《Convergence: Foundation》 Prologue: The Last Watch Dawn broke hot and wrong. The usually vibrant forest was silent. An ominous feeling growing from the lack of birdsong and movement. It was still, heavy, foreboding like nature itself was holding its breath. Starling dutifully made their morning observations as the sun crawled into the sky. Day 37 - 04:00 - Dawn. 17C Sky Clear. Wind NNE, 8 KM/H. Humidity 4%, Pressure dropping Note: No birdsong - second morning in a row. 06:00 - Sky Clear. 19C Wind NE, 12 KM/H, Humidity 4%, Pressure dropping Note: Signs of wildlife pushing west 08:00 - Sky Clear. 21C Wind ENE, 14 KM/H, Humidity 3%, Pressure dropping Note: Air tastes dry, like metal in my mouth. Haven¡¯t seen a single bird on the thermals all morning. They continued to write a little extra with their 8am entry, using the logbook as a diary. Breakfast - Beans with toast. Last slice. Need to order more perishables. The weather continues hot and dry. Everything points to this going bad. It¡¯s just going to take one spark to cause a huge wildfire. The numbers told a story they didn¡¯t want to acknowledge. Six years of experience surviving in the wild and a season in a watch tower like this one, they had never seen conditions this perfect for a catastrophe. Starling sighed and mopped up the last of the sauce on their plate with the crusty piece of toast in their hand while they updated their logbook with the other. Putting down the pencil, they sat back, munching on the toast and looked out over the forest spread around them. The view from the firewatch tower was, of course, absolutely stunning and was one of the greatest pleasures they had living here in such a remote location. Every morning Starling would get up and watch the sun creep over the crowns of the large ancient fir trees surrounding their tower. The light would break through the treetops, fingers of radiance playing across the landscape until the sun broke the horizon and the light swept across everything. It was one of the most magnificent things they had ever seen and it never seemed to get old. There was a calming peace to seeing it every morning that resonated with Starling in a way nothing else seemed to have up until now. Their view of the surrounding landscape from the tower was broken only by the distant peaks of mountains on the edge of the horizon and the rocky outcropping of Carrigan¡¯s Hold to the south. Sitting in the tower felt like looking out over an endless green sea, lush with the smell of pine sap and the clearest air they had ever smelled. The last few months had been peaceful, serene, quiet and they finally felt the past falling behind them. The panic attacks, sleepless nights, constant crippling doubt and the agony of loss were fading. Life was simple here, mistakes weren''t deadly. People could relax. Starling''s job was simple, every half hour they checked the horizon, checked the wind, the humidity and the air pressure, recorded them and if anything was out of the ordinary reported it on the radio. The radio sat on a shelf to the side of their desk. Most fire-watchers would keep their radio close at hand, the receiver open and burbling with distant conversation with other towers and control. Starling didn''t like the company, in fact they treasured the solitude of the tower. So they kept it set to the off position unless they needed to report in. With a groan they stood, shook their head and stretched, breaking out of the reverie. Young bones protesting as they arched their back catlike and held it till they felt the tension release. Another hike today maybe, keep in shape, don''t get too comfortable sitting in the tower all day. ¡°Keep your skills sharp¡± a grizzled voice reminded them in their memory, which whilst initially warm to recall quickly turned sour with pain and they shook it away. Picking up their plate and mug they quickly washed them in the sink with the pan and other breakfast utensils, drying it all efficiently and putting it away. Starling''s tower was... bare, there wasn''t much in the way of creature comforts or personal affects here. This tower was only accessible via a several day hike through the wilderness, supply drops were expensive, but Starling managed to afford their vice, a single small LEGO set a month. Making their meager monthly pay packet stretch to afford them, on top of the air-drop fees, after paying off their mounting student loans was tough but it was fun to put them together, especially in the evenings when there wasn¡¯t a lot else to do. Starling hadn''t really seen the need to bring much with them when they first came out, but the sets had filled the tedium when things got dark. Their phone didn¡¯t get any signal, but they had done the best they could to download as many building references, construction guides and novels as they could before coming out. The older Wardens liked to read paperbacks, but Starling liked to read on the little screen. A couple of battered books, a well made compass, carabiners and a worn but sturdy climbing harness and good sturdy boots made up the rest of their belongings here. All of them looked new but well used, boots scuffed and harness worn. The quality showed in the way the wear didn¡¯t weaken any of the equipment. Scattered around the window sills were the different finished LEGO sets. Starling had collected all of the succulent and plant sets, making a cute garden in one corner - which they found ironic since even here in the wild they couldn¡¯t keep a plant alive. They were desperate for some of the bigger sets but space was tight in a drop and this was the best they could do. No pictures of friends and family, no postcards or letters on the few areas of wallspace available, instead there were a couple of awards and certification for survival and wilderness qualifications, all dated within the last couple of years. They had left most of the rest of their life behind when they came out here. Starling looked over at the calendar and charts on the central table of their tower. Due to the large windows on every wall to provide the clearest views possible there was no real space to hang anything up, so these were laid flat instead. It was day thirty-seven of the season, already there had been four small fires, thankfully caught quickly, and one larger one that had taken the intervention of water dumped from aircraft - this was shaping up to be a very busy period. The forest hadn''t seen any rain for several months now, and whilst the evergreens were still looking vibrant there was a dryness around that had Starling on edge. The forest floor was like tinder, littered with dry sticks that cracked alarmingly when you walked and the whole place had this apprehensive feeling of holding its breath. To the west of their tower was Howard''s Spring, a small nature survival camp for teenagers - the spring was the only real source of water in the area and even they were reporting that the lake it fed was starting to seriously recede. Starling made sure to always start their checks in this direction each day - they didn''t want anyone to get hurt on their watch. Anyone else. Their radio made a beep, someone was broadcasting on the primary channel. Starling would need to check in, they pulled the unit up onto the table and flicked it online. The radio crackled into life with the morning check-in. "All towers, all towers, this is Jericho. Good Morning tree housers!¡±, a familiar jovial voice rang out. ¡°Here is your daily update from home base! Weather reports are looking concerning but we should be fine - It¡¯s hot and dry but there is no sign of anything like a rogue thunderstorm. Please practice extreme vigilance. Report any heat haze, smoke trails or concerns to the emergency channel as per standard procedure and wait for home base to make a decision, oh, and keep this channel free for general communication. I hope you all have another great day out there in the wilds with absolutely no creature comforts. You Weirdos! Jericho out" Starling grimaced. Report back? Wait for instructions? Things could move way too fast for that to happen. They stood and did a quick rotation, eyes on the horizon as they turned looking out over the forest in each direction. Tower 14¡¯s voice broke the silence, broadcasting on the open channel. "Jericho, Tower 14, we''ve seen an uptick of near misses with campers lighting fires. Are there any plans on closing the park? Over." Usually Starling would have missed this exchange, habit making them turn off the radio after the check-in but something made them linger in doing so today. "14, Jericho.¡± The joviality was suddenly missing from the base controller''s voice. ¡°We can''t close the parks unless a state of emergency is declared. The County Parks Department already spoke to the governor about it and he told them he wasn''t going to close the state parks in the middle of summer holidays, we just need to be extra vigilant here. Over" "Jericho, Tower 14, That total bull-" Starling cut off Tower 14 by turning the radio down, but they left it on - volume low rather than off like usual. It seemed they weren¡¯t alone in their concerns today, but that didn¡¯t matter. Nobody paid attention to the experts until it was too late. They had a bad feeling they might need the radio later. -- 14:00 - 31C Sky Clear. Wind NW 22 KM/H. Humidity 0%, Pressure dropping As the day passed things developed in a concerning manner, the wind picked up and was behaving erratically, now at speeds that battered the windows of the tower and made it creak and groan from the stress being applied. The direction swung around as the pressure hung heavily over the park. The temperature had continued to climb and the air was bone dry. The pressure also pushing the cloud cover away, making the outside oppressive and heavy on exposed skin, making metal burn to the touch and even the wood of the trees feel warm and concerning. A feeling of anxiety and looming disaster was growing in the back of Starling''s mind and they were itching to take action. ¡°Look what happens when you go off the book!