The world spun. Garbled voices shouted in quiet concern and I could feel someone carrying me. Words that I did not understand were spoken, with two going over and over again, hushed and reverent.

  Then I'm id down in a soft bed that genuinely feels like heaven to my over strained arms and legs. It's no surprise that I'm asleep within minutes, but I'm annoyed to find that I don't dream and am instead awoken by someone shaking me awake. My hand whips up and grabs his wrist before I snarl with displeasure. I always hated being woken up.

  "Mah. Kurato ka ho."

  Wait. What? What the fuck did he just say? I've never heard that nguage in my life, and I can speak five of them. My face must've scrunched up in confusion because he looked over to a short, chubby woman and shook his head. "Iite ka. Mora... Shi va aka." He said to the admittedly cute girl.

  But since I have no sense of tact, I just cut in with, "Okay, what the fuck is going on?" Both people flinch at my words before sharing a look, and by now my usual crassness is giving way to genuine annoyance at being in the dark before the woman speaks up. "Ah, ahem. Sorry, We saw the Sapphire Star embedded into your forehead and assumed you spoke the Wyverian nguage."

  Wait. What?!

  Well now, with that distressing knowledge, I touch my forehead, and sure enough, there's a hard, cold four point star shape pressing out of my forehead. Oh, and touching it hurts. "Agh!" I yelp, grimacing in pain as a shock runs through my body. Half from my aching body being made to move so suddenly, but half from my entire body seizing from this shock.

  Please refrain from extricating the System seat from your cranium. Doing so would not be advisable."Great..." I say, gring balefully at the blue box taking up my vision. Well, I can't really do anything about it, partially because I'm exhausted still, but also, and more importantly, that the only thing I can do about it would probably kill me. I did not survive almost drowning just to kill myself. That would be stupid.

  "So. Where am I?" I start off, and the chubby girl scoots forward, and god alive her face is so cute when it lights up to expin. "You are aboard a ship within the Fifth Fleet, on an expedition to The New World. The Elder Dragon Crossing, which happens every ten years, is going now, and we were sent by The Commission to investigate."

  'Wait! Wait, slow down!' I screamed internally. 'Fifth fleet? New world?! What the fuck is an elder dragon?!' Of course, I couldn't just say that. Not when this girl, whom I'm noticing is dressed kinda weird if I'm being honest, is saying these weird things so earnestly! But before I could ask for more crification both my stomach, and this damned blue box alerted me to a more pressing issue.

  Attention, User!

  The System has used up dangerous levels of your bioenergy to save your life from drowning.

  Please intake nutrients and bioenergy as soon as possible!

  Time until Bioenergy runs out and bodily function ceases.: 02:01:09

  I blink a few times, trying to focus. My stomach growls louder in protest, the rumbling reminding me that I’m not exactly in a good spot. I gnce around the room, or more accurately, what I can see of it through my fuzzy vision.

  The space is cramped, though the bed I'm lying on is surprisingly soft, like something straight out of a luxury hotel. It smells faintly of saltwater and something herbal—probably the stuff they use to clean the ship. There’s the faint rocking beneath me, reminding me I'm somewhere on the water, and I’m fairly certain I’m not dead, which is… well, an improvement.

  The girl looks at me expectantly, her wide eyes still sparkling with that weird mixture of excitement and curiosity. I could almost believe she’s one of those overly-enthusiastic interns you see in documentaries. She’s got that vibe. It's cute.

  "So... we're on a ship. Fifth Fleet. New World. Elder Dragon Crossing." I repeat back slowly, still trying to wrap my head around the words. "But what does any of that actually mean?"

  She tilts her head slightly, as if considering how best to expin it to me. "It’s a bit complicated, but okay, um..." She takes a breath. "The New World is, well, a new continent, discovered not too long ago. The Commission—uh, the organization we work for—sends expeditions to gather information, resources, and—"

  "Wait, wait." I cut her off, eyeing her with a mix of incredulity and impatience. "Hold on. A new continent? Are we talking about an undiscovered ndmass? Like, a whole new nd no one knew about until now?"

  "Yup! Pretty much!" Her enthusiasm’s actually kind of contagious, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing right now. "But we’re mainly focused on finding out about the Elder Dragons. They’re—" She hesitates before she catches herself, then quickly adds, "—dragons. Huge, dangerous creatures. People think they’re linked to the nd’s ecosystems, or at least, that’s part of what we’re studying. The st Crossing happened ten years ago. How do you not know about Elder Dragons...?"

  I blink, trying to process all of this. New continent. Dragons. Elder Dragons. Suddenly, my situation doesn’t seem as simple as I thought it was. I have no clue what’s going on, and this girl seems so comfortable talking about it like its second nature.

  I open my mouth to ask more questions, but then, a thought hits me: food. My stomach growls again—louder this time, definitely angry.

  The girl looks down at my stomach, her cheeks flushing a bit, before she ughs nervously. "Uh, right. Sorry! You must be starving. Um..." She looks around, then points toward the door. "I can get you something to eat. We have rations on the ship, and—"

  Before she can finish, the blue box fshes again, cutting her off.

  Attention, User!

  The System has detected a critical bioenergy shortage. Immediate sustenance required for survival.

  Bioenergy levels: dangerously low.

  Time remaining until bodily function ceases: 01:45:30

  I scowl at the damn blue box. Seriously, of all the times to pop up. This thing doesn’t have any tact, does it?

  "Rations sound great," I mutter under my breath, eyeing the box and the girl at the same time. "Yeah, let's get on that whole food thing."

  For a moment, her gaze shifts to me, like she's gauging whether or not I’m completely nuts. She hesitates, then turns toward the door. "I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay? Oh, I'm I?a, By the way!"

  I barely nod, my attention already drifting back to the blue box. I can't decide if I should be mad or scared, but right now I’m mostly just exhausted. This whole situation is too much.

  As the girl walks out, I lie back down, clutching my stomach, but mostly just feeling like I’m about to pass out again. God, if only they gave me a second to adjust to this insanity, but no. I’ve got a dragon-themed expedition, a mysterious mark on my forehead, and now—food, because without that, it looks like I’m not long for this world.