Primal games: How i became the greatest caveman

Joji was fading fast; the raptor was down to its neck in the sand, but what bordered him now was the sounds of footsteps. His vision was slowly becoming blurry.

He felt his grip lessening; his eyes were burning from his salty sweat, and he could barely keep them open. A dry leaf crackled under the footstep as it got closer and closer.

The raptor was quiet now and Joji knew soon he was going to join it. He wondered if it was taking solace in that fact and patiently waiting for him.

Joji's vision went blank and his grip slipped off the rock. I'm dead, he thought, feeling the hot air on his back, what a wasted life.

For a brief second, he felt glad he didn't have to hold on anymore, he could let go and stop fighting, it had only brought pain, and every time he thought he had the upper hand, every time he made it out of a pool of quicksand, he'd find a raptor waiting for him with daggers in its mouth.

The wound had taken its toll; Joji was dead for sure; he faded away into the recess of his subconscious, and the last thing he felt was something cold around his hand.

What's this, he thought. How do you dream in a virtual world? His dreams were a mixture of game info and game geography; the influence of VR even went deep into his Subconscious.

He saw swarms and dreadful creatures, tribes, and barbarian hordes; I thought this was a caveman world; damn, I must be on my vr for like a day now. As he slowly regained consciousness, he felt a warmth on his fast amidst a cold stifling air on his back.

He wondered why the climate had changed so fast. Is this where you go when you die in a game? He slowly opened his eyes and saw a burning fire. Wow, I'm definitely dead. The fire was green and it flickered slowly like it was flowing, flowing like water.

He could see a faint silhouette from across the fire. Don't worry, the silhouette said, you're alright, just rest now. Joji felt an overwhelming urge to sleep, he felt so drained and quickly fell unconscious again.

The morning was chilly, and a droplet of water could be heard falling off leaves; the birds were chirping, and Joji could hear their melodies; he slowly opened his eyes; the fire was out, and all that was left was wood and green embers.

Joji slowly got up, sat there, and looked about the place; I'm alive, he thought, then he got a notification, a beaming red alert by the side of his pov.

Oh, now it remembers it's a game. He tried grabbing it but nothing happened, then he remembered. He tapped his chest, and the dashboard popped out, a large blue two-dimensional square featuring his skills and armory.

It reads, level up, strength +2000, stamina +2000, willpower +3000. New level obtained. Gift received

Gift? Someone gave me a give; he tapped to check who, but it only showed an anonymous avatar. Then he remembered the man; he pulled me out of the pool, and he lit the green fires.

He tapped on the gift and it revealed a map and a green emerald spear. He checked the map first and wondered if it looked hand-drawn. It featured the pool of quicksand and looked like it was made to accommodate his little knowledge of the island. This is where I am, he looked up into the misty wood.

This is where I have to go; he took a closer look at the map, studying it diligently, and then he realized this led off this island.

He put the map back and stared at the green emerald spare. He left me a spare, don't take things from strangers, mummy said. If only she could see me now. She'd think I was a complete idiot, stuck in a stupid killer video game.

He tapped on the spare, and it manifested in his hand; he swung it around, testing it out. He stabbed the air a couple of times, and he felt the cold mist brush against him; he was hungry.

Why should I be hungry in a video game? "buncha idiot devs," he screamed, so if I eat something here, I will eat it in the real world, fools.

His stomach growled and he grabbed onto it. Maybe I could find some rabbits or something, I've got a spare, I can hunt. Where did the map say I should head to? I'm trusting a random NPC for direction; I feel sick. Maybe he was a player, too, but to leave like that without even saying hello is very suspicious.

Well, I better be going, Joji walked on. When does this end, I wonder? They can't have us playing till we're dead, can they? "Game food doesn't translate to real food?" he screamed into the mist. Then he growled in the distance.

He stopped in his tracks; that didn't sound like a raptor, he thought. He braced himself and continued walking forward, on high alert, and then a notification for mission status came.

He tapped his chest and he saw bold letters that read, MISSION STATUS: Make it off the island before the volcano erupts. "What! Volcano!" he felt the ground shake; he turned back and saw, looming in the distance, a smoking red-tipped volcano.

"This just keeps getting better and better," after this, I'm never playing a video game again, he thought as continued walking.

After a while he stumbled on a stream, his stomach growled but he didn't care for that now, he only wanted water to wet his throat, he wondered how they managed to replicate sensations so perfectly, he couldn't tell if he was really thirsty or he'd just be made to feel that way by the chip.

He squatted down by the side of the stream, and for the first time, he saw his avatar's face flickering in the slow-moving stream.

He knew his arms and general body size were different and his skin was a lot browner but he thought that was from the dust and the sun and he never thought his face would be different but it was it was squared and chiseled with scars and a deep frown, his eyes were black but they shone brightly, he face gave him the impression of a brute.

I'm an animal, he thought. He drank his water and walked through the stream. As he did, he saw something float back; it disappeared so quickly that he had his suspicion, but he had to be sure. His eyes lit up, fishes! he thought.

He wrapped his loincloth tighter around his legs, he stood in the middle of the stream and waited patiently.

He could hear him breathing amongst the calmness of the stream; he waited keenly, watching the stream, and then he saw it, the blue blur. Just as before, he thrust his spear and heard it strike the pebbles in the bed of the stream, water splashed everywhere, but he didn't get it.

Quickly, he saw another one coming, and he thrust again, splashing water everywhere, but getting wet was the only result he got; he growled under his breath and took his former position at the center of the stream.

The warmth of the sun heated the stream as it glided past his legs like fresh air. He couldn't help but feel calm and serene, but that serenity died instantly as he threw his spare again and again. He screamed, frustrated he had caught nothing.

"Why is this so hard?" His eyes moved left to right up and down, side to side, angle to angle. He saw one slide by before he could strike it; it was already far gone, and frustration turned to bitterness.

He realizes he needs to adjust his approach, "I've got to focus on one side; I've got to narrow it down." He took in a deep breath and exhaled. I know, he thought, smiling. Then he moved to the left side of the stream and stood there.

He focused all his attention on that left side, but nothing was coming; he saw from his peripheral as fishes swam past the far right and center; he was getting frustrated again; no, he thought, I'd gotta focus.

He watched the stream, calm as a leaf; he did not move; he kept his spear ready and his grip firm. His eyes pierced straight up ahead. There was no way he'd miss it. Then he saw it, a blue fish. He remained calm, waiting for his moment. It was close enough yet, but he kept his spear ready.

Everything got a lot slower; the fish got so slow to him, and he felt confident like never before; soon his target was in reach; he thrust the spear in, and there was a small splash of water as it struck the ground, then a stream of blood flowed.

He jumped in the air. "I did it!" Then he took the fish out of the stream placed it on the grass and went hunting for more

Notifications, new skill unlocked, hunter +3000