¡± an angry voice kept ringing through their head everytime they decided to do something, so they waited, near the radio, hoping for a call. The buzz of the open frequency hung in the heavy air like a fat mosquito looking for prey. Finally, after nearly an hour of pregnant, stifling silence they made a decision and picked up the receiver. "Jericho, Tower 38," Starling said clearly, looking out over the forest as they spoke. "It''s getting really hot out here, I''m going to start evacuation procedures for the people in my area. Please be advised that they might need pickup if they can''t get out of here in time. Over."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "38, This is Jericho," the response came through quickly. "That''s a negative kid,¡° Starling winced, five years of experience and qualifications and they still got the ¡®kid¡¯ treatment from the older wardens. ¡°We don''t want to spread panic here, look there are no reported fires and the weather forecast is showing a pressure wave with rain right behind it, we just need to hold on for a few more hours. Don¡¯t do something stupid and hasty, let wiser minds make the decisions. Do not start evacuation without an express order from Jericho, do you copy 38?" "38 copies. Out". Starling shook their head, idiots. It was time to take action, doing things by the book, not following your instincts, Starling knew what happened if you remained totally rigid and unable to improvise. Turning the dial on the radio they changed to a different frequency and made a call. "Howard Spring, Tower 38, come in please." They left the radio on and scanned the horizon. Hmm, was that a haze to the east? Rooting around in the drawers they dug out their binoculars and looked out towards the suspicious sighting. Yes, there was a heat haze about 20 miles East. No sign of smoke pillars but that wasn''t a good sign. Starling felt their stomach tighten. Suddenly the radio coughed into life. "38, Howard Springs, we read you, what is your message, over?" Starling put down the binoculars and moved to the middle of the room. They reached out and grabbed the handset with one hand and brought it up to their mouth while another spread out a map of their area and started to note the location of the haze on it. "Howard, I am advising you to evacuate now if you haven''t already started to do so, I can see a heat haze to the east and you don''t want to get trapped. Over" The reply came back after a couple of seconds, as though it took the recipient a couple of seconds to process what Starling had just said. "38, this is Howard Springs, we haven''t had an official word of evacuation, are you sure? We have paying guests here. Over." Starling replied quickly, trying to emphasise their concern with the swiftness of their reply. "Howard, 38, if you want to make it out of the forest before this all goes up you need to move now, this isn''t a joke. Get out." Starling let out a little growl and changed the frequency again, switching it to the radio for a small set of cabins out to the west and repeated the conversation. -- The afternoon had continued to worsen, and sometime after four o''clock Starling''s worst fears were realised, smoke was spotted to the east and reported from multiple towers. The wildfire was spreading fast and the wind was blowing the flames to the west. Jericho had finally called an evacuation, but little did they know Starling¡¯s territory had started to clear out hours ago. Starling was packing to evacuate themselves, they had their boots on and their pack ready at the door. They were doing some last minute work mapping up escape corridors for the hikers and survival campers who were thankfully already working their way westwards towards safety. Suddenly the radio crackled into life. "Tower 38! Tower 38! This is Howard Springs Handset, come in please! Mayday Mayday" Mayday? What had happened? Without hesitating they picked up the radio receiver and pressed the button to go live. "This is Tower 38, go ahead Handset what''s going on? Over?" The response was distorted and weak, but Starling could make it out. "Tower 38 we can see smoke ahead of us, we don''t think the path ahead is safe, the camp ranger isn''t with us and nobody knows the trails well enough. Can you lead us out of here?" Starling spun and looked westward, sure enough, a dark plume of smoke was fountaining up from the forest in that direction, matching the thickness of the smoke rapidly approaching from the east. The wind was still whipping around under this pressure center and it must have picked up some sparks and carried them. The campers were cut off from safety and needed another destination. Starling looked at their map, quickly eliminating potential destinations as they reflected back on their knowledge of the area. Tracing fingers across the paper they finally saw an opportunity. Starling took a deep breath before they answered. "Handset, have you reached the Tarkan Riverbed yet? Over." The dry riverbed was one of the few landmarks obvious to people on the forest floor. The group came back quickly, likely hanging on everything that Starling said. "Not yet 38, we should be crossing it soon" There was panic in the voice when the campers replied, so Starling tried to project calm as they replied again. "Handset, don''t cross the river bed, it might work as a firebreak for you. When you hit it turn North and follow it up the rise to the lookout on the Hold. Walk up the middle of the riverbed if you can, there isn¡¯t any brush there. How many of you are there?" A few coughs preceded the repy. "15 of us Tower 38, with 4 children. We should have gone earlier but the ranger told us to wait¡­ What do you want us to do when we get there?" Starling paled, fifteen of them? And four children. "Standby Handset, I''m making another outbound call" Starling quickly switched to the emergency channel "Jericho, this is Tower 38, I have 15 Sur" there was a squelch and then a loud bang. The lights in the tower went out abruptly. Starling was left in the sudden darkness, skyline illuminated with the fires reflected off of the smoke coming their way. The power line. The fire must have cut off the power, and the battery had just run out, they hadn''t even noticed it had cut in, a sure sign that the pressure was getting to them. Without power the radio was down and they couldn''t call for an evac for the campers. Not for the first time Starling wondered why all the towers didn¡¯t have solar panels, Starlink connection, backup battery phones and even wind up radios. Why was everything stuck in the 1980¡¯s out here? It took them only a second to work out what to do. They grabbed a t-shirt from their washing, soaked it in water from the sink - which came out worryingly warm - and wrapped it around their mouth and nose. Tying it tight behind their head. Looking like a desperado from a western they burst from the door and out into the hot, heavy air of the forest. It was a struggle to breath through the makeshift mask, literally having to suck air through the wet fabric, but it would give Starling a few minutes against the smoke before it dried. The wind buffeted them against the side of the tower as they raced down the stairs. The heat was high, drying out the improvised mask quickly. The wind carried ash and sparks past them as they raced down the staircase and the light was quickly fading. Sparks swirled and floated around the tower, flitting like incandescent butterflies in the eddies. Oppressive heat pressed on them from the west and they could hear the roar of the fire, still out of sight but making itself known with the heady smell of woodsmoke. Under the tower sat a small gasoline generator - for emergencies only. This felt like an appropriate time to use it. Starling knew it was ready to go. They checked it every couple of days, making sure it was well oiled, full of fuel and that the starter motor was working. Starling paused, hand hovering over the pull cord. The fire roared to the West, closer than they had thought. If they wanted to get out, now was probably their last chance. They had maybe five minutes to flee the tower. Five minutes to save themselves. But fifteen people were counting on that radio call. Four children. Their bag was ready by the door. All they had to do was run back up the stairs, grab it, and go. Four children. One path led to survival, the other¡­ I can¡¯t let these people die if one radio call will make the difference With that single pull of the cord, Starling sealed their fate. The generator sputtered to life, and above them the radio crackled to life with renewed power - their one way to help the stranded campers, and their leash to this tower. "Tower 38! This is Jericho! Come in 38!" a voice shouted from the radio upstairs and Starling raced back up the stairs to pick up the call. "This is 38, I lost power, I''m on the backup. I have 15 civilians cut off from escape by additional fires. They are heading for the Hold lookout, can you get a chopper to them?" Jericho answered with only a moments delay. "Confirmed 38, 15 survivors at Carrigan¡¯s Hold Lookout, we will have an SAR chopper with them in around 20 minutes. What about you?" What about me? Starling thought for a second and looked up, things had changed dramatically while they had been down with the generator, the horizon was blocked in every direction with smoke, and they could see the deep red of fire through a lot of it very close to the tower. "Negative Jericho, get to those survivors. I''m not going anywhere". Starling felt like they should be scared. There wasn''t anywhere to go. This fire was spreading like nothing they had seen, but.. they felt at peace. They weren''t going to fail anyone this time. Before Jericho could reply they switched back to the campers frequency. "Hammond Handset, this is 38, come in" A voice quickly answered with a flurry of coughs before managing words "38, this is the Handset, it''s Jane speaking. The smoke is really thick, we are following the river up the incline" "Handset¡­ Jane, this is 38 - Starling.