s when it happened. I was attacked by hounds. Dark in color, evil, hell bent on killing. Their vicious growls and snarls were enough to instill fear in the bravest of men, their teeth sharper than anything I’d ever seen, their mouths dripping with saliva ready to a feast on my freshly killed body.

I noticed a second hound, they began to circle me waiting for me to make the first move. I slowly set down my backpack and grab rock from my pocket. I threw it to distract the hound in front of me. I had a small window of opportunity to attack the hound behind me. It darted forward, in a split second I spin my spear around inches away from tearing into my flesh, and I stab the hound in its mouth. A small feeling of relief fell over my body. It was short lived as the found in front of me was heading my way. The spear was stuck in the now dead hound’s mouth. I had to retaliate. I summoned all of the strength I could and jumped in the air kicking the lower jaw of the hound. It was stunned long enough for me to dislodge my spear and make the final blow against the surviving hound.

I was drenched in blood I do not know if some of that was mine or theirs exhausted a move toward my camp unload some materials restock on food and sit down next to my alchemy engine . The low vibrations felt great against my back almost like a massager.

As I was lying in relaxation, my alchemy engine gave me the urge to invent. I had enough gold and similar items to make another machine. My hands work quickly and efficiently, I see the machine I have created in front of me. I did it; I created the Wintometer, my machine for predicting the oncoming weather. Seeing that was still very much warm I felt as though I still had time before winter came.

I looked at my map and saw that I had nothing explored west of my quarry. I decided to make that my next goal I didn't know what was waiting ahead of me but it had to be done.




I took to the western shoreline. I used it as a guideline so I found fill in the gaps later. I saw a lot of boulders containing the golden sheen. However, I could not stop my exploration and gather materials.  As a started to turn dusk I found something, it was an oddly colored and rather large in size sitting in a twig nest. I looked around and saw nothing but I felt as though if I got closer something would not want me around. I backed away, made a campfire and went to sleep .

Day 11

After I woke I wanted to explore the shoreline. I noticed a couple of spider dens. I had to get rid of them. So I did and they put up a fight, there was more than I expected. I was able to get away unscathed. I feel as though by fighting prowess is getting better and better. As I explored the shoreline to the northeast I came across the same area where I found the pigs. A charted my location and decided to head west.

I can’t recall exactly what happened all I do know is that my mind wandered and I was paying no attention to where I was going. I heard a twig snap followed by growling I snapped out of it look up and saw three spiders charging after me. I readied my spear and took them down with these. I move forward toward the spider nest. As I started destroying the nest I felt as if something was moving behind me. I spun around and there was a spider, the yellow kind, the one outfitted to fight. I want to move back but the nest was not fully destroyed I tripped and my back was stuck to the webbing on the ground.

I did not know what to do; my spear fell just out of my reach. I was stuck to the ground because of the webbing. The spider warrior was creeping closer and closer as if it was toying with me. My hand was almost at the spear when the spider spat webbing at my hand gluing it in place. I was filled with fear. A tear ran down my cheek my heart slowed and everything went quiet. I thought to myself, “Is this how I go? After all I have been through, is this the end?”

I look up with tears in my eyes I saw a burly figure sprinting towards me. There was a war-cry and I heard something being cut. I was able to clear my eyes of the tears and I saw the law spider warrior split in two with the burly figure nowhere to be found. I was able to squirm out of the webbing and free my hand, grab my spear and move on. I went on with my day and eventually the night.

Day 10

Not much when on yesterday I almost felt like I do need to record much of it in my journal. Although journaling helps me cope with the current situation I’m not sure if I should document every day and was a significant event has taken place. I will be compiling a couple of entries with this one and hope to save room, in case I last long enough until I ran out of space or to spare the reader a bunch of fluff if this is found on my body. Currently, my number one objective is to get a way to predict the forthcoming weather. The next is to get a way of the land so I know where to find plants and areas to stay away from.


The following entries will be in small snippets of the events that transpired during specific times of the day. Unless absolutely needed I will no longer be documenting entire days.


Those are rather typical morning; there was nothing much to document other than my normal planning on what I was going to do. It wasn’t until high noon until I’d found something worth mentioning. I’m not entirely sure what it was or how it got there, but I can describe what I saw. It seemed like an outline, even remnants of a previous camp. It was circular and left rectangular indentations in the ground. I marked it on my map and continued exploring the east.


