Narrator's Pov:
Alex is your typical gamer. Spends most of his time immersed in game worlds. Chasing that peak immersion.
So he could be forgiven if it took him a while to realize why his screen just went black.
Sitting in his cheap black 'gaming' chair, Alex stared in outrage at his dead TV. "no...No, No No NoNoNO! WHAT THE HELL?!"
Bolting up on grass instead of the expected hard wood of his livingroom, Alex didn't even notice, he ran to his TV.
"THE FUCK!?" Alex frantically checked all the plugs on the back of his TV. After a pointless attempt to unplug it and plug it back in, it finally dawned on him that something was wrong.
Clearly. There was no outlet to plug back into. Then as if only just inhabiting a human body for the first time. He looks around. With his neck...and eyes.
----
Alex Pov:
'OK, not my brightest moment. However in my defense. You never expect to go from your downtown apartment to the middle of a literal forest, or is it woods? Either way, not on my bingo card.'
'So...Well I'd say I'm lost, but that feels like an understatement to say the least.'
'OK focus Alex, you're monologing. Take stock. What do I have?'
I look over my self and grimace as I can already tell. I'm fucked, well and truly fucked.
'I got my sweats, a t-shirt, a shitty chair, a- yeah I'm not taking my gaming set up with me.'
'I'm not exactly the picture of physical fitness. And while it kills me to leave nearly three grand in gear.'
'I got to live to game another day. So I have Jack and shit. Only, Jack skipped town, and shit is fucking me like I dropped the soap in the shower.'
'OK, good dark humor is still working. Now I just gotta... do something... Fuck.....Yeah, I'm dead.'
I was then rudely interrupted from my mortal dread as a deep snarl came from behind me. I felt ice in my shoulders, as my hair felt like it stood on end.
Slowly, I turned. And like a deer in headlights I came face to face with a big fucking thing.
My nerd ass mind helpfully, or not so helpfully, supplied the answer.
'Hey isn't that a Beowolf. Hey that's from RWBY, loved that show before it's plot ate shit.'
I shook my head slowly as I saw it step closer. It snarled at me, and my entire inner monolog died a cowards death.
All I could hear was my own heart and breath as time seemed to stop. Slowly I tried to back away.
I felt my leg suddenly stop. My heel caught on a root.
In slow motion I felt the world tip as I fell back. The Beowolf's claws coming inches from my face.
'When did those get so close?'
A dull burning pain washed over me. The Beowolf had just tumbled over me.
Light explosions of pain ran over my chest and face. A flicker of a memory.
My little brother falling on my face while wrestling.
Then like a roaring flame every thing snapped back to normal.
I screamed.
The sound of the Beowolf crashing into a tree was deafened by the unholy pain searing my chest and face.
I jerked and flailed uselessly. Trying desperately to shake the pain off like hot water.
It didn't help.
Suddenly I felt weightless as I was lifted off the ground by something warm. Only for it to explode into another inferno of pain.
I flew several feet into a tree as suddenly my legs didn't hurt anymore. A distinct snap of bark, I thought, rang in my head, as I scraped down the tree.
The pain paralyzed me as everything thumped in agony. Or was that my heart?
My tear blurred vision saw something black looming over me. Claws and maw bare.
In this final moment something, a deep emerald green, simmered in my face.
My only thoughts were. 'But I just got Uriel. I haven't finished grinding the old peace yet.'
A fresh wave of flaming pain washed over me as my vision plunged into icy black.
----
I slowly came to under a heavy fog. Like waking up from laughing gas.
I could feel the warm bed behind me as thick rough hospital blankets covered me.
My mind blearily flashed back to when I had my appendix removed. Then it crashed over me like a pouncing wave.
I would have flinched if my arms and legs didn't feel like lead. I tried to open my eyes as my adrenaline spiked.
I wasn't in a hospital bed, or rather not a real one. No that might be wrong. Not a modern hospital bed. That felt right.
Shaking off the semantics I looked around the room. I was alone in a wood room? 'Who uses wood in a hospital?'
I wondered as my mind immediately jumped to the sanitation nightmare open wood grain posed.
Then a soft click sounded as a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, came in with fresh clothes. Only then did I feel the damp cloth on my forehead.
'Did I have a fever?' My thoughts were cut off by an honestly adorable squeak, as the young girl ran out of the room.
'She took the cloth with her.' Was all I thought as a thick fog clouded my head.
After what felt like forever I saw an older man in a patchwork cardigan. Looked like your uncle Ben type.
Kind smile, cozy vibe, hard edge of responsibility.
"How are you feeling son?" The old man asked in a voice like rubbed sage. Sticking to everything with a soft drawl.
I tried to respond only to become acutely aware of my tongue's sandpaper like texture.
The old man nodded as if already knowing the problem. He passed me a small ceramic mug of water.
The oddly modern prop in this rustic room made my immersion crack. Only to also realize this was definitely real.
With some help I got some water down and looked up at the ceiling. Everything slowly settled in.
I nearly died. Full stop. No do over, no save scum. Just dead.
"That's quite the look in your eye son... Want to talk about it?" The old man's soft tamber grounded me as I looked over.
'How the hell am I supposed to explain this...'
A slight idea hit as I slowly spoke with a dry croak. "Attacked by grim... no one left..."
I'd just have to hope this was a common enough explanation to get by. I know I'm no mental giant. So let's play it as safe as I can.
Rule of thumb, if it worked for Ren and Nora it'll work for me too.
"Which village?" The old man coaxed gently as if he hadn't just poked through my plot like it was single plie.
"Caravan, not sure from where." I offered like a drowning man. 'Just take the fucking excuse old man!'
The old man nodded somberly as he helped me get more water.
"Well son. You got lucky. Real lucky. Our boys found you just as your aura broke. Real rough shape." My mind screeched to a halt.
'Aura?! When did I get aura?!' I mentally screamed.
The old man smiled as if he could read my mind. "Ah, so that's news to you. Well I'd say congratulations son. However that's definitely not the best way to go about it."
I nodded slowly as the events played through my head. My mind finally clearing fully.
It once more hit me I was loosing the forest for the trees. "How long was I out?" I asked slightly panicking.
I definitely got paralyzed when my spine snapped like a kittkatt. Only I feel just fine.
"You were out for two days. Luck you, my Semblance saved you. Good ol' Doc Martin here at your service." The old man introduced himself as he helped me sit up.
"Had to go poking around your spine to fix it up, so just let me know if anything feels off. Tingly or prickly feeling anywhere?"
I shook my head in the negative. "No, I feel.. Well better than I have any right to be feeling right now."
Martin nodded as he grabbed my shoulder reassuringly. "It's ok to feel a little rattled. You did nearly die to a grim attack. No one's gonna blame you."
I nodded slowly as I looked out the window. "Well I have no idea where I am or where to go."
Martin chuffed lightly as he followed my gaze out the window. "Well you can stay around our little farm. Not too far from a station. You can get to Vale from there."
I nodded again lost in thought. "Yeah..thanks for, well, everything."
Martin nodded warmly. "No problem son. I'll let you rest some more. Call if you need anything."
I smiled back to him as he left. The door softly clicked shut as I lost myself in thought.
'The hell do I do now?'