¡± Starling abandoned the radio messaging protocol to try and connect with the survivor on the other end of the line. ¡°Keep going, there is a chopper going to pick you up. There isn''t much brush up there once you break the treeline, you are going to get out. You are going to make it. Drop everything you don''t need, don''t carry bags, just get moving." Jane replied and Starling continued to guide them up the mountain, knowing the route well having hiked it many times. They could see each step, each turn in their mind''s eye. They kept up a constant guided ascent, making sure the survivors didn¡¯t take a wrong turn or get stuck. Meanwhile the temperature rose, the tower began to groan and shudder as the metal supports began to heat up in the wildfire. The generator wouldn''t last much longer. "This is Jane.. we made it up to the lookout, god the smoke, it goes on forever..." "Starling here. hold out, there is a chopper coming. You are all going to be fine, get down as low as you can and try to breathe as little of the smoke as possible.¡± "Thank you Starling, we couldn''t have done this without you, we all owe you a beer when we get out of here..." Starling didn''t reply. Starling couldn¡¯t reply. The generator gave up below them. The power went out. The tower went dark. The radio died. In every direction Starling looked there was fire and smoke, the world itself had vanished, it was just fire now. Coughing they looked over toward the Hold, the peak pushed up through the smoke cover, exposed above everything else. Lights above it showed a helicopter approaching. The people were being picked up. They made it out. All of them. Starling¡¯s heart swelled with pride even as they acknowledged how bleak their situation was. The tower lurched and fell as the heat rose. Starling let out a gasp as they lost their balance and grabbed the table for support. The tower caught itself at a skew, the floor angled sharply but it hadn¡¯t fallen all the way to the ground. Starling ran to grab their pack where it sat on the peg by the door. Maybe they could run for the lake? They reached for the doorknob and cursed, the handle burned their hand. Looking through the window, the trees around their tower were burning pyres now, the fire covering them like a flickering red blanket. As they watched a loud crack echoed over the roar of the fire and a large pine started to fall, straight towards the tower. Starling didn¡¯t react, they just stood there as the blazing tree seemed to slowly, almost beautifully fall. The flames streaked out behind it, great clouds of sparks and ash flowing in its wake. It struck the tower, the impact shaking everything. There was a creak, a groan, a snap and the cabin tilted. The whole thing started to fall, gravity pulling it down into the fire below. Instead of fear, they felt peace. This time, I didn''t let anyone down. There was a crash, a flash of heat, the world went light, then dark. Silence. Chapter 1: Awakening [System Initialization Complete] [Scanning Soul Matrix...] [Previous Life Experience Detected] [Ineligible for Basic Classes] [Analyzing Physical and Mental State...] [Warning: Psychological Trauma Detected!] [Processing Trauma Patterns...] [Warning: Psychological Barriers Detected!] [Calculating Attribute Adjustments...] [Warning: Attributes Affected by Past Experiences, Values out of Expected Range!] [Scanning Class Affinities...] [Uncommon Classes: Incompatible] [Rare Classes: Incompatible] [Class Potential Identified: Convergence Point] [¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Integration: Processing...] [Initiating Restricted Class Parameters] [Foundation Protocols: Active] ¡ª Starling came back to consciousness with a jolt of adrenaline. Their whole body convulsed and they gasped desperately for breath in great ragged gulps, eyes wide in panic. Before they could take in their surroundings, they had bolted to their feet in a defensive crouch, responding to a sudden sting of danger. Moments of silence passed as they fought for control of their breathing and their pounding heart. Finally, after nothing happened for several beats, they relaxed, leaning down and putting their hands on their knees. As they did so, their gasp caught in their throat, as memories flooded back. The fire! They frantically beat at their body, putting out phantom fires they thought were all over their body, burning their clothing, desperate to stop it getting through to their skin. Just as they were about to jump to the ground and roll, reality reasserted itself and they stopped, surprised to find they were whole and undamaged, in fact they were a little cold... and damp? Looking around properly for the first time, they began to take in their surroundings. Large thick-trunked trees with massive gnarled root systems that broke through the ground at their base loomed over them. They stood in a small clearing, the overhanging trees blocking out the sky, the undergrowth around them lush and made up with a variety of waist high ferns. Before them lay a depression in the plants, roughly in the shape of their body and Starling realised they must have been lying in the ferns for some time before coming to consciousness. Where the hell am I? They snapped their head around, looking around to see if they could see anything recognisable. The ferns around them were vaguely familiar, but also wrong, with a faint purple tinge to the tips of their fronds, something no species native to where they had been working before would display. The trees around them were weird too. The roots and trunks had a strange almost leathery looking bark, Starling couldn¡¯t name any tree species like that, it made the hair on the back of their neck stand up. So one minute I¡¯m in a crashing firewatch tower¡­ and the next I''m here? In this forest? Did the campers get out? Did¡­ I actually sacrifice myself like that? Starling felt a strange chill over their body as they considered the last few minutes they could recall. Going from the heat, smoke and noise to this quiet, calm glade was incongruous and strange. What should have been the final chapter of their story now felt like the start of a new one. It wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if it had ended that way¡­ Starling snapped off that thought quickly, best not to think like that. Standing still, they closed their eyes and listened, straining to hear any familiar noises through this cave-like forest. The high trees and the overarching canopy made Starling feel like they were underground. Birds called in the distance, none of their cries the familiar. Something akin to a woodpecker attacked a trunk, but instead of the hollow Tok-Tok-Tok you would expect it made a wet thudding sound instead. The air was light, easy to breathe, it smelled exotic, like a strange perfume on the wind. There were hints of spices and green freshness that Starling couldn¡¯t name. Compared to the heavy dead air back in the forest before, and the smoke filled last few minutes of their past¡­ life? The air was like a sweet nectar and they sucked in great lungfulls, just luxuriating in the feeling of filling their lungs with something so natural and fresh. A small blue dot flashed in the corner of their vision for a second, and Starling reacted with a startled jump. The dot remained, not as bright but staying in the corner of their view. What the hell is that? Am I hallucinating now? Starling shivered, this wasn¡¯t right. Before any form of panic could take them, their trained instincts kicked in. Survival situation, they had drilled for this for years, both in the FireWatch and in.. well before. First things first, I need to check my status, no injuries or anyt¡­. Starlings thoughts stopped dead in their track, as soon as they had thought the word ¡®Status¡¯ in their internal monologue, a blue window appeared in their vision and displayed the following text in a white systemlike font: [Name: Starling] [Level: Beginner] [Status: Alive/Recently Transferred (04:31)] [Health: Full (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Health Details from being displayed)] [¨€¨€¨€¨€: ¨€¨€¨€ (Warning, current class restrictions prevent ¨€¨€¨€¨€ Details from being displayed)] [Stamina: Full (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Stamina Details from being displayed)] [Class: Convergence Point] [Aspect Manifesting: Foundation] [Additional Aspects: ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€]If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [Primary Focus: Create stable foundations for future growth] [Warning: This Class has Action Restrictions] [Core Attributes: Abbreviated, use detail view for more information] [Physical:] [- Strength: 8] [- Agility: 12++] [- Endurance: 11+] [- Dexterity: 13+] [Mental:] [- Intelligence: 14++] [- Wisdom: 8--] [- Focus: 15+++] [- Creativity: 12+] [Emotional:] [- Willpower: 16++++] [- Trust: 6--] [- Empathy: 8--] [- Leadership: 7--] [Available Attribute Points: 0] [Skills] - Environmental Awareness [Purpose: Create. Build. Improve.] [Note: Some