《The Epitome of Adventure》 Prologue The arcane energies of the universe folded upon themselves. To a being that''s very existence was unheard of, such a sight was just another swirling dance of chaos, no different than any other configuration. It was a pattern of no pattern, one that occurred every so often a period of unfathomable time passes. Yes, it was a confluence of perfect happenstance. Perfect impossibility. A real possibility of things lining up, no more likely than any passing day, yet perfect for a story. It was, plainly, improbable. And yet it was all the same. To a smaller being, one perhaps the size of a mere galaxy, it was the epitome of beauty. It was in this fold of the universe, this tiny portion of something so vast its tiniest piece was considered infinite, that there was a certain... permeation. A passing between folds, between universes. One that was only ever allowed when the shape of the universe, the energies, and everything it constituted was just so. A form that matched the shape and fold of another such universe in the exact same happenstance. Here, in this relatively infinitesimally small fragment of existence, life bloomed. Or rather, rebloomed. As was the nature of the phenomenon known as rebirth. He was a rather normal individual. There was truly nothing else to say. But that was in the case as seen from powers so high and mighty that those lower seem no different from the rest. If one were to shift their perspective, close in on the existence of the being, they''d find something passingly amusing. To zoom in upon the infinite and infinite number of times and one would only barely grasp the nature of his insignificance. And yet, it was true that therewas something amusing. At least, to anyone or anything or any entity that bothered to dedicate any small portion of their vast mind to pay attention. In his world, things were fought and won with blood and limb. War was natural, a way of living. In fact, the world was such a factory of souls that two from his world were sent to rebirth, escaping the stream of spirits that funneled them back into their universe''s existence and launching into the fold of the universe in such a trajectory and velocity to enter another. The probability one such soul made it through was already so small that two was simply absurd, even given the general absurdity of chance that has already been observed. It was, simply, unimaginable, but, following the scheme of things, true yet again. However, unsurprisingly... the other soul died. Pulled apart in the rush of energies the friction of two universes naturally produced. What was left but nothing but threads, dissipating wisps of energies as if sugar to water. And so we return to the topic of the first soul, an interesting person. In the grand scheme of things, truly he was normal. Insignificant. He did little to stand out from the many. And yet, what was so amusing of him was the fact that in his small realm of insignificance he did indeed achieve... significance. He was something of a character. An explorer, one that might even have the audacity to claim the quintessence of the word. Through and through, he was one who looked to the unknown, stared at it, and decided time and time again that he would be the first to step forward. That was the soul present. It was written in his energies, his signature. It was him. An adventurer through and through. He was never more and never less. But, that was the thing about rebirth, there was always room for more. Whatever form he held in life, rather, his previous existence, he did not hold now. Here he was incorporeal, nothing but the essence of the man holding the makeup of his being together. Nothing but that central identity distinguishing himself from the swirling maelstrom of color around him. Even now his incorporeal form seemed to glow with desire, staring at the unknown. It was doubtful that his eyes ever left the colors. But perhaps that was the beauty of him, the fact that his very thirst for adventure, his desire for the unknown, was what was keeping those very same energies from pulling him apart. And he was being offered the chance to be reborn, in another universe no less. "Do you seek the colors of chaos, mortal?" A voice boomed. It was a figure. One as shifting and malleable as the energies without. The calmness of its form was the only thing that kept it apart.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The adventurer stared upwards, eyes open wide and unrelenting as if they dared to drink in the very powers they attempted to see. "I have always sought the unknown. I know it." His voice a whisper, of awe and surety. The exact scale of the figure was unknown. When it moved it was as if a solar system shifted, conversely it could very well have been the size of a puff of gas. The multicolored incandescent form did just that, it moved, adjusted. It was not clear what emotion this conveyed, only that it seemed to regard the roiling energies of the universe. "You have been chosen for rebirth, mortal." It said, both quiet and loud. Both of which were oddities in the absence of a medium for which words could travel. "Do you remember who you are?" "No." The answer came back fast, yet the eyes of the soul were less deceiving. "Though I know who I am. The unknown calls to me." The eyes of the adventurer glittered gold. "Powerful is a soul who remembers their past." The larger being responded. There was a sense that whatever constituted the being''s attention had for the briefest moment alighted upon the adventurer. "Great is the one that knows who it is." Whether the word powerful or great held any meaning beyond their general conceptions did not seem to matter to either entity. The adventurer took this compliment in stride. It was doubtful his mind ever paused at the notion that some being both unfathomable and greater than he had complimented his small