I hadn’t explored everything to the northeast, I felt compelled to do so. I did not like the feeling I was getting however I had to move forward. I came across something very strange and almost horrifying. I found a skeleton it seemed to be about my size but that was all the observation I could make. Around the skeleton were variety of logs and an axe. I wanted to draw the conclusion that a spider or other monster killed him/her, but I had a feeling this was not the case. It still sounds crazy but I feel as though nature took its revenge. I decided to pay my respects and buried the skeleton.

Day Nine

I woke up to the whirring of my Alchemy Engine. It only starts up when I activate it, not by itself. Could someone have been in my camp? Ensure it was nothing, maybe it was a bird that landed on the switch, either way nothing to do about it now.

I have to start thinking long-term now. I have come to the conclusion that this place is not ordinary and everything in it teaches at a faster pace. Trees grow faster, berries on bushes ripen quicker, and I have noticed nights do not last too long. I have to prepare myself for winter, but this place has such a thing. I want to make a device that will predict the weather, I do not know where to start but I will make it happen.

I also needed figure out a way to make better tools. All my axes get the job done the break way too fast and is hurting my supply. It exported most of the north I wish to turn my attention to the east. At the food to last me a couple days so I better get started.


I figured if I needed to build such advanced machinery I would need advanced materials. I took notice that all of might advance machines needed gold nuggets to make. The opted to go to my quarry and spend some time mining. Protect as I was mining my mind wandered.
I was tired of my tools breaking. I was thinking of a new way to possibly reinforce my axe and pickaxe. Every idea I came up with, I didn’t have the materials. All of a sudden my pickaxe breaks, the sound of the snapping wood and breaking stone snapped me out of my trance and I picked up my gold nuggets. For some reason, while I held the gold nuggets in my hand I just stared at the shimmering mineral. Maybe I saw some kind of hidden potential, or maybe I’m just imagining things.
The can use the college’s got to experiment with my tools I had to use it for my possible whether machine sun was directly above me, and I decided to head back to camp.


When I arrived back at Camp I got to work. I stood by my alchemy engine and let my mind wander. Like before my mind was overflowing with thoughts and ideas. Numbers, formulas, and blueprints all race through my head. I couldn’t focus on just one thing I saw in my mind. Maybe it was my inventor is intuition. I do recall, when I came to I didn’t build what I wanted to build what I needed to build, a lightning rod. I can understand why I would need this. It has rained a couple times since I’ve been here in the lining to protect me and my things from getting caught on fire.

After marveling at my new creation I headed east. After traveling along the shoreline for some time and noticed it started getting darker. I was a torch and continued on word. While the sounds of the night had not bothered me for some time I heard something new.

I heard the sounds of teeth grinding, bubbling sounds almost like a hungry stomach, I knew it was close but I did not know where. For some reason I was compelled to look on the ground as if something was following me around my ankles. And that’s when I saw it, the hole in the ground. This wasn’t just a normal hole, it was something different. It had teeth and was even moving, it didn’t appear to have a sentient mind, but I felt like it still served a purpose. It was making the noises I was hearing, I can’t say I was scared, but I was still nervous, if I didn’t want to investigate further.
It was turning to dusk so I decided to head back.



I make it back to camp and evaluate my item situation. I am exhausted from the previous day, I chart my findings on my map and I’m going to call it an early night. I want to investigate the hole in the ground that I have more pressing issues to solve.

Day Eight

When I woke up, the pig I saved moved on to bigger and better things. I do not know why I expected it to stick around but I guess I want someone to hang out with, even if the pig only spoke when you gave it food. I have a nice sense of accomplishment when I look back at the event. It was nice to help someone other than myself for a change.
I was lost, but once I examined my surroundings I devised a way to get back to my camp. I am more east than north so I can head west until I find that cliff were I found the first pig. Then I can head south until I reach my camp. I can’t get my mind off that strange shrine I found near a pig house in the middle of the forest. I want to head back and mark it on my map so I can come back to it later.
I have a feeling this trek back home is going to take a while. I better get moving.

I headed back to that strange shrine. It upset me when I first saw it so I didn’t get a good look at it. I kind of wish I didn’t. It was surrounded by stakes skewered with pig heads. Flies were buzzing around and the maggots were chowing down. There was this broken stone stuff in the middle. I do not know what came over me, but I went up and fixed the stone stuff. When I looked back after I finished, I made a stone slab. I have no idea what it was or what it could do. Nonetheless I marked it on my map and left. Maybe I will figure out what it is for and I can come back.