attributes may be influenced by mental state] [Personal growth may unlock restricted potential] Starling stared at the window that was floating in their view, overlaid on what they could see. Plus and minus marks after the numbers? Damn four plus marks after Willpower¡­ What does that mean? Starling couldn¡¯t help but feel a stab of pride at the positive numbers they could see for things like Focus, Willpower and Intelligence. The negative markings after Trust, Empathy and Leadership made an uncomfortable amount of sense. The fact that there were stats linked to their personal attributes, a window that had appeared in front of them. Something really weird was going on. Where the hell am I? Was this the afterlife - a weird forest with strange trees? Did I die in that fire or is this a dream? A coma maybe? The window was large, and took up most of their view, they didn¡¯t have time to go through what it meant right now, they could be in danger. The first thing that needed to happen was to go through the initial survival checklist, get to a safe location and then take stock. Clear? Dismiss? Ah that did it. Can I make it come back? Status? The window vanished and then re-appeared as they thought the commands. Ok, at least I can bring it back. Does this mean I''m in a video game or something? Wait, no focus, remember what Walt taught you. Mentioning that name cleared Starlings head instantly, there was a sting of pain deep in the pit of their stomach as they recalled the face of their mentor but at the same time there was a clarity that put them back on track. They could investigate whatever that was about later, right now they needed to prioritise their safety and improve their chances of survival. Ok, first, am I injured in any way? Starling quickly gave their body a pat down, realising for the first time that they were wearing the same clothes they had on when the tower fell. Nothing in their pockets sadly, but at least they were wearing hiking gear and they had their good boots still on. With a sniff of their arm they could detect a faint hint of smoke, but not very strongly. No injuries that they could tell, they were as healthy as they were when they woke up in their tower the morning of the disaster. [New Skill Discovered: Physical Assessment] [Primary Attribute: Wisdom] [Understanding your own condition is the first step to survival] The notification appeared in the corner of Starling¡¯s vision and made them stop for a second. Huh, doing things unlocks skills? And they can provide a bonus to doing something? Starling realised there was a second blue notification, it had actually been there for a little while but they hadn¡¯t really recognised what it was, focusing their attention opened it up and displayed another skill. [New Skill Discovered: Environmental Awareness] [Primary Attribute: Focus] [The wilderness speaks to those who know how to listen] I must have unlocked this one when I was listening for danger when I first woke up. I guess I should just keep working through my checklist and see what else I can unlock here. Starling thought carefully about what to do next. The two most crucial things to confirm had been completed. They weren¡¯t injured and they weren¡¯t in immediate danger as far as they knew. The next thing to do was to try and work out where they were, what time it was, and where the nearest source of water was. The ground around them was damp, either there had recently been a light rain shower, or they were in a lowland area that formed a morning mist or dew on the plants. Best thing to do would be to head to high ground, and see if they can spot any landmarks. Finding water shouldn¡¯t be too hard from a high position either¡­ as long as everything here worked as they would expect. Judging the lay of the land, they started to walk towards an obvious upwards slope to their left. High ground, water, somewhere to set up camp. Those were the next steps. Before Starling left the clearing, they took a closer look at one of the strange leathery trees, running their hand across the surface carefully, wondering if it would feel like bark or flesh. The second their hand touched the tree their view was obstructed by new notifications, and their hand felt stuck to the ¡®bark¡¯, pulled to it like a magnet. [Foundation Aspect Activated] [Contact Established] [Basic Construction Unlocked] The tree they were touching seemed to ripple, a wave of something pulsing out from where their fingertips were touching it. Suddenly, Starling could see.. Possibilities. The massive roots below them could be shifted and woven together to form a natural shelter under the trunk of the tree. The branches above altered to form a canopy that routed rain water down the trunk, a channel made to collect it. They could feel how the ground itself wanted to settle into a flatter, more stable state. The sensation was heady, intoxicating. The things they could do with this! It almost knocked them to the floor with how powerful it felt. They pulled their hand away from the tree with a gasp, holding it like they had been stung. Their survival instincts told them that building a shelter could wait. Elevation, water, bearings, these were the first steps. Some new instinct insisted that this spot was perfect for a base camp. The trees and ground supplied good drainage and something about it felt.. Safe. ¡°No..¡± they muttered, pulling themselves further away. ¡°High ground first. Water source. Then Shelter.¡± As they said the words out loud they heard Walt echo them in chorus in their mind. The drilled in training took over and they stepped away from the clearing, the overwhelming¡­ whatever that was and out towards higher ground. [Warning: Foundation Aspect Resisting Suppression] [Skill Acquisition Delayed] [Note: Some abilities may manifest regardless of user intent] As Starling left the clearing, they didn¡¯t notice the changes left from their interaction with the tree. It stood a little straighter, the branches were slightly repositioned for better coverage. Their body might be sticking to what they knew, but their new abilities were at work, preparing a space whether they wanted it or not. Chapter 2: Higher Ground Starling had been moving through the forest following a gradual incline for about half an hour when the ground began to rise up ahead of them in a much steeper fashion, breaking up through the trees. Along the way they had noticed several more unfamiliar plant species, all with strange leathery bark or purple tinges to them that made them stand out. So far they hadn¡¯t identified anything they recognised. While this was concerning, they kept focus on their current task, keen to identify a water source and somewhere to camp before they moved on to the next most important tasks in their mental checklist. While walking they had been listening and watching warily, their [Environmental Awareness] kicking in when they concentrated. It was definitely sharper if they stopped moving and held still, but still provided a powerful bonus to their senses even while they walked. When the skill was active they felt like they could hear and see further through the trees and their other senses were boosted as well. Apart from some small birds that would flit off whenever Starling got near they hadn¡¯t encountered any other wildlife - Occasionally the [Environmental Awareness] would draw their attention towards a strange sound or moving bush in the instance, but when they stopped to increase the skills efficiency nothing was there. I can¡¯t get over this whole thing, if I concentrate on this skill I just get ¡®better¡¯ at picking things up? It¡¯s such a weird concept but I can¡¯t deny how effective it is. Along the way their skill had also drawn their attention to scuff marks on the trees in the area, some at hip height and some up higher than Starling¡¯s head. The leathery bark was scraped and torn as if something had taken the edge of a knife and drawn it across the surface. A thick red sap oozed from these rents, attracting swarms of small buzzing insects that Starling didn¡¯t want to get too close to. Concerning, if something was roaming around here that could damage these trees that badly they needed to watch themselves. There didn¡¯t seem to be any signs of them at the moment however. Starling checked their Status a few times when walking, but everything was too overwhelming to really understand now. Sitting down when they had established some stability was the right thing to do. The only thing they had really noticed was that their Stamina was now showing ¡°High¡± instead of ¡°Full¡±, so clearly they were doing something to affect it. After a short distance they came to a break in the undergrowth, and what was clearly some sort of nature trail through the trees. It forked off from their path, but continued in roughly the right direction. Looking closely at the broken ground with their new [Environmental Awareness] Starling was able to pick out the rough outlines of different animal tracks. Something with cloven hooves, small paw prints and something that gave Starling a real jolt of sudden fear, that was definitely a boot print. Just the outline of one foot, obvious in its clean lines compared to the wildness around it. seeing it brought Starling out in a cold sweat and without even really realising it, they found themselves carefully crossing this trail and continuing on their own path through the brush. [[Wisdom Check Failed]] [[Emotional Attributes Temporarily Locked]] [[Stamina drain increased]] Following the rising terrain they started to carefully pick a path through the scrubby ferns and loamy soft soil that made up its surface. To Starling¡¯s surprise, concentrating on [Environmental Awareness] while