It has been… I think three months since I woke up here. Most of this time was uneventful to say the least. But I have learned something, so here goes remembering all of it.
The creatures I live with now call themselves Krumar. They have their own language which I can now sort-of understand and speak. They do not have vocal chords, so most of their speech is breathing noises and the clacking of claws. Speaking of claws, it’s a reason for why crossbows seem to be so appreciated in their society. A melee weapon is redundant when you have sharp claws. But a crossbow can kill targets from afar, which is much more useful when your enemies are there specifically to take advantage of your weak points. Right, the enemies. Sounds like some sort of game, doesn’t it? It basically is. The Goddess… right, the Goddess. She’s some sort of all-powerful entity outside our comprehension… but some have seen her… in their dreams? She uses a… typewriter? And decides everything. She sends down challenging monsters, as a trial and a reward. The trial is defeating them in battle, which is the Association’s job. The Association is a guild of fighters under the Church, the Church notifies them of incoming monsters, and the Association deals with them. The reward is the flesh and blood of these monsters. They’re divine, so the blood makes crops plentiful, and the flesh never rots, while keeping the Dome fed for years. The Dome is a city under a… dome. Made out of glass. It’s pretty much where everyone lives.
The Church is a… theocratic government. They don’t so much govern as they are concerned about the Goddess being happy with us. The head of the Church is the High Priestess, but really, she just speaks to the Goddess. Yeah, right, as if any- I guess she just does. No, I do- Stop interrupting my thoughts! Where was I? Right. The priests have some sort of magic powers? They go out with the Rangers on missions as support, using spells to hurt and heal.
There also seems to be some kind of advanced technology. Powered by literal magic and the divine blood of slain monsters, Krumar utilize computers left behind by humans to study what us humans did in our time. They also create augmentation to transcend boundaries of what’s possible by normal magical means. The thing they implanted in me is called a “Recreation Protector” which powers itself off the energy it absorbs, forming a shield around me that absorbs… Recreation energy? It seems to be their name for ionizing radiation, which they believe to have recreated the world, killing most humans in the process. The little devices on them simulate vocal chords, so that they can speak what they call Humanese, effectively letting them communicate with me.
Me. They needed a name for me, so that they can be sure they’re talking about the same person, since just calling me Human would cause confusion if any other human were to be found. So they called me Slate. As in, a blank slate. Considering my lack of memories and… anything to identify me by… it fits. I’ve joined the Association. Sometimes they explore outside the dome for humans, and for that, they learn Humanese at a high level. Having the ability to yell also helps in fights. For me, it lets me communicate with them better. I hope to find my purpose in this, since there’s really nothing else for me here.
With this knowledge in mind, a suit of light armor, a knife (since I’m a human), and a crossbow, my journey begins. I step outside the dome with two Krumar rangers on my first expedition, my eyes focused on the unknown ahead...