Everything was pitch black. I couldn't hear anything either. It was just nothingness. Mind-numbing nothingness. Was this what a person in a coma experienced? Nothingness. The last thing I remembered was getting shot before everything went black. Is this the afterlife? Limbo perhaps? Whatever it was I didn't like it. I'm not sure how long exactly I've been in here. It's felt like days but for all, I knew it could have only been hours.

There wasn't any way to tell time other than counting to myself and I sure as hell wasn't desperate enough to start counting endlessly. Soon maybe. Just not yet. Thankfully a voice broke the silence like a ray of light through a hurricane.

[Congratulations Joe you have died.]

…..

I take back all of my gratitude. Death is not something you congratulate someone on!

[You have been reincarnated into a suitable host body selected by the system in the world of Lorif. Every decision from now shall affect your odds of survival. As a bonus, you have been rewarded one skill point and one mutation point to use as you see fit. Due to your current host's senses you have also been provided several default choices to use.]

Whassat? Points? What is this an RPG game!? If it weren't for the fact that I can't hear or see anything and have already been shot five times I'd think that you were playing some type of cruel prank on me. So, I'm dead this mysterious disembodied voice says. Yeah, disembodied voices should always be trusted!

NOT! What the hell is going on damn it!? Why can't I see or hear anything!? All that answered my furious demands for answers was silence. So much for that approach. Let's think about this logically. This voice thingy said something about a system a new world and points. Sounds like a system novel to me. So, I suppose the approach I should go with is opening my stat menu. Oh, cruel disembodied voice open my stat menu!

[ Name: Joe

Level: 1

XP: 00/10

Species: Monster cave rose

Intelligence (An accumulation of your knowledge): 25

Will (A measure of one's own grit and mental strength): 15

Strength (This measures your level of physical strength): 10

Toughness (Measures your ability to absorb damage): 6

Agility (These stat measures one's ability to react to things and speed): 5

Perception (This measures how well one can perceive threats in their surroundings and aim): 0

Endurance (Measures how much stamina and pain one can handle): 15

Charisma (A measure of how well you can manipulate others through dialog): 7

HP (A measure of your own health): 15/15

MP (A measure of one's mana capacity): 5/5]

…..

What the hell. That actually worked? Wow. Just wow. But what the hell is up with this!? Why am I a monster when I was a human!? And a rose no less! A flower! And the only high stats are is intelligence and will power! Not to mention one of my stats are a straight-up zero. Fine. I can deal with these low stats using the points to get some good stuff. Hey Alfred. Mind if I call you Alfred? I'll just call you Alfred. Alfred pull up the skill points and mutation points.

[Current skills: Universal plant language (Common) level 1; Thorny defense (Common) level 1; Photosynthesis (Common) level 1

Available skills: Basic mana sense (Uncommon); Drowsy pollen (Common); Tunnel compass (Common)

Current mutable biology: Petals (Default) level 1; Stem (Default)Thorns (Default) level 1; Roots (Default) level 1; leaf (Default) level 1; thorny teeth (Default) level 1

Available mutations: Enhanced root strength (Common); Toxic thorns (Common weak)]

Well, that's handy. Looks like Alfred gave me an uncommon skill to purchase. Well, my inner gamer tells me to get the uncommon skill! However, there is still the mutations to choose from… Think Joe. Thorns with a toxin even if weak would be immensely useful in defending yourself but why would it have a choice like enhanced root strength.

Perhaps I can use my roots to walk? Maybe? Mind as well purchase it on the off chance that is how it works. Give me mana sense and enhanced root strength Alfred! Gaah! Why the heck does it burn!?

As soon as I said that though an intense burning pain rose up from the lower part of my body. But blessedly the pain faded away within a few seconds of it beginning. Alfred why did that hurt so much!? Explain it to me! Do you really hate me so!?!

Alfred the system, however, remained silent refusing to answer my questions. I see how it is. Whatever for now let's use this mana sense skill! WOAH!!

With the pain taking place in what I assumed was my roots I didn't notice the change in my surroundings. I was now able to "see" the vague outlines of my surroundings. It was a bit blurry, but it looked as if I was inside some sort of cave. Now, why would a delightful monster rose be in a cave I wonder? Perhaps I'm in a dungeon of some sort. Or I'm some sort of cave rose. I suppose it doesn't matter What does matter however is taking stock of my surroundings.