they picked their way through made the going much easier. It almost felt like their feet were subtly guided on sturdy places to stand, and as the way got steeper and the soil gave way gradually to exposed rock hand holds became apparent as well. They stopped before they really started to exert themselves up the rock face. Climbing an unknown incline, without safety equipment or a spotter is a really stupid idea. But if they could get up above the tree tops and look out over the area, they should be able to spot a source of water, work out the time and also hopefully spot some signs of civilization and safety. Deciding the risk was worth it, but being extremely careful, Starling started to climb, senses straining with [Environmental Awareness] to help spot good handholds and footholds on the surface. [New Skill Discovered: Natural Climbing] [Primary Attribute: Agility] [The wilderness provides paths for those who know how to look] - Enhances ability to identify natural handholds and footholds - Improves balance when traversing difficult terrain - Better assessment of climbing route safety - More effective on natural surfaces than artificial ones As the notification of the new skill appeared in the corner of their vision, they noticed that the handholds ahead of them had started to glow different colours, blue were the ones that Starling had already thought might be safe, and fading through green to yellow and then to red for the less clearly stable ones. This made climbing far easier, and they started to progress faster up the steepening incline as it became more of a cliff. Ok, these skills are amazing, I need to keep unlocking them and see what else they can do. This is like bouldering in a gym, not climbing an unknown rock face! As Starling continued to climb through a harder section, one more akin to bouldering than just casual climbing they noticed that the number of hand holds they could identify through the skill was dropping, from seeing ten or so holds at once they were only seeing the next one or two options, and the colours weren¡¯t as vibrant, they were fading into the natural rock and Starling was having to strain to see them. There was a notification that had appeared that they brought the focus on to expand. [WARNING: Low Stamina!] [Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Focus and Willpower have been temporarily reduced due to lack of Stamina] [WARNING: Skills using these stats will have reduced effectiveness until Stamina is recovered!] [WARNING: Utilising multiple skills at once multiplies Stamina drain!] Oh, my Stamina is low? I guess that makes sense, I am starting to feel tired. Starling opened their stats screen and gasped at what they saw. [Name: Starling] [Level: Beginner] [Status: Alive/Recently Transferred (03:11)] [Health: Full (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Health Details from being displayed) [ ¨€¨€¨€¨€: ¨€¨€¨€ (Warning, current class restrictions prevent full ¨€¨€¨€¨€ Details from being displayed)] [Stamina: Extremely Low (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Stamina Details from being displayed)] This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Crap, this has tanked all my attributes, I should have had a rest before I started climbing. This is much worse than just over exerting yourself and needing to take a break. I could put myself in a lot of trouble by pushing too hard with these skills. I better be really careful with how I use them. Starling took stock of their situation, they had just climbed past a small shelf that they could descend to and sit at for a few minutes safely and hopefully recover some Stamina. They moved down carefully, and made sure to stop using their skills. Using multiple skills at the same time increases the Stamina drain as well? Damn that is frustrating, I don¡¯t really want to stop using [Environmental Awareness] ever. I guess I need to pick and choose what to use based on the situation. Starling sat for a few minutes keeping an eye on their Stamina in the status window, thankfully as their heart rate slowed and their breathing lessened their Stamina changed from Very Low to Low and then to Medium. Ok, phew, don¡¯t push too hard. I need to see if there is a way to just watch my Stamina rather than having the whole window open all the time. I can¡¯t let that happen again. After resting for a few minutes and seeing their stats return to normal, Starling started the climb again, this time only focussing on using [Natural Climbing] and keeping a careful eye on their Stamina by opening and closing their character status as they rose through the trees. To see what happened, they tried to pick handholds not highlighted by the skill, it felt strange trying to touch them, like a magnet pushing away at their hand. They could still try and use them, but along with the discomfort of feeling repulsed from the hand or foothold, they noticed their Stamina drained faster as well. When they switched back to the colour coded handholds, they could feel the skill pulling their hands and feet into the perfect positions, it felt like they were -snapping- into position as they climbed. Right, don''t fight the skill, it knows best it seems. As Starling continued to rise higher the progress became increasingly difficult, almost as if they weren¡¯t supposed to be able to climb this high. Handholds were further apart, requiring delicate shifting of balance or swinging out and around obstacles to continue the climb. Starling knew that they should turn back, that most people would have by now, but they kept going. Methodically checking each hold, burning muscles spurring them on rather than pushing them back. Checking their Stamina as they went they could see it draining, but not as bad as before. Hmm, something has changed, my Stamina was draining a lot faster earlier. I don¡¯t know what I am doing different, it isn¡¯t just only using this climbing skill. [Willpower Check Successful: 16 (+4 from past experience)] [Skill Enhancement: Natural Climbing effectiveness temporarily increased)] Starling knew this feeling, the same determination that kept them in that burning tower until everyone was safe. It came with a euphoria, a recognition that their Willpower was as strong as the status screen said. Their past had damaged them in many ways, but it had forged something unbreakable within them. A phrase flashed through their mind at that moment, a memory from long ago. ¡°Despite everything, you are still you.¡± Their trust might falter, but their Willpower had been tempered with fire. The next handholds grew brighter, as if the System itself was acknowledging this strength, rewarding them for pushing past the point of safety. Not every scar was a weakness. Finally, Stamina low, muscles aching, lungs burning, they pulled themselves up onto a small ledge in the cliff face. The view was stunning, and whilst decidedly alien was familiar enough that Starling was pretty sure they were looking out over an old growth deciduous forest that hadn¡¯t been disturbed in a very long time. Trees spread out across a large valley in every direction, only faltering out on the slopes of mountains that rose majestically out of the foliage. The leaves on the trees were like the ferns and other plants below, tinged with purple. Some had all purple leaves, some even were red like blood. It made for a colourful and beautiful tableaux. The valley was cupped in a basin made by four mountains, with one side of the valley seeming lower than the others. Starling guessed that would be where any water would be running out and possibly collecting into a lake. Looking up at the sky, they were surprised to see two suns. One in the more traditional scale and colours like Earth and a second smaller violet emitting one that was lower on the horizon, as though it had only recently risen. They just stared at it for a minute, absolutely overcome with how beautiful and alien it was to see. Two suns. Two actual suns. I don''t know what the implications of that are but, well, I am definitely not on Earth, that''s confirmed. Starling took a few moments to just bask in the view, take it in and feel the warm sunlight of both of the suns wash over their body. It was pleasant and warm, the air was clearer than below - less spiced but still fresh and a joy to breathe. Having hoped to establish cardinal directions based on the movement of the sun they realised they needed to find another way of establishing something like compass points. Having two suns could wreak havoc with orbital mechanics and Starling wasn¡¯t certain if relying on even the traditional sun for direction was a good idea until they had time to track its progress through the sky for several days. For now the peaks of the mountains would work as landmarks, handily there were four, and each was pretty distinct. Naming them North, South, East and West wasn¡¯t the most inspiring naming convention but it gave them reference points for now. ¡®North¡¯ had a ragged double peak that made it stand out from the others. With their new climbing skill it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get up on top of a tree to check where they were in relation to the peaks while they wandered the valley. [New Skill Discovered: Wilderness Navigation] [Primary Attribute: Intelligence] [Finding your way requires more than just following the sun] - Improves ability to create mental maps of terrain - Enhances landmark recognition and recall - Better at identifying natural navigation markers - Assists in maintaining directional awareness - Basic understanding of local celestial patterns Starling grinned in delight. Damn, it¡¯s like getting a reward just for doing the right thing! They took