existence. For the soul was fixated, fixated on the unknown whirling colors around him. And a word. Rebirth. "You radiate with it, mortal." The being remarked with idle power. If it was not certain previously, it was undeniable now that the adventurer had garnered the being''s attention. "With what, friend?" The being chortled, sending multicolored waves rebounding across its volume. "Friend? Odd you would claim me as so." The waves calmed but remained brighter, vivid. "You radiate with purpose. Desire. Not many can say such for themselves." In the sea of chaos and color, of volatility and power, the bright calm vividness had caught the adventurer''s eye. It was an eye that knew the peculiar, knew what was different, what was unknown. To the multicolored being''s genuine surprise, one such feeling it had not experienced in eons, the mortal adventurer had managed to gaze directly into what passed for its eyes. The adventurer did not remove his gaze as he responded. "It is what makes me happy." The being expected more, yet there was none. The being shifted itself but the soul''s gaze never left whatever portion of the being''s body had managed to attract its eye. The reasoning was pure. Again, not many could truthfully say something along the same lines. But perhaps most surprising was the fact that it was so simple. The multicolored entity couldn''t fathom the last time it was ever motivated by such base desires. "How?" "How?" The soul asked, possibly affronted. "How does the mystery of the unknown not excite the heart? How does the unknown danger and gamble for life ever tire? The chance to witness or behold something not a single other person has ever laid eyes upon? To witness beauty unmatched and wonders untold? To hold secrets enough to fell entire kingdoms?" The mortal paused, finding the same spot in the multicolored cloud of incandescent gas for his eye to rest. "How could I ever live knowing beauty like this existed out there, only waiting for a witness daring enough?" There was a hum ofrealpower, but to the entity, it was nothing but a grumble of deep thought. Unbeknownst to the adventurer, the larger entity gazed into his golden irises. It was implausible that the adventurer could know he stared right at the being to which he spoke to. A moment passed an eternity for both present. One lost in the stream of thoughts that came like a river, the type of thoughts that broke dams and flooded worlds, the kind that came with advanced age and wisdom. The other, simply admiring the sea of chaos for what it was, unpredictability. Both content. "Amusing." The gas cloud entity remarked simply. As if every question it had was answered in just that. "It is, isn''t it?" The adventurer agreed blissfully unaware of the subject. So entranced was he. The gaseous being expanded as if taking a breath or perhaps just stretching. The process of rebirth was a taxing one, but those that oversaw such things usually reaped many benefits. The universe tended to reward those who helped lost souls. It was just simply the way of things. During a conflux of universes like this, many beings flocked towards the loose souls spilling between the folds. Some intended worse things than dissipating in the seas of chaos, others actively helped these souls for little benefit to them other than amusement. The being in question was of the largest majority, the ones who simply guided them to their intended place in the universe. "Are you ready, mortal? To be reborn?" The gaseous entity spoke up. "A new experience is one always welcome, friend." The adventurer''s golden eyes were glittering. Again the being chortled in rare good humor. "Friend then." He said once calm. "Good luck, mortal. Perhaps one day we will meet on different terms." Chapter 1 - The Island Feet brushed against soft white sand. The movement set fine sand swirling as if whirlpools could form on land. The feet paused, turned after a moment, and admired. The sight was something from fantasy, beyond just the sand in front of them. Clear blue waters that swam with fish. Tall trees sprouted from the very ocean floor, piercing the water like the sky, to match the height of those on land. As if the very thought of being outdone was ludicrous. Colorful sealife swarmed the shaded areas produced by the wonderful trees. A hollow crack against rock shot loudly out across the water. Some of the fish closer to the surface flinched but then relaxed near immediately. The sound was one often heard in the last few days. It would come and go. Tearing in half the weakened hard-shelled fruit the owner of the feet was rewarded with its watery contents. Milky thin water ran down a chin, torso, and finally feet. The fruits were always saturated with water, they lacked any other taste save for the delicate presence of milk. Satisfaction. An arm came down from serving a mouth, a jaw soaked in water. The hard-shelled fruit was drained, thrown to the sand for miniature creatures with pincers to scavenge. They emerged from the sand in small droves, always avoiding the feet, but arriving at the empty shell nonetheless. The shell was pulled under the sand in seconds, no trace left behind. The man smiled, his feet enjoying the sand. Golden irises soaked up the sights like sand did water. It couldn''t have been said if the man saw the view as it was or something more. The smile on his face was large and unapologetic. And genuine, if only for the fact no one save himself was present. The man had learned to smile when he felt like it. In fact, it was one of the first things he learned. He did not know how he arrived at this island. He did not know where he came from. He did not even know his name. He did not know many things. And, perhaps, for him, that was the most exciting part. Because, even if he did not know the word, he was an explorer, through and through. An adventurer. Aside from smiling, there was this too.