Looking around it seemed I wasn't the only flower as there were several dozen other roses with red petals surrounding me with their roots buried into the cave floor. Most of them had green stems and thorns but a few had thorns with light red tips. My guess is that those guys probably have the toxic thorn mutation. It did say it was a common mutation after all. That wasn't all though as there were dim green clumps of light on the walls and ceilings of the cave tunnel illuminating the place with a dim green glow.

A munching sound attracted my attention. With this mana sense, I was able to "see" in every direction at the same time making it rather convenient. However, what I saw would have made me break out into a cold sweat if I was able to sweat. There was a colossal beast that resembled a bison with four large menacing horns sticking out from around its head. I must have only gone up to its knee with how large it was. And most terrifying of all was that the monster was eating the other roses. The thorns that the roses wielded seemed to do nothing to discourage the creature and even those that had toxic thorns were munched down effortlessly without succeeding in harming it even the smallest amounts.

All at once a flood of pheromones bombarded me practically screaming one thing. Danger. Most of the roses could only tremble as they waited their turn to be devoured by the bison like beast. However, a few were tugging their roots out from the ground and beginning to drag themselves away from the beast to escape doom. Wait don't I have an enhanced root strength mutation? I must seize this chance to escape while I still can!

I began to tense my roots and pull laboring to pull them out of the firm grasp the stone and dirt below me had. All the while the rose eating monster got closer at an agonizingly slow pace taking its time in eating the hapless roses. The roses who were being ground down into easily digestible mush screamed through the pheromones they released only heightening my fear and frustration. Then with one last mighty tug, my roots tore free from the dirt sending my body careening over onto its side.

I was free at last! Now that I was able to see my roots, I could tell that they weren't very impressive being rather thin and scraggly. Not something you'd think of when I have a mutation named enhanced root strength, but roots were never meant to be used as limbs in the first place. Using my roots, I clawed at the dirt dragging myself along the ground towards the opposite direction that the walking death machine came from. The monster was only a few flowers away from me and I had a clear look into the inside of its mouth and the beast's teeth grinding the monster plants into a green paste.

It was horrifying.

The other roses, however, were broadcasting a new message other than the danger and pained death screams. Help. They were begging for help as I crawled away like a coward. Steeling my heart, I ignored them as I continued to flee. They were just flowers I told myself. Not actual people. They couldn't feel pain. But the screams of the roses who were devoured alive said otherwise. After several minutes of dragging myself down the tunnel, I finally stopped to rest. Strangely enough, my roots were aching from overexertion. Looks like even as a flower I'll be dealing with pain.

But that was too close. The powerlessness I felt when that monster was gorging itself on the other roses and making its way towards me. If I had even been five seconds slower in getting free and I would have been chewed up and consumed like the rest of the flowers. That was even more terrifying than having a gun pointed at you. At least with the gun, you wouldn't be grounded down and eaten alive. The impending doom made my blood run cold. Err well my plant juices.

But now I needed to find a way to hide in a safe place, so I don't get eaten while I rest. Do plants actually sleep in the first place? I guess I'll find out soon anyways. After a bit of searching, I decided on burying my roots into the side of a wall two or so at a time before hauling myself up and burying another set into the cave wall and removed the previous ones and repeated. With this method of climbing, I managed to make it to the ceiling albeit with some difficulty.

Now I should be out of reach of animals like that bison like thing. Actually, why the heck would something like that even be in a cave system? I could understand if it was something like rats or centipedes but bison monsters? Now that's just unusual. There are a lot of unusual things in my current situation though. I'm a frickin rose that walks around on its roots for crying out loud. That alone is crazy. Now I need to figure out what to do for food. I'm a plant so you'd think I'd just require sunlight and I even have a photosynthesis skill, but I spotted a thorny teeth mutation in my biology.

If I have teeth that must mean I eat stuff like an animal would, right? Problem is I don't know what I could actually eat. I'm just a rose who's only means of attack was thorns, teeth (that I have yet to locate), and roots if I had to resort to slapping my enemies with them. Not that it would be of much use. So, my options were fairly limited. Not to mention the only things I've seen so far was the giant monster that I couldn't ever hope to kill that. And I wasn't that inclined to kill the roses since I am able to hear their screams of pain when they're harmed.

I'm not that cruel. But there were other roses and I'm hoping that our kind isn't bottom of the food chain since we can eat stuff. So, for now, I'll just wait up here on top of the ceiling for something weak enough that I can probably kill. Once something like that comes along, I'll decide what to do then.

I miss my phone already...