As I walk southwest towards my camp. I hear growling and pig squeals again. I follow the sounds to see a massive spider nest. It was the biggest I had ever seen. There were easily 6 spiders attacking this poor pig. They were being led by this strange looking spider. It was bigger, has yellow-like armor. It looked much more battle ready. I had to help this pig, so I charged in with my armor on, and spear high in the air. I ran up a larger rock and leapt into the fray, skewering a spider underneath me. I let out a loud “Yawp” and cut the last of the spiders down. I didn’t notice the Spider Warrior carcass among the debris. I turn around and it is staring me down. I smirk and signal it to come get me.

It charged at full force, not caring what was going to happen. I braced myself ready for the fight. It jumps into the air, as a muscle reaction I throw my spear at it, penetrating its hard armor. It fell to the ground, stabbed by my spear. Its legs were frantically moving in pain. The legs curled and the spider was dead. I collected my kills and the pig was nowhere to be found. I took my spear out of the ground and continued on to my camp.

I arrived at my camp a couple hours later.

I was relieved to be back at my camp. The rabbit I could a few days ago chewed through the trap and it escaped. In a dire circumstance this would have upset me dearly. But my spoils from up north made my chuckle at the rabbit’s epic escape. I dropped my things and jumped around a bit. I didn’t have huge amounts of stuff on my back anymore and I could move even faster than before. I sat on the ground, wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up at the beaming sun cooking me from above. It was the afternoon and the hottest part of the day. I wanted to relax, but I knew I had to get more stuff done.

I went to my Science Machine to get some ideas on what to create. I remembered I collected that manure from the pigs and I could make a small farm where I can grow those seeds I have been holding onto. After some trial and error I was able to make this very crude looking garden area. I was pretty proud of myself because I knew nothing about horticulture. While the garden looked incredibly crude and poorly done, it exhausted me.

I wanted to build better tools, armor, and weapons. My science machine was not cutting it in this aspect. I had to build something better. I had to use a new method of transforming materials into something new. Then it sprung on me, I could try to gather more precious materials and it would spark something. I went to my quarry and started mining out some of the gold nuggets.

The boulders were slim on the gold nuggets. I was running very low on energy and I didn’t collect as many nuggets I wanted. It was turning to dusk and I had almost nothing to show for being out here for so long. I continued to mine until it was dark. I lit a torch and made a campfire just in case. After a couple more hours I was satisfied with what I got. I picked my torch and put out my campfire and headed back to base.

I couldn’t help but think on my way back, I never recalled being afraid of the dark until recently. I guess I originally had nothing to be afraid of. I guess when we are kids we are afraid of monsters in the closet or under the bed, but this is real danger. I don’t know, but I do not know if I will ever be the same in darkness ever again.

It didn’t take long to get back to camp. I lit a nice big campfire and put some of that spider meat to good use and started cooking it. I sat near my science machine, watching my food cook. The cracking and warmth of the fire, with the cooking meat allowed me to relax more than I ever thought I could. I closed my eyes and let my hands go on their own.

They picked up the different materials I had laid out and I don’t remember much from that point. My inventor intuition just took me over. My whole body was not under my control and I swiftly build this metal circular machine. In a way, it looked sort of like a closed off cauldron. Because of this, I dubbed it the Alchemy Machine.

I sat back down after marveling at my creation and looked up. I can’t believe I never noticed this, but there were no stars in the sky. There was nothing. It made me feel so alone. I didn’t know what to think. No stars? How could that be? I saw my food was done cooking and I chowed down. I shook the uneasy feeling from my mind and continued eating.


The meat was, interesting. I guess everything tastes good when you are hungry, but this still had an odd taste to it. It was protein, so I couldn’t complain. The warm food makes me want to sleep. So I am going to sleep. I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but I sure hope I don’t have to fight anything. My body is worn. 

Day Seven

I had to stop writing after I recorded my findings. I couldn’t sleep last night either. I have no idea what I saw. A gravestone with my name on it? How could that be? Could it be the person who brought me here? Was this mysterious possibly imaginary character trying to scare me? If so, it worked. The gravity of death has never loomed over me more than that night and this morning. I left the area and stayed at my base camp for the night. I didn’t care how long it took. I trekked through the night with y torch in the air.

I contemplated digging up the grave, but I do not know if I could live with the moral ramifications of digging up a grave. Even if it was my own. I did not get a chance to travel as far north as I wanted to. So I have to go back today and see if I saw a person across the ocean. I am not too jazzed about going back across that grave site again, but I have to.