a second to relax and enjoy the dopamine rush and just take in the beauty of the landscape. Maybe things aren¡¯t going to be too bad here. As they leaned back against the sun-warmed rock behind them and relaxed for the first time since the morning of the fire, Starling noticed that the forest wasn¡¯t quite as undisturbed as they had first thought. Looking out over the canopy and tying in [Environmental Awareness] they quickly realised that what they had first identified as random gaps in the tree cover as being connected and making paths through the trees. [Skill Level Increased: Environmental Awareness has reached Novice] [Primary Attribute: Focus] [Your connection to the environment deepens as your awareness expands] New Capabilities: - Extended sensory range - Animal tracking boost - Weather pattern recognition - Improved effectiveness while moving - Basic wildlife behavior interpretation [Note: Higher Focus attribute increases skill effectiveness] [Note: Skill drain on Stamina reduced] The notification flashed across the lower half of their vision at the same time as their senses sharpened, the new clarity of vision and hearing drew their attention to movement they hadn¡¯t noticed before. Something large was moving through the forest, trees shaking as it brushed past them. Starling¡¯s thoughts instantly went to the gouged trunks they had passed on the way over, concern furrowing their brow as they tried to imagine what sort of creature would be large enough to shake these trees and leave damage like that in its wake. As they continued to take in the area around them with the skill engaged they suddenly realised that more and more movement was all around, trees they had assumed were being moved by the wind were in fact being disrupted by something under the canopy. Huge sections of the forest were being shaken and moved, the whole forest was alive with movement, all of it traveling from East to West. Chapter 3: The Watering Hole Whatever was moving through the canopy was large, but they were all heading in the same direction. Experience said that a mass migration like this would usually lead to a water source, which was next on the list of things that Starling needed to track down. Trying to ignore the fact that the ledge they had been resting on had become significantly more comfortable in the half hour or so they had been resting. The rock smoothing out and the lip above them somehow managing to stop the sunlight getting into their eyes. Starling began to climb back down, making sure to use their Skills to make the descent as safe and quick as possible. Once they reached the ground, it didn¡¯t take very long to cross the path of one of the creatures that had been moving through the valley. It was pretty hard to miss, the ferns that made up most of the undergrowth here were pulped and torn aside. The air hung thickly with the smell of their sap which had an almost antiseptic smell to it. The large trees hadn¡¯t fared much better, bark scraped and torn, smaller trees knocked aside and uprooted. As before swarms of small flying insects gathered around the thick red sap that leaked from these rents in the trees. Whatever moved through here was large and expected everything else to get out of its way. At least it made following them pretty easy. The light was beginning to fade as the more ¡®natural¡¯ of the two suns was setting, leaving the world bathed in the strange purple light of the second sun. What filtered through to the forest floor left it seeming eerie and oddly luminescent. Some of the ferns and other plants also started to emit a light into the darkness, lighting Starling¡¯s way in a soft glow. Worried that they might need their Stamina later, Starling avoided using any of their skills while they cautiously followed the trail. As they passed any new plants they stopped to inspect them, seeing a common theme. Most were tinged with purple in some way, either in their fruit, leaves or body, and they were all tantalizingly close to recognisable. There was also a small subset of plants with a more dark red colouration to them, similar to some of the trees Starling had seen from the outlook earlier. Trying to determine what was edible and what wasn¡¯t was going to be very very dangerous. Maybe there is a skill to help with that? The path continued through the trees until it revealed a sight that had Starling stop in their tracks. Trampled and broken, right in the path of the creatures was clearly the remains of an A frame. Seeing it sent another stroke of adrenaline through Starling¡¯s body. There are definitely other people in this forest. People who really didn¡¯t have a great idea on where to build a shelter either. Starling looked around. This was a natural depression in the forest, the ground was a little looser and they had built some sort of basic shelter at the lowest point. Then this creature had bashed its way through the area. Shattered branches showed what they had created a covering from, and it looked like some sort of vine had been used as cordage. The idea wasn¡¯t bad, but the location and way it had been built.. This person was building like they had guessed what to do from tv, and everything they had done was wrong. Looking at the clearing, if they were forced to set up camp here Starling would have sighted their shelter over there, and they wouldn¡¯t have used these branches. In fact pretty much everything about this was wrong, no wonder it had fallen apart. In the back of Starling''s mind, Walt picked apart the campsites deficiencies in much harsher language. He never had suffered incompetence. [New Skill Discovered: Environmental Awareness] [Alert: Previously Inhabited Location Detected] [Analysis: Improper Site Selection, Insufficient Builder Skill, Improper Tool Use] [Foundation Aspect Resonance: Structure Remnants] [Area Status: Compromised/Unsafe] Well at least this Foundation class thing agrees with me, this was a stupid place to set up camp. Part of Starling felt pity for them, they must be pretty terrified out here, not knowing what to do and not having the same kind of training to fall back on. But another part looked at the ruined campsite and saw another reflected in its destruction, one with multiple ripped and battered tents and just as empty¡­ There was a yearning deep inside them to inspect the A-frame further, run their hands over it and see where it was flawed, to rebuild it better and stronger. This wasn¡¯t a good place to build though, and whilst they were curious about this building ability, they needed the right location first. Starling shook their head, breaking out of the reverie, Doing that too often at the moment They couldn¡¯t see any tracks of the person who had made this, even with the skill focus. Starling guessed they had probably fled in the face of the migrating creatures and wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near this area any more having learned their lesson. There were no signs of belongings or anything being left behind. Stolen novel; please report. Once Starling passed the campsite the trail began to head down and this seemed to confirm their suspicions that these creatures were heading for water. After a short period the trees started to open up a bit, letting them see further between them. This area had more ferns and they had grown a lot larger. Stepping off the path made by the creature they were following meant having to push through shoulder high ferns. The idea put Starling on edge, anything could be hiding in that foliage, they stuck to the center of the path, ready to run to a tree and use [Natural Climbing] to get up to safety should something attack them. As they went they would stop occasionally and use [Environmental Awareness] to check for anything around them. The forest remained still and quiet, apart from ahead where there was definitely some kind of disturbance. Eventually, after several hours of hiking, and Starling¡¯s thirst growing, the trees broke out to a large clearing. The purple sun had risen through the sky as Starling had hiked, and it now hung ominously above the clearing, illuminating it in a strange flat purple light. A large river ran through the space, and clustered around the water, having trampled most of the ferns around it were the creatures that had caused the devastation so far. Starling looked on in awe, it took several seconds of study, and activating [Environmental Awareness] for what they were seeing to make sense. Huge six legged monstrosities that towered over the area, some almost 2 stories tall. They slurped and trumpeted noisily over the water, each with several prehensile trunks that they used to suck up water and squirt into their mouths or grab big trunkfulls of ferns to feed on. Some of the larger ones had sharp looking barbed tusks that grew out from their mouths, shining in the purple half-light of the remaining sun. Their skin, surprisingly, seemed to be a flexible bark or chitin-like material and there even seemed to be moss and lichen growing on top of them like hair. Clustered around their feet were smaller versions of the same creatures, obviously their young, running in and out of the legs of the larger ones and splashing through the water. Starling gasped in wonder, they were like humongous multi-trunked tree elephants. Watching the little ones tromp about in the water was one of the best things they had ever seen in person. The smaller creatures used the adults to hide from each other, springing out in ambush spraying water and hooting happily. The adults seemed unconcerned by all this boisterousness, looking on at their young as they played. Occasionally a big creature would spray a huge amount of water on one of the smaller ones