Defiance of the Fall

He stood up , eyes fixed at his surroundings , waiting for something to happen . Maybe a medieval town would sprout up around him? At least some rudimentary battlements? He was hunkered down with axe at the ready , ready to flee at a moment’s notice . But the only thing greeting him was the vision of a lush forest , and the sounds of birds and insects .

Confused , Zac sighed was getting ready to try some different commands to create his outpost when a voice suddenly appeared from behind him .

What are you doing? -

Chapter 8 - Abby the Eye

What are you doing? - a pleasant , decidedly female voice sounded from right behind him .

Zac , whose nerves already were frayed from the past days’ events shrieked in a higher than desirable octave and jumped forward away from the sound before registering the words . Somewhat embarrassed he turned around while stuttering - Sorry about tha . . - before once more shrieking and falling back after seeing the stranger . His fight-or-flight instincts also failed spectacularly , as he dropped the axe while falling .

What had entered his sight was not a beautiful female , as the voice had indicated . His dream of at least having a pretty girl to share this harrowing experience with died out as fast as it had flashed to life . In front of him was a floating eye , larger than his torso .

At least he assumed it was an eye . It looked as though a part of the cosmos had been taken and put into an eyeball . The pupil was a black hole , seemingly sucking Zac’s soul in as he was looking at it . The monster had no iris , but rather a slowly rotating cosmic cloud , looking like it was slowly being absorbed into the pupil in the middle .

The sclera was not white as with a human , but a black studded with shining lights . It looked like the stars in the night sky . Surrounding the eye was a purplish-tinted skin and eyelid . It however had no mouth , making Zac confused how it could make any sounds .

It was beautiful and harrowing at once , and certainly not what Zac expected after hearing the pleasant voice .

Rude . - the eye muttered . - I am lucky enough to get an assignment at a newly initiated world , and I get to work with this rube . By the way , you smell . -

Zac was still sputtering , unable to fully register what was going on . Unsure of whether to run , get the axe , or bow down to his new ocular overlord he compromised by simply staring dumbly with mouth ajar at the eye .

Oh well . It makes sense that there were no Stargazers on your planet before the initiation , human . We usually only appear where the system sends us . My real name is a bit tricky for you to say with vocal cords but sounds something like Veth-Abarak . I am here to assist you in your endeavors regarding your outpost . You are welcome . - the eye continued , somehow making a haughty expression with only the help of an eyelid . - I am sure you have some questions , though the tutorial should have explained most of what you can do . -

Um . . . Hello , my name is Zac . . . Err , Zachary Atwood . What do you mean assist me? And how are you talking without a mouth? - Zac responded , still having some problem adjusting to the situation . The eye , or Stargazer as it called itself , gave a long-suffering sigh , already seeming to have labeled Zac as a mental invalid .

Did you not listen to the Pixies during the tutorial? I am the assistant assigned to you when you assigned this… Trailer? Why did you choose a trailer? Anyway , when you chose this trailer to be your outpost when assaulting the Incursion . I will help with answers regarding the choices you make , to get the ball rolling so to say . As for how I talk , magic of course . - The Stargazer answered , a flash of what looked like cosmic mist grandly surrounding herself to accentuate her powers .

What choices? And no I didn’t listen to any Pixies or fairies because the stupid system never sent me to any tutorial . It left me in this crazy demon forest 3 days ago while it teleported my friends away . - Zac responded , starting to feel a bit peeved by being looked down on by a floating eyeball .

Oh , you didn’t go to the tutorial . I guess tha… THREE DAYS? This world was initiated only three days ago? Don’t you mean months? - The Stargazer started shaking , the pupil shrinking to a . . . well , not needlepoint , but from a basketball to a baseball in size . - Stop joking with me , how would you be able to create an outpost only after three days , even if you skipped the month-long tutorial? - Veth-Abarak shook and hovered closer to Zac’s face , the grand mist surrounding it disappearing .

Zac , who had somehow starting to get acclimatized to talking to this odd being , sighed and briefly explained his experience starting when the world turned dark . The eyeball seemed harmless enough and appeared to be on his side . Furthermore , he really needed someone to talk to , both to unload and to make sense of the situation .