I went back up north. I had to; I had to see if someone was there. The thought has been on my mind ever since I saw it. When I packed up my things I went into a trance. I didn’t remember my trip to the place, but I got there. It was rather quick too. I got back to the gravestone. A chill went down my spine. I shook the feeling and continued on. As I was weaving through the dense wooded glen, I heard some noises. I found another spider nest. I started having flashbacks of the night where I came across my first one. I shook my head and continued walking. That is when I came across something else, it was another gravestone. When I got closer to read what was on it, there was nothing. It was a blank slab. I do not know if someone was buried there, but it got me thinking. “What did the person do to lie in an unmarked grave?”

The mood was very dark and tense. I started to feel weak and my legs were difficult to move. That is when I heard footsteps. My head spring up and I yelled, “Hello? Is anyone there?! My name is Wilson and I am looking for help!” I heard something back but it was more like a noise and not words. I followed the sounds and arrived at what looked like an outhouse. It was rather small and quaint. I did not know who lived there until I saw something walking around.

It was a pig. But it was standing on two legs with a hunched posture. I had a feeling it somewhat understood me. So I got closer, then it spoke, “Too close.” I was shocked, a talking pig? I replied, “Want some food?” It looked at me with eager eyes. I took out a carrot I picked up the other day and he ate it right out of my hand. Not very long after it had a weird look on its face, it walked a few steps away and went to the bathroom.

As gross as it sounds, I decided to pick up the fresh manure. I had an idea I could use it for fertilizing some crops back at camp.

After my interaction with this peculiar animal I noticed the sun was above. So I walked around. These woods were home to many other pigs. I was in the middle of this community. They appeared to live harmoniously with each other. I wondered if I could one day live that peacefully in this world. I opted to give some more food to the pigs to collect more manure. It was pretty gross and rather odd with how quickly they went to the bathroom but I digress.

I wanted to head back to camp and try to make that farm. That is when I saw another Spider Den. The flashbacks went through my mind. When I snapped out of it, I was filled with anger. I could not live in fear anymore. I had to do something about these spiders. They were going to cause a lot of trouble for me at night and even in the day. Well, I was tired of it.

I put on my armor, grabbed my spear, belted out a war-cry and charged forward, directly into their nest. The anger in my eyes made it seem like my soul was on fire. As soon as I took a step into their nest, my feet were stuck. While I was able to force my feet out of the webbing, they would just get stuck again. My war-cry grabbed their attention and three spiders were advancing on me.

I was so full of adrenaline. I could not go back now. This was the time to fight. I yelled, “Give me your best shot.” I chuckled and they lunged forward. My feet were firmly planted, and I could not move. When they leapt out at me I used my spear like a baseball bat and sliced them in half right in the air. Their blood was like a mist that showered over the landscape. I was covered in their blood. I felt like an unstoppable warrior.

I made my way to the center of the nest and destroyed the large egg. When I did, the webbing from under my feet disappeared. I looked on the ground and I saw some spider glands which I assumed were poisonous. I gathered them thinking I could weaponize it somehow. I also noticed I could use some of that spider meat as food. I gathered it as well.

Disregarding my original plan to return home, I continued exploring. This time more to the east, and I met some more pigs. Every spider den I saw, I destroyed with no remorse. These were dangerous beasts that threatened my life on this world. I could not allow them to live. As a bonus, I got some of the webbing that felt like silk. Maybe I could make better armor or something out of it.

A couple of hours later, I was so caught up with taking down spiders and spider dens, I realized I was lost. I wandered aimlessly for a while. The adrenaline wore off. My legs wanted to give out from under me. I had to rest. That is when I came across something very peculiar.

It was next to a pig house. It almost looked like a shrine of sorts with a mechanism in the middle. I wanted to investigate but I feared it may be cursed or anger the wildlife. So I left it alone. Night was approaching. I made a torch in preparation.

The pigs retreated into their houses when night fell. I struck the flint and lit my torch. I wanted to look for a better clearing so my campfire didn’t catch the trees on fire but that was quickly interrupted by growls, squeals and struggling footsteps. I ran to the source of the noise to find that a pig was getting ambushed by spiders. He wandered into their webbing and it caused them to attack. It looked like he was holding his own but he was outnumbered. I had to help this pig. I grabbed my spear and sprang into action, killing the remaining spiders with precision and ferocity.

I made eye contact with the saved pig. I think it smiled at me. I smiled back and made my camp fire. Rather than going inside its house. The pig gets close to my fire and lays down sleeping.

As I write this, I have a feeling of accomplishment. I have a smile on my face, which feels fantastic. Things may be turning around for me.