celebrating a successful water ambush. Starling couldn''t help but smile. Sadly all this activity meant that the water here probably wasn¡¯t suitable to drink, but if they followed it upstream they should find a source or pool that they could use as a safe drinking source. Whilst they thought about this something else struck them. If these creatures were gathered here in such numbers then they probably gather for protection, protection from what? Starling''s question was answered almost immediately as one of the mid-sized beasts wandered over to one of the few trees growing on its own in this large clearing. The creature looked up and unfurled its trunks, clearly going to reach for some of the leaves above when there was a loud cry and a shadow flung itself down from the higher branches and smashed into the ¡®head¡¯ of the tree-phalant. Starling cried out as the tree-phalant trumpeted in terror and the dark creature, some sort of gigantic crustacean attacked voraciously at the neck of its prey. It was hard to make out, it¡¯s carapace the same colour as the light from the sun but Starling couldn¡¯t miss the viscous looking claw with it¡¯s sharp point that gouged at the tree-phalant¡¯s neck. As the trumpeting continued, more of the dark violet crabs, equally hard to make out in the similar light of the one sun, detached from the tree and launched themselves through the air to land on the back of the injured creature. The other tree-phalants trumpeted in dismay, herding their children between their legs and clustering together, the largest ones looking outward, vicious prongs catching the light. The tree-phalant under attack tossed its ¡®head¡¯ and somehow managed to get its own tusk under the tree-crab, using the leverage to launch it off of its neck, spinning on the spot to dislodge others. It loudly trumpeted in anger and pain and started to stomp on the crabs that had fallen into the ferns. Starling watched in awe as this creature managed to fight off the pack of crabs, though the wounds it was taking looked severe, big rents in its bark-skin leaked that same thick looking red sap as the trees and whilst it was fighting off the crabs it was starting to slow. The rest of the tree-phalants stood and watched, only meters away. Starling wanted to urge them to help their friend, but realised with a stroke of fear they had their own problem to deal with. The largest tree-crab, flung through the air by the tree-phalant had hit the ground nearby, momentum causing it to roll on its edge through ferns. Right towards them. The creature came to a rest very close. Its limbs tucked in tight to the shell that protected its body. It quickly stood on its many horrible chitin-covered legs, thick bristly hairs sprouting around its joints. They moved with a horrible natural pneumatic action. The uncanniness of it turned Starling''s stomach, but that was nothing to the strange palp-like eyes that gleamed in the low light as it turned and regarded Starling. With a rattle of mouthparts against its carapace it scuttled towards them at high speed and raised a wicked looking claw, like a huge hammer. The other it kept tucked in, but Starling could see it was much smaller but featured a sharp looking point that it had previously been using to try and cut through the tree-phalants bark. Instinctively activating [Environmental Awareness] Starling cast around desperately for something to protect themselves with. Standing out in the brush nearby was a stout looking stick. The skill actually made it glow through the ferns so it was easy to see and Starling grabbed it without any hesitation. A notification appeared in their peripheral: [New Skill Discovered: Environmental Awareness] [Material Acquired] [Stick: Large] [Quality: Good - Foundation Aspect Boosting Material Quality] Let¡¯s go! Chapter 4: The First Foundation [Material Acquired] [Stick: Large] [Quality: Good - Foundation Aspect Boosting Material Quality] Starling roared in fear and anger and swung the stick in a large arc trying to intercept the huge claw coming down towards them. [Warning! Class restrictions prevent damaging living creatures!] [Continued attempts to harm others will result in rapid degradation of building materials!] What! The shock of the message actually saved Starling¡¯s life. The sudden large flashing warning obscuring their vision surprised them so much they awkwardly fell over, and the tree-crabs'' large club-claw crashed into the ferns where they had been standing moments before. The stick they were holding was planted in the mud next to them at an almost perfect 90 degree angle to the ground. [Foundation Established] [Would you like to set this as your first settlement?] The notifications were all encompassing and so distracting. With a shout of frustration Starling cleared them and tried to master themselves. ¡°Panic is the first step on a short journey to disaster¡±, Walt¡¯s voice echoed in their mind as they recalled their teaching ¡°First things first, always have a plan, and if you don¡¯t have a plan - improvise¡± I can¡¯t fight? And¡­ I can found a settlement?! Starling¡¯s mind raced at the implications and options, but it was too much to properly take in as they kept dodging through the ferns to avoid being crushed by the chattering crab wreaking havoc next to them. The creature rattled out a tattoo on its carapace with its mouth parts, making an intimidating hollow noise. The staccato drumming was repeated from trees in the nearby area as other crabs hidden in the murky violet un-light picked up the beat. As the crabs rumbled around them into a deafening cacophony Starling flinched and had to drop [Environmental Awareness]. The increased sensitivity made the noise painful so close to the source. Their Stamina had dropped as well, there must be some sort of link there. [Caution, damage detected. Seek shelter and safety] Starling realised they were surrounded by the creatures, there were more in the trees and ferns around them. The darker light must have brought them out of hiding. Starling looked around, desperate for a plan. The Tree-phalants tooted in the background near the water, splashing and holding their defensive huddle. With a grunt of exertion Starling pushed themselves to their feet, running and ducking past the crab. Its heavy club arm made it clumsy when it was flailing about, shifting its balance all over the place. Starling re-activated [Environmental Awareness] again. [Warning: Stamina is very Low!] They used the skill to find the best places to put their feet as they ran, the ground itself glowing softly to show the most stable footing and they raced past the creature towards the tree-phalants and one of the few trees that stood alone in the clearing. The drumming behind them grew louder as the crab gave chase, now that it could follow Starling in a straight line it was quickly gaining on them. The tree ahead loomed closer, and with a quick glance at their Stamina. [Warning: Stamina is Very Low and Draining!] Starling activated [Natural Climbing], dropping [Environmental Awareness] in an attempt to reduce the drain while they climbed. With a grunt of effort Starling jumped at the trunk. As they flew through the air the tree in front of them lit up like a Christmas tree, hand holds shining in the darkness and using these guides Starling scrambled up in the tree in seconds. The large crab reached the bottom of the tree scant moments after Starling pulled their feet up out of its reach. The crab paused and inspected the trunk curiously before it too, started to climb. The branches around Starling shifted and repeated little drumming noises, smaller versions of the large creatures echoing the noise from below. This tree was infested with smaller crabs. [Warning: Area unsuitable for construction - hostile creature infestation detected!] The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. [Warning: Stamina is at a critical level!] The tree was full of them, but the creatures were small, no bigger than Starling¡¯s hand. For now they seemed as scared of Starling as Starling was of them. Starling tried to ignore the fact that the leathery bark of the tree was warm to the touch, or that they could feel the trees need to turn into some useful structure, or aid in construction. It was a similar effect to the first time they touched that tree after waking up in the clearing but less intense. Maybe it wasn¡¯t so extreme because my Stamina is so low? Starling pushed the analytical part of their brain aside and looked down at the crab making its way up the tree. They desperately cast around for any inspiration. Starling could see the Tree-phalants about 200 yards away, most of them seemingly watching this encounter with interest. The smaller crabs swarmed around in the branches of the tree, not getting too close but slowly getting braver as time went by. There was very little time to take action, it was time to put aside careful planning and think on their feet. Stamina is low, so I can¡¯t use my skills for long, but¡­ Tapping [Environmental Awareness] for just a few seconds, and staying as still as possible Starling studied the tree. [Tree - Species Undiscovered] [Height - 18m] [Age - 47.63 Years] [Condition - Infestation of immature predator species] That was surprising, but what it also highlighted to Starling was the status of the tree''s limbs, using the same colour coding as [Natural Climbing], and one of the large branches had a flare of red where it merged with the trunk, showing that section was rotten. Dropping [Environmental Awareness], Starling switched to [Natural Climbing] and flung themselves from the crown of the tree, just as the large crab started to push through to them. I really hope this works¡­ They reached for the perfect spot on the rotten branch to grab it as they covered the gap to it over open air. Their hand -snapped- to the spot as though guided by a magnet, [Natural Climbing] guiding them to the best hand hold. Their remaining Stamina plummeted. [Caution, Stamina Drained! Further use of skills and activity will result in Health Drain!] The second their weight hit the branch it groaned and there was a half crack as it started to give way from the tree, but it held on. Starling started to swing back and forward, watching their Heath stat flashing in the corner of their view as it screamed at them to stop what they were doing and rest. Then, finally, the branch tore from the tree with a loud snap that reverberated through the night. The crab, now pushing up through the tree''s crown, saw Starling fall from the tree holding the large branch and leapt after them, claws and legs flailing as it fell. Starling dropped [Natural Climbing] and focused on the branch. Strong, sharp, a stake or a pole, please. Starling willed everything they had into the branch, their Health draining from the depth of their being. They pushed with the willpower of a survivor, the desperation of the lucky. In their hands they could feel the branch shift and flow, it was changing. Menu¡¯s floated in front of their eyes but their vision was swimming and all they could focus on was the shape descending towards them as they fell. Looking up, the crab opened its legs, spreading them out to make sure it caught them when they hit the ground. Its body blocked the light of the purple sun, making it a dark silhouette made out in purple flashes and lines. The air rushed past Starling as their vision started to narrow. They could make out sad sounding trumpets from the waters edge as they fell, and gasped as their gaze fell past the crab and up at the sky, seeing the vast star filled eternity spread out across it. If this was it, if taking risks yet again ended in disaster, what a view to go out on. [Warning: Health Critical!] Starling hit the ground with a heavy WHUMP! The ferns and soft loamy soil beneath cushioned the impact somewhat, but it still stole their breath from them. They could feel the branch in their hands wanting to snap to a specific angle against the ground, and they stopped fighting it, letting it fit into place with a satisfying feeling just as the crab was about to land. Suddenly, there was a raised, sturdy, sharpened stake in the way, and the crab landed on it with its belly, the wood strong enough to pierce the carapace and pass through, impaling the crab. Its momentum carried it so far through the stake, before stopping, its mouthparts drumming frantically, its legs and claws waggling in its confusion. Starling lay below it, just out of its reach, face pale with terror and eyes wide as they realized how close they were to disaster. Finally the movements of the impaled crab slowed and stopped, a thick blue ichor had begun to leak from the crack in the shell where the stake had broken through, the smell was pungent and reminded Starling of rotten shellfish. [Defensive Structure Deployed] [Warning: Defensive Structure Damaged by Creature attack!] [Attacking Creature Damaged by Defensive Structure] [Juvenile Arboreal Hunter-Crab Has been killed by Defensive Structure!] [New Construction Insight gained: Defensive Structures and Traps] Chapter 5: An Unexpected Kindness Starling stared up at their reflection in the black eye-palp of the dead crab creature that was only a hands-breath from their face. They looked tired, dirty, their rugged clothes were looking worn. It had only been about half a day since they arrived here and they looked like they had been through hell. The blue ichor dripping from the crab was making a hissing noise where it hit the bark and ferns beneath it, not wanting to find out if it was acidic Starling pulled themselves out from under the creature. Once they were clear they looked around for other threats but it seemed all the other crabs in the area had scampered off when this one had let out its death rattle drumming. Looking at the creature, suspended off the ground by the improvised stake they had taken from the tree, it almost looked like a weird shelter. Legs spread around its body protectively and a space underneath to rest in. With that smell and the possibility of acidic ichor though Starling didn¡¯t want to get too close. They quickly checked their stats, happy to see that now that the pressure was off and they weren¡¯t channeling skills their Stamina was recovering quickly and their Health at a slower speed. Looks like Health doesn¡¯t come back like Stamina, probably don¡¯t want to risk tapping it like that again if I can avoid it¡­ They stood for a second, slightly bent over with their hands on their knees and breathed deeply. Looking at the creature they had just defeated mostly out of pure luck. Coming that close to death, twice in one day, was an eye-opening experience and really showed how dangerous this place could be. If there are crustaceans that big on land here and those tree elephant things grow that big, what else is out there? The purple sun had swung low in the horizon, causing weird shadows to stretch over the ferns and the dead crab creature. Here is a question, does this second sun setting bring out more predators or mark the end of the hunting time for creatures here? They scanned the area for inspiration and realised the tree-phalants were still huddled in the water, watching Starling warily. Even though their Stamina had recovered, Starlings health was still showing as low, and they felt very weak and shaky on their feet. A sharp thirst rose from deep in their chest now that the immediate threat was gone and without really thinking about it, they staggered over to the waters edge - instincts at least carrying them upstream of the animals - and sank to their knees in the cold refreshing water. The water was crystal clear, the bed of the river made of long slim green and purple plants that streamered in the current. In general, Starling knew you shouldn¡¯t drink water below the treeline. Anything could have spoiled the water upstream but right now, right now, Starling didn¡¯t care. Their thirst was too strong. Cupping their hands they pulled a handful of water up to their lips and sucked it greedily into their mouth and swallowed. It tasted pure, fresh and delicious. Starling drank handful after handful until their stomach was slightly swollen and sore. A notification popped up after the first drink. [Fresh Water: HP/Stamina/¨€¨€¨€¨€ recovery increased while drinking] Starling grinned, that was great news. If they could set up near a decent water supply they could make sure they stayed healthy. Hmm, What about still water? I need to find out if water I carry has the same effect. There was movement and soft trumpeting from the tree-phalants, and one of the medium sized ones gently nudged its way out from the huddle. The other creatures touched it and draped their trunks over it as it moved past them. Starling quickly recognised the large vivid gash across its back and neck, the wound that the tree-crab had inflicted when it jumped on it from ambush. Thick red sap had hardened over the wound, sparkling as though made of crystal in the violet light of the one sun. The tree-pahalant approached Starling warily, making soft low trumpeting sounds. It stopped a trunks-length away and stepped around Starling, until it was standing between them and the shore. Then it carefully turned around, so that it¡¯s back was to them. Starling realised it was guarding them while they drank, the creature was silently offering its support while they recovered. Starling let the tension fall from their shoulders, relaxing for the first time since they were resting on the ledge in the sunlight earlier that day. Not everything here was out to get them, the fact that this wounded creature was offering its protection choked them up a little, it was such a small gesture but Starling couldn¡¯t remember anyone doing anything like that before they came here, never mind a strange animal. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For a second, everything overwhelmed them, sobs came unbidden to their throat and in moments they were crying into their hands. The pressure of surviving, the decision to stay in the tower, the experience that has kept them alive since they got here but was also the catalyst that took them down the road to that fire. It crashed through them like a heavy dark wave and threatened to wash them away in grief and fear. Gasping for breath, wiping tears and snot from their face they tried to calm down, but there was so much to process it was overwhelming. Starling wasn¡¯t sure how long they stayed there, crouched in the water, crying and gasping for breath. It wasn¡¯t until a gentle, tentative touch on their shoulder shocked them out of their introspection that they came back to themselves. The tree-phalant at the shore had crept closer when they had been crying, and it had reached out to touch them with one of its trunks. It was surprisingly soft, the barklike skin much smoother and more flexible than on its flanks. This close, the creature smelled of moss and wood bark. A fresh smell that went well with the spices on the wind and the sound of the water flowing by. Starling stood carefully and turned around to face the creature, looking up at it towering over them. The trunk fell from their shoulder as they turned and the tree-phalant made a soft trumpet. It reached out again and awkwardly patted them on the top of the head, trunk heavy and warm as it ruffled their hair. There was a moment of eye contact, Starling finally noticing big sad eyes peