"Do not fret otherworlder, I'm here now." The voice was warm and kind and most especially…
"You" he uttered, squinting his eyes from the overly bright pink light. Although her voice was much clearer and louder now, Mark couldn't mistake the voice, it was the pestering voice that stormed his mind whenever.
"Me" She responded.
From the pink light came a young girl draped in a bright dress of pink wearing a large smile. Striped stockings of white and a darker pink hid her legs, and on her feet were glass shoes, she held a wand that was crowned with a large glittering star at its top.
Her hair was a luscious pink tied into two ponytails, and her large beautiful pink eyes pulled Mark towards her.
"Be not afraid, I'm Staria, goddess of this world you inhabit. I've called you to this world with the help of a friend, you are… let's say an experiment for a powerful new magic."
There was a much needed pause following her statement, Mark simply looked at her in consternation, then he snapped out of it.
"Experiment? Experiment?! You ruined my life because of an experiment?!" Mark yelled, he was beginning to boil.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, your life is far from ruined, you have my blessings which puts you, or rather should put you ahead of most of my creations. You should be grateful."
"Oh thank you!" Mark yelled in a sarcastic tone.
"That's more like it." She crossed her arms taking a smug look.
"Why are you here? Have you come to save me?"
"Hmmm… You do look to be in trouble, should I save you? I think not. Your life is in your hands, whatever you do is in observation, I don't want to tamper with that. I can however increase your chances of survival, it's why I've shown myself. It's time to complete the spell."
"Complete what spell."
"This." She waved her wand and sent sparkling grains at Mark. They encompassed him and shone even brighter.
"See, painless."
[System has been updated, you've gained larger access to the system]
[Do you want to see what's new?]
[Yes/No]
These messages stormed into Mark's mind.
"Ohh, I shouldn't forget." The goddess spoke and she waved her wand once again sending sparkling dust at Mark.
[You've received titles].
[You've an ability from a title]
[You've received +10 stamina from a title]
"That's all for now, you won't see me for a while. Don't you die, you have what it takes to survive." A pink rift in space suddenly appeared behind her and an invisible force pulled her into it as she spoke, then disappeared.
The light disappeared, and Mark was alone once again.
"Wait, aren't you going to set me free?"
"Apparently not." He turned to the stick just some centimeters away from his hand.
'If I can just reach it.' he stretched and pushed forward his arm with all his might, the goddess's words strangely had encouraged him and his lingering exhaustion had disappeared.
'Just a little, just a little.' His right arm slid past the ropes that bound it and he got a hold of the stick. Now it was the stick's turn.
He bent it and the sharp end tore through the ropes that held it and tore further as he bent it.
Soon, the stick was free. It was a struggle, but Mark found his way, forcing the stick through the ropes one at a time, until one side of him was free, he had almost fallen too.
His right side, the free one ropes had torn away and lost most of its hold on Mark's body. His body was starting to get pulled away from the other ropes as well, his arm had begun sliding past the net as gravity slowly worked its way with him.
SNAP SNAP SNAP
More ropes came apart at the strikes of Mark's trusty stick.
He then tore the ones binding his front in a swoop and immediately, he fell, or rather he would have if not for the ropes still tight on his left arm.
"Ouu" he cringed from the pain his arm received as the ropes wrung his arm.
He then swung the stick again, and snap. The ropes came undone and he fell.
THUMP
He landed well on his feet, his knees pointed forward absorbing the shock. He looked up to the torn net and its dangling ropes.
'Glad that's over.'
He then ran forward not wanting to spend even the smallest fraction of time there lest the person or persons who had set the trap come forward.
He went past the rows of trees, past the bushes, running and running as his strength would let him. And speaking of strength, Mark's hunger and weariness had left him, his feet hurt no more, evident as he stomped the ground without so much as cringing in pain.
Then he stopped, he found solace at a tree again, there was no end to them.
He leaned on it with his right hand pressing it as he breathed heavily.
It was scary, and Mark was right to be scared. Two days ago and he wouldn't have imagined that he would be hoisted up in the middle of a forest crawling with dangerous beasts, that was a thing to indulge on when he played survival games, but now, he was living that life, and he had been close to losing it.
He turned and leaned his back on the tree still standing. He thought of the child goddess, her bright colors and her magic.
It was surreal, his condition had made her appearance less spectacular but now that he was free and thinking back at it, he was amazed.
"A goddess, and I'm like a chosen one?" He shook his head and gritted his teeth.
"Why do I care about that?! That pompous pink dick with more glitter than a Barbie themed party. She should go to hell!" He yelled, letting out an ounce of his frustration.
He then remembered, "Updates to the system."
He read the messages still hanging in the background of his mind.
"Yes," he said.