Author's note:

The first two Chapters are fairly short(around 700 words), the 3rd is about 1400, then from the fourth and on they generally range from 2-3k. When I create a book out of this the first two chapters will likely get more details on his thoughts but still follow the same events.

At the end in a spoiler is a city map I've added as of Nov 19th.

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Sunday, August 30, 2015

This afternoon, around 3pm, I was two blocks from Walmart when a sudden hammer of pain hit my brain and a blue transparent window popped up in front of my face.

Due to your actions you have gained a Skill.

The skill {Walking} (Novice, Passive) EXP: 1.4%, has been created.

The text floated between me and the footbridge I had been about to cross. I looked around in confusion and the text window following my eyes. The text was confusing not because I had never seen it before. It was confusing because I had only seen it in novels and manga before.

I knew the next step. That was to use the voice commands. Putting aside how shaky my grip on reality was I started to try out various commands while standing in the middle of the bike path.

The text started to fade away around that time.

A good twenty minutes was spent looking either insane, or busy with on a Bluetooth, while my head throbbed with a serious headache.

"Status", "Status Window", "Status Screen", "Menu", "Menu Window", "Menu Screen", "Skill Window", "Skill", "Skills", "Skill Menu", "Skill Tree", "Game Menu", "Inventory", "Identify", "Item box", "Window", "Title", "Map", "Self-Status Window", and any other command I could vaguely remember from games, novels, anime or manga.

Getting desperate I tried things like "Experience", "Level", "Quest", "Help". Okay, "Help" should have been near the start but I had a headache and wasn't thinking clearly.

Eventually the headache pushed me into going onwards to Walmart to pick up the bread and a couple other things so that I could get home and take some pain pills

The walk wasn't long but after a block I noticed that the headache was getting stronger and my body was feeling tired all over. By the time I was inside Walmart, and started to shop, the pain was severe enough to call for a cab instead of walking home.

Outside I only waited a few minutes but my old enemy the sun seemed especially painful if I didn't keep closing and resting my eyes.

The cab ride home was quiet ,but the pain didn't diminish. After paying the driver I then staggered inside, barely able to drag my legs. I vaguely remember letting the dog out from my office, throwing all the bags in the fridge without trying to sort out the non food stuff, grabbing 2 Advil gel caps and chewing them. Normally that's a punch in the back of my throat that I can barely take without gagging but I drank a bit of water and didn't notice. Collapsing on the bed I fell asleep fast despite the pain.

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Around 10pm, roughly 6 hours later, I woke up mostly pain free but still feeling tired. The dog was rolling around the bed, staring me down whenever I made eye contact, so I took her out.

With no real plan in mind I blocked her in the office again with her baby gate, locked the house, and went for a walk. I had the vague idea that walking might trigger a {Walking} window again but no real faith since it hadn't appeared during the rest of my walk earlier. I just needed some fresh air and junk food to think.

First stop was the corner store three blocks away for ice cream. Second stop was the Timmies five or six blocks for a frosted cinnamon roll. Okay, 2 frosted cinnamon rolls, but I liked sugar when I was in pain. The pain and tiredness were slowly building again but much slower earlier. I headed for home to try sleeping again.

A bit over a block from my place the second hammer of pain hit.

Through use of the skill {Walking} it has reached Beginner level.

{Walking} (Beginner, Passive) EXP: 0.9%.

I didn't have the mental capacity left to try out more commands before the window faded. Even though the second hammer blow was weaker than the first I was already hurting. I slowly dragged my ass the rest of the way home. Let the dog free, took some random pain pills, collapsed on top of my bed, and fell asleep instantly.

Spoiler :