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Author TheFirstDefier

Defiance of the fall

Prologue - Welcome to the Multi-Verse , v . 2

Information was power . It could both be the sword with which you impale your enemy , or the sword you impale yourself upon . That was what was going through Zac’s head as he walked through the woods with a small hatchet in his hand , his face glowing with a sheen of perspiration and irritation .

He was still unsure of how a short mention about spending time in his family’s cabin as a child turned into him being tasked with bringing firewood back to the campsite? He pushed some intrusive shrubbery out of the way , as he ventured further into the woods . Maybe his friends were laughing it up as they stayed by the fire in their cozy chairs with a few beers , while he was living the age-old scenario of man versus nature .

He swung his hatchet and chopped off a small twig , but immediately saw that it would make terrible firewood from how fresh it was . What the hell did he know about gathering firewood anyhow? It had always been his dad getting it for their cabin , and Zac was pretty sure that he had actually bought them rather than cutting down trees .

It was a sweltering day in May , with high humidity even though not a cloud was in sight , probably from yesterday’s drizzle . This , along with it being spring , made Zac seriously doubt whether any of these trees made for a decent fire if chopped down . The humidity and moisture in the wood would turn the campsite into an inferno of tear-inducing smoke at the first lick of fire . If it even was possible to light the fire at all .

Besides , this whole area was part of a nature reserve , and he was not really sure if there were legal ramifications to cutting anything down . Still , he trudged on , dragging his now sticky hair out of his face as he surveyed the surroundings .

For exactly what , Zac still didn’t know . He was still half-hoping to run into a neatly stacked pile of firewood secured under a tarp , left behind by some more adroit forester . Zac had been walking around aimlessly now for 15 minutes , and he wasn’t really cut out for this so he could really use the backup .

Which is sort of ironic , as his appearance would usually indicate someone who has a good command of the great outdoors . Standing at 5’11 with a set of broad shoulders , sporting a flannel shirt with the arms rolled up to his elbows , he at least somewhat looked the part . But the slightly too even beard , the pudge at his belly , and the lack of wiry muscles coming from manual labor were signs of a far more sedentary lifestyle .

He was actually just a marketing consultant who jumped onto the bandwagon and got the slightly grizzly look as it seemed pretty popular at the moment . And it did actually pay dividends , as this trip was arranged with his new girlfriend Hannah and three of her friends .

Truth be told , had it not been for the heat and the humidity , he wouldn’t really have minded this solo trip into the woods . It was always a weird situation , being a new addition to a group that has years of history together . To figure out the dynamics and personalities of everyone , while keeping up with conversations where half the content are inside jokes and stories from before you were in the picture .

Of course , they mostly seemed like decent people . David was open and cheerful , and the trip would likely have lost much of its energy had he not been there . Unfortunately , David’s interests diverged with his , him being into Soccer and Hockey and Zac into video games and art . This made it a bit harder to find things to talk about during the long trip up into the woods . But he’s still a guy one wouldn’t mind having a beer with .

David's girlfriend Izzie was a harder pill to swallow , with her unceasing grandstanding about whatever issue she could insert into the conversation , be it veganism , environmental conservation or social issues . Of course , Zac generally agreed with her points of view , but it did get tiring to be constantly preached to .

It’s ironic , ’ he thought , - it’s often the kids of the elite who gets like this . ’ He had heard from Hannah that Izzie’s father was some sort of manager at a hedge fund , and her mother was a Partner at some high-end law firm . Apparently , a complete lack of supervision and unlimited funds leaves one with a surplus of energy that needs to be directed somewhere . And in her case , it was usually a crusade against - The Man’ and the corporate machine . Still , it was hard to stay annoyed forever with her , as her bubbling energy was somewhat infectious .

Which leaves Tyler . Or The Snake as Zac renamed him in his head . He seems like a charismatic enough guy and has those annoyingly clean-cut good looks . Had he been in a movie he’d be cast as the good looking jerk the heroine was dating before she found her true love . Which was somewhat his situation here . Not that Tyler and Hannah had been a couple , but most people had probably expected them to sooner or later get together as they hung out a lot with David and Izzie in some sort of faux-double date . Zac was not overly surprised with the hidden hostility he’d gotten from Tyler since the day they first met two months back . - Tyler probably felt that I sabotaged the grand plan of the universe when I came along and inserted myself into Hannah’s , and by extension his , life . ’ Zac thought with a snicker .

Maybe I should get back after all… - he mumbled , a slight unease at the situation lingering , adding to his general irritation of being stuck in the woods waving around a hatchet like an idiot . He wasn’t really a jealous guy , but also not a huge fan of leaving his girlfriend with a vulture circling around . And it’s not like he would magically produce some firewood by walking around in this forest any longer . He adjusted his grip of the axe , and once again readjusted the bangs which by now were a walnut mess of wax and sweat and started veering back towards camp .

He had trekked in somewhat of a semi-circle and should return back to the vicinity of the camp , or at least the road they took to get here if he just kept veering right . After walking along for another 5 minutes , battling the constant threat of shrubbery and mosquitoes , Zac came up to a small clearing .

Insidious shrubbery and intrusive twigs gave way to rustling grass and patches of bloodroot and cardinals . Somehow it felt like an oasis , with a noticeable lack of things to scratch him , and the sounds of wildlife felt somewhat subdued . - Not a bad place for a camp , should we decide to move it a bit further into the woods’ he mused as he walked into the center of the glade , taking a last look around before turning toward the direction of his camp .

But as he prepared to leave , all sounds suddenly stopped without notice , turning to an almost deafening form of silence he hadn’t really ever felt before . Just a breath later , the world was darkness .

Initiating System

Welcome to the Multi-Verse

. . .

Chapter 1 - Roll For Survival , v . 2

Initiating System

Welcome to the Multi-Verse

A cold , detached voice echoed in Zac’s ears . - Or in my head?’ he thought while looking around confused . Nothing in his life had prepared him for his current circumstances , and he for a second thought there was an extreme solar eclipse happening . All that greeted his eyes was complete and utter darkness . The only thing visible was himself , as if there was an invisible source of light shining just on him , leaving the rest of the world in black .

Heatstroke - ? he muttered hesitantly even though this didn’t feel like some heat-induced delirium . But before he could further analyze these baffling events the monotone voice interrupted his train of thought .

Planet - Earth’ scanning complete . Class F mass , class F energy

Adjusting

Due to insufficient energy and size planet - Earth’ will be merged with additional planets drafted for initiation . New values : Class D mass , Class D energy . Topography readjusted . Spawn points randomized based by cohorts . Wildlife upgraded due to insufficient challenge . Link to the Multi-verse system activated]

What ? Hello? - he shouted , or at least he thought he did , as the utter blackness seemed like a natural dampener , quenching