Skill: [Survival 5] (Common) The ability to adapt to your environment and persevere through the worst of it. The habit to flourish when the very land works against you. The propensity to find food, water, and shelter, in the most unforgiving of surroundings. The determination to struggle against the very things asking you to die. Effects: 5% increase in sustenance from food and water
He was sure that it had been [Survival 4] not too long ago. Some part of his being inexplicably accepted this information as part of him. Because of that, the man accepted it too. He would now enjoy that 5% increase in sustenance. He did not question the fact because the man only cared for the unknown. This? This he knew within his soul. So instead, the man wondered at perhaps the possibility of otherSkills.What did catch his eye was theCommon tag, he wondered briefly at that but found no information forthcoming. Only a single day had passed. In that time, the man had figured out the hard-shelled fruits to be a form of both food and water. If he did not have that, he would have been in much more dire straits. He realized this, but luckily for him the trees that bore the fruits littered the perimeter of the entire island. It was a fact that he knew because he had just verified the information. It had taken him the better part of yesterday and most of the morning. He turned his sights to the center of the island. He smiled, as he did, wide and unashamed. Then he began his trek. The tropical fronds did little to bother him, they brushed past both chest and arms but his hands kept most out of his face. Eventually, the sound of rich soil crunched under his feet. His eyes were simultaneously wide with delight and narrow with caution. Despite his tendency towards awe and child-like glee, he was no fool. He was cautious. He stuck to the thicker brush, moving in the shadows when he could. Life teemed here, but he would truly be the fool if he thought nothing hunted it. Trees became thicker, more forest than tropic until he couldn''t even reach around one trunk and touch his hands. Smooth tropical wood became rough bark. The man frowned when he supported himself on one such tree, feeling the difference before seeing it. Smaller bushes and brush made way for semi-large rock formations. Crags, jagged and sharp in places, smooth and cold on the opposite. He''d be careful not to cut himself on them as he moved passed them. He chose a path through them making sure to keep away from the bright fungus he had spotted between them. Carefully he made his way around, finding a way up the crag on its other, smoother side. There, elevated, he could admire the walk he had made. It was so long in distance than it was in mind. He sighed in content, smiling as he took in the view he was confident only he had ever seen. But the unknown lay ahead. He passed by small watering holes. Only taking drinks when he noticed small mammals doing the same before climbing up into the trees above. Other watering holes were void of any animals. Beside them, the bright fungus which he had opted to avoid on sight alone. Rushing water sounded ahead and the man paused, tilting his head at the out-of-place noise. His frown turned into a smile as he broke through the fronds and brush barring the clearing. It was a beautiful screen of water, flowing from a small cliff. He realized he had been walking uphill. He was thirsty. His golden irises scanned for something, finding it in the small animals opposite him drinking hastily from the pool. He opened his mouth eagerly as mist from the falls poured over him. He relaxed with another content smile. His thirst somewhat abated, he approached the pool languidly allowing his tiredness to show. He idly noticed the small animals scurry away, splashing water away at their hindlegs propelled them away. His hands cupped the water, bringing it to his mouth in glorious gulps. A swirl in the pool caught his attention. The sound of rushing water was a constant but too so should''ve been the sound of the birds above. Another swirl. Were the animals running away from him or something else? Quickly, he scrambled away. Nothing came for him, but the second his mind had even entertained the idea was the moment he needed to move. Something was in the pool. His gut told him so. On his backside, he slowly reached for a small pebble, tossing it into the pool. It arced perfectly, landing exactly where he had seen the previous swirl of water. Nothing happened. Then like a tidal wave, a bulge formed in the water from below, before a massive beast erupted from the surface. For a moment, all he saw was the initial emergence of the beast frozen in time surrounded by displaced water droplets. His eyes widened to saucers. And then time resumed and the water assaulted his face in more volume than mist ever could. He scrabbled backward, bare feet and hands pushing off smooth pebbles in a cacophony of desperation. He managed to turn himself around and get his legs pumping. Two glances. One to the trees. One between them. He felt the beast behind him, matching his every step. It was as if the beast was pushing back on his every step with the weight it brought to bear behind him. He dived through the trees in an explosion of splinters and bark, some wetly sticking to his face. Soil stuck to him, wet and clumped. The sound of sloshing water was still fresh, so laden with liquid was the beast. Water sloughed off the creature in such volume that it created a small pond with him in the middle. It had crashed right between two trees, roaring violence. The man wasted no time, he ran away, moving uphill and weaving between as many trees as possible. He took care to watch for any bright mushrooms, knowing them to be poisonous. Unknowingly, or unconsciously he had run straight up and around the small cliff. He found a large stream and realized it fell straight off a cliff. The waterfall. He was at the waterfall. Breathing easier, aware of the lack of pursuing earthquake, he peered over the edge of the moist cliff, careful he was secure less he fall off the edge.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The beast was shaking its head, disoriented. It had pried itself from between the trees and only now was it clear that the thing had a plate of natural armor across its face. Rigid and jagged, its body was nearly serpentine, sleek. Yet its mass was large. In short, it looked very dangerous, a far cry from any of the innocent animals encountered so far. It roared with such volume that the entirety of the forest quieted, even muffling the crashing sound of the waterfall. The man frowned, observing the unknown beast. His eyes were burning with interest, it was exactly the type of thing he lived for. The mysterious and unknown. His heart hammered, both with exertion and fading adrenaline. Eventually, the creature descended back into the pool, the birds started chirping once more, the smaller animals timidly came to the pool''s shore and drank in quick gulps. The man eyed the calm waters, nodded and left. He should''ve noticed the behavior of the smaller animals earlier. He needed to be more careful. He spent the better part of the day exploring the island. There wasn''t much he knew about himself, to be truthful. He had simply awoken one day, surrounded by things he did not know. It wouldn''t have been far off to presume he didn''t know anything. He was clueless, and yet somehow, he had some inkling of how to survive. Whether this was due to instinctual knowledge belonging to whatever species he was, or the fact he had attained aSkill, was something he actually had been pondering. His hand gripped the summit of the mountain. Having walked its entirety, there really was nothing left to do but conquer it next. With an effort of burning will, he hauled himself upward, throwing his body unto the highest point on the island. For a moment, he stared only at the sky. It was a sudden refreshment from the constant trees poking into his view of the beautiful sky blue. Clouds seemed to move faster at this altitude, he watched them crawl by, just enough for his eyes to detect the movement. He smiled. Rolling over, he got his legs under him and swung them over the side of the vertical face. His arms were thrown back busy in supporting his weight. His chest heaved with effort but the exertion was all welcome. The island was beyond beautiful. No less than if he were up close, but suddenly from a different perspective. From here, it almost looked peaceful. Bright and vivid, it looked like it was,alive. Teeming with life. Barely audible, the cacophony of noise he had become so accustomed to, now only a whisper.
New Title: [Island Explorer] (Unusual) Not many can claim they have fully scoured entire islands, observed their animals, enjoyed their fruits and discovered their beauties. Not many even take the time let alone dare the voyage. Islands are isolated and are as diverse as they are bountiful and numerous. True wonders lay in these undisturbed and undiscovered treasure troves. Effects: +5% increase in island yield +5% likelihood of discovering hidden areas
The man grinned, feeling an immense wave of satisfaction. He noticed another tag, this time one called Unusual. Quickly, however, his eyes were drawn to the benefits of the Title. He must''ve gotten it for exploring the island. The effects were a hassle to prove. He didn''t have an extra hand or bag to bring one of the hard-shelled fruits up with him on his climb so the first effect couldn''t be immediately tested. However, he did stare over the island straining his eyes to find something hidden. No such luck. After sating his curiosity, he turned his inquisitive mind to internal matters. The question of what these odd screens were never entered his mind. Like everything before him, it was a reality he had to accept. This detail did not stop him from pondering the differences between TitleandSkill. In fact, it only pushed him to discover more about them. It was in this internal search that he instinctually willed something unexpected into existence.
Name: ??? Level: 1 ?Race: Human
Class: None Points: 0 Stat Points: 0
STR: 5 CON: 5 DEX: 6
INT: 7 WIS: 7 CHA: 9
Titles (Unusual) [Island Explorer]: Not many can claim they have fully scoured entire islands, observed their animals, enjoyed their fruits and discovered their beauties. Not many even take the time let alone dare the voyage. Islands are isolated and are as diverse as they are bountiful and numerous. True wonders lay in these undisturbed and undiscovered treasure troves. Effects: +5% increase in island yield, +5% likelihood of discovering hidden areas Skills (Common) [Survival 5] : The ability to adapt to your environment and persevere through the worst of it. The habit to flourish when the very land works against you. The propensity to find food, water, and shelter, in the most unforgiving of surroundings. The determination to struggle against the very things asking you to die. Effects: 5% increase in sustenance from food and water
He was something called a human, apparently. A quick glance at all his values and he inexplicably understood their meanings. They were measures of himself. Strength (STR) determined the physical power he could muster. The force he could apply. It is the quality or state of being physically strong. Constitution (CON) refers to the body. It is the physical state with regard to health, vitality, and endurance. It measures stamina and his body''s ability to last. Dexterity (DEX) measures agility, balance, coordination, and reflex. It is the mastery of his body. It denotes nimbleness and agility, speed and control. Intelligence (INT) encompasses deductive reasoning, knowledge, memory, logic, and rationality. It was the magical power he could muster. The quality or state of being magically strong. Mental strength. Wisdom (WIS) measures self-awareness, common sense, restraint, perception, and insight. It is the rationale that directs a person''s effort. It is not only experience and knowledge, but the good judgment that comes as a result. It is control and mastery over magic. His mental prowess. Charisma (CHA) measures force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership, determination and successful planning. It is the inexplicable magnetism that gathers attention. His ability to interact with others. Judging from his values he was somewhat charismatic. True, there was no scale from which he could measure himself to yet it was his highest attribute. Behind that were his intelligence and wisdom values. Dexterity followed, with constitution and strength right behind. He understood that he didn''t really know much of himself. But, his attributes told a story, at least, that was how he saw it. It looked and seemed that, generally, he was an intelligent person who was good with people. His mental strength and prowess were substantially better than his physical attributes. He presumed he might be decent at magic. He noticed he wasLevel 1 and he understood this served as a general marking of power and ability. With higher levels, he would attain greater opportunity, and perhaps even the chance to explore the unknown beyond this tiny island. Certainly, he would acquire the power to make it possible. He noticedPointsandStat Points and implicitly knew the difference.Points were spent to buy things. Beyond that, he was clueless.Stat Points , on the other hand, were used to raise your attributes, usually attained on level ups. He was also without aClass. He was unsure what this meant. It was peculiar to him, intriguing, that he was only implicitly aware of a few of these things. He gathered that those directly tied to his being were intrinsic to his knowledge. It seemedPointsandClass were excluded from this. As he only understood them very broadly, leaving much to his imagination. He knew hisSkillsandTitles. Both[Survival 5]and[Island Explorer] were boons to him and he understood them for what they were. He knew they would help him stay alive in their own way. [Island Explorer] would, presumably, contribute to interesting findings and increase the yield of whatever valuables he might run into.The problem in his mind, however, was that he didn''t know exactly what aSkill orTitle was. His mind blanked beyond the two he already had. His best guess was that aTitle was earned from a feat of note. Some kind of achievement. As forSkills, he wasn''t sure at all what they were. Perhaps he had to show some type of proficiency in something? He hadn''t really been doing anything but exploring the island and eating the fruits. Eventually, he realized he didn''t have a name. It was such a novel thing to forget about. How could he have not realized he had no name? He found that he wasn''t terribly bothered by it. Perhaps he might run into someone he could communicate with that might need to use it, but currently, there was no need. He found himself content with waiting to pick out the perfect one. The man stood up on the mountain. The breeze here was stronger than anywhere else on the island. He peered over the edge of the cliff, finding a deep, clear oasis. He had climbed past it before stopping to drink as he watched the wildlife do the same. There was no risk of a predator, the pool was perfectly clear. It was very deep. He was almost certain it connected to the ocean somehow. It was a reservoir of sorts. He must''ve been at least a hundred meters up. His face cracked into a smile, heart beating. Something about the world at that moment was perfect. It was pure contentment and joy. The absolute height ofliving. He felt alive. He stared down and jumped. Chapter 2 - Hidden Underwater Crashing through the surface of the water, the adventurer felt a wave of euphoria. The plunge into the deep oasis was invigorating. The fall from a hundred meters up was an experience he would never forget! The water was cool and refreshing, the type of chill that was welcome after a tropical day. Gentle roiling seaweed swayed with a quiet current. Beautiful purple, green, and orange fish moved together in droves. He took this all in with glee. He resurfaced, breaking the water with a gasp. He was getting hungry. Understandably, the minimal fleshy interior of the fruits he had been enjoying the last day wasn''t sufficient. He needed meat. And, with a careful eye on the fish swimming around in the pool, he thought he just might''ve found an easy source of it. The adventurer found a sizeable rock, shattering it on the floor into jagged pieces. Plucking the sharpest edge from the debris, he reckoned it would do for a knife. Finding a good branch was relatively simple and once done, he snapped it off and began to sharpen. He was aiming for a decent spear. The knowledge of how to do all these things seemed component to his Skill called [Survival 5]. They were something like instincts, some effect more than the quantified one the description of said Skill listed. He considered himself rather lucky to have the Skill but lost as to how he attained it in the first place. He hadn''t done anything particularly of note save for searching desperately for sustenance once he arrived. It couldn''t have been so simple, yet nothing else jumped out at him. The spear came out in good quality. The branch was arguably the perfect length and heft. It was straight and sharpened. There wasn''t really anything else to ask for from a spear. He waded back into the pool, eager to test his new method of hunting. He dived deep, spear in hand. Golden irises regarded the schools of fish, his spear calmly tracked potential prey as they parted around him. Thrusting with all his might, he was able to push through the watery resistance and managed to impale something. The fish wriggled desperately, but its blood had already begun to produce wisps of red in the clear blue. His breath leaving him, he began to swim upwards with the fruits of his labor. The sunlight streamed through the surface of the water like a wavy beam. It struck something shiny, metal. Unnatural. He broke through with a gasp. He briefly dunked his head back in, eyeing what he previously saw. The reservoir was deeper and wider than its surface initially implied. In fact, should he swim too far he''d have nothing but underwater cavern to bonk his head on whilst trying to get fresh air. But, at an angle to the pool''s surface, there indeed was something of interest. It looked like a hatch. Metal. His stomach growled though, taking his attention away. It was something possibly intriguing. He wondered if his [Island Explorer] effects were kicking in. He had a fire going in no time. He was able to crudely gut the fish on a flat slab of stone. This was mostly guesswork and he simply removed what looked inedible, leaving only the clean white meat of the fish. After all was said and done, he had probably a filet the size of his hand. He charred it slightly, cooking it by the water. He admired the glistening juices of the fish. The smell was intoxicating and he wondered briefly if there was anything more wonderful in life. Of course, there was, and it was tasting it. The fish exploded with flavor in his mouth like nothing he had ever experienced. Admittedly, he had not experienced much, but he enjoyed the slightly-too-hot fish with the enthusiasm of a starving man. The man''s attention then moved onto the shiny oddity he had spotted earlier. After a few test dives, he was comfortable in his ability to at least get a closer look. He did just that. He began by diving deep initially, saving his energy until he neared the middle of the underwater cavern. The tallest of the seaweed gently brushed upon his legs and he began to kick, propelling himself forward. He drifted forwards smoothly his pace only interrupted by swift kicks. The sunlight still filtered through the water at an angle. It was indeed some type of hatch. It was built right into the rock, making it all even more peculiar. It looked unnatural, almost artificial. Had someone created this here? His feet found the ocean floor. Sandy. Clouds of it plumed upward as if he had just landed on the moon. He felt his chest tighten but knew he had some time still. Drifting closer, he realized the hatch wasn''t even rusted. It looked brand new. Not shining, obviously, since it was still covered in sand and dirt. The sunlight earlier had caught it at just the right angle before. It had a circular handle. Small extensions spaced evenly protruding from the circle. Handles, he guessed. Finding his grip on two of the handles, he heaved, muscles bulging. Suddenly, the hatch took over the motion twirling violently enough that the man had to release his hold. The hatch exploded open in a burst of bubbles and water rushed in dragging the man into the opening. He was able to grab hold of his spear through the rushing current. His chest burned. He reached out, managing to grab the lip of the hatch and released it immediately when he noticed it slamming shut. He was in a small room, panicking. No air. Stuck underwater. Then the water level lowered and he took a huge breath, finally able to look at his surroundings. Cold metal. A far cry from the warm tropics he had been in only moments before. Absently, he felt at the walls they were cool to the touch, smooth. His heart beat in his chest.
Hidden Dungeon: [Sunken Submarine](Scarce) A decrepit wreck of an old marine vessel. Once crewed by many capable[Sailors] it has since fallen to the sea''s embrace. Parts of the enormous vessel now house various aquatic and amphibious creatures. Huge portions of the submarine were lost to water, others still enjoy the presence of air.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He blinked at the prompt, nodding and assimilating the information. Before he could even begin cautious scouting, another prompt appeared.
Dungeons A dungeon is an entire territory accessible by a single point in space. They are filled with danger as well as riches. Often, these dungeons garner a particular characteristic or theme throughout them. Naturally occurring dungeons enrich the environment they are found in and function separately from regular space. However, they may have notable effects on their location depending on the dungeon''s influence. They form in places of importance, grandeur, secrecy, meaning, glory or otherwise.
The man nodded once more. It seemed this vessel must''ve been something of note. What did it mean by riches though? He wondered at that, though he was already inclined to explore further. Such was his nature. His inquisitive nature examined the previous prompt further. He was able to recall it perfectly, the screen even appearing in front of him once more. Oddly, the screen was bright but did not glow. It didn''t even seem to affect the environment at all. He waved a hand through and it rippled through the screen as if it were a body of water. In particular, he examined theHidden adjective, then again at theScarce tag that was found in parentheses. He had seen similar tags and he presumed they had some meaning, some type of categorization.
Hidden TheHiddenmodifier applies to Objects, Instances, Items, Dungeons, Skills, Titles, Attributes, etc, that are generally unknown, secretive, undiscovered, or otherwise unseen. These described with the Hidden modifier are often enhanced in terms of benefits or rewards. Additionally, the levels of danger are often escalated.
His interest was piqued, no doubt. So he was somewhere unknown, undiscovered. He still wasn''t sure what rewards entailed, or danger, for that matter, but he was determined to at least explore thisDungeon. Perhaps it had something to do with the category tags he''d been seeing?
Rarity Rarity reflects the difficulty of obtaining. It is representative of a thing''s particular value and adeptness of function. Rarity is based on a number of factors. These include natural occurrence, existing amount, interest of said thing, value, quality, uniqueness, and a number of additional factors. The levels of Rarity are denoted with a color code. Common, Uncommon, Unusual, Scarce, Rare, Epic, Mythic, Legendary, Relic, Ancient
It made more sense to the man now. Apparently,[Survival 5]was only aCommon Skill. However, his [Island Explorer] was an UnusualTitle.He didn''t particularly have a good reference other than the categories he was given. All he knew was that this [Sunken Submarine]was rarer than both, meaning it would be more dangerous and additionally, more rewarding. He would explore slowly, unsure of what that meant. The room he found himself was all cold metal. A blinking light bathed the room in an artificial glow. Not all the water had drained, there was still enough to submerge his feet. He spotted small guppies swimming around his feet. The hatch above him, the very same one that had spat him out into this room, looked to be sealed. He didn''t imagine reopening it with all the water on the other side would be particularly pleasant. That left him only one option. There was a door on the other side of the room. Opening it was done in a similar way to the hatch. TheDungeon seemed quiet and inactive. But then vigorous splashing echoed from the empty hallway. Then silence. Ominous. The man kept moving, not liking the pressing feeling of the cold metal walls. His spear moved ahead of him. The hallway was an empty one. It served only to branch into more rooms. Or it did. Huge sections of what should''ve been rooms, just judging from the structure of the vessel, were ripped apart leaving huge chunks of the submarine missing. Pools of dark water resided where the wreckage should''ve been, the submarine''s structure disappearing from view only inches below the surface. A frog leaped onto the metal hallway, having emerged from somewhere below. It hopped in place, once, twice. Then turned around, tilting its head at the man. It must''ve been up to his knee, the mere size of the creature gave him pause. He hadn''t encountered anything as large up so close. A tongue larger than what should''ve fit in its mouth launched toward him. He cried out, sending sharp rebounding echoes across the rippling water. The tongue retracted lashing at his sides with barbed spikes. Injured, he retreated, confirming the wound was only surface level. His eyes fixated on the frog, watching its mouth. He heard a wet slap behind him. Another frog, a mild green color mixed with silver. It hopped in place, once, twice. The man had already ducked to the side. Its tongue occupied, the man stabbed the frog in the face, spurting red blood on the thin surface of water that covered the hallway. He kicked it off his spear. He ducked through the door to a larger room. He gripped his spear tightly, waiting. Standing by the door, he simply waited for the creatures to hop around the corner. He heard more wet slaps. The unmistakable sound of frog legs slapping the thin veil of water covering the exposed hallway. A frog hopped into view. It hopped in place to turn around. The man speared the creature in the mouth right as it opened it. There was no chance for its tongue to even emerge. He removed the spear with a wet sucking noise and stabbed it in the head once more. Blood diffused into the water. He eyed the blood warily before he realized some of it was his. Shocked, he checked his side realized he was indeed bleeding profusely. He could''ve sworn that it was only surface level. Then again, most of that had simply been from his judgment of the pain. With a start, he came to a conclusion. He couldn''t even feel it. He took care in his movement, moving his spear to his left hand. His injury was further jostled by the motion of his right arm, it wouldn''t do to aggravate it further. The room was one undamaged by water, a section he deemed to be one of the places in the submarine that was actually dry. It was a large room with a bed and cabinets. A red cross was plastered over one of the cabinets. He barely thought of its meaning before he tore it open, finding useless glass bottles. He needed some type of wrap, some kind of-
Item: [Healing Potion] (Rare) A single dose of healing draught able to recover potentially lethal injuries, toxins, or poisons. To be applied directly on a physical injury if necessary, or imbibed if applicable towards a general affliction.
The glass bottle had some thin red liquid, its viscosity was thinner than even water. He popped the cork on the small bottle. His vision was getting hazy. He sat down on the bed, his blood was all over the floor. He needed to close the door first, less something finds its way in. He wobbled, moving through a haze that threatened to blackout his entire vision. His hand found the handle of the door and he swung it shut, hearing it latch into place. He slipped on the wet floor with a grunt. He landed heavily on his back. He barely felt anything. The bottle. He needed to open the bottle. No, he had already opened it. He had spilled it on the floor. There was less than a third of it left. He poured it on his wound, hoping he didn''t miss it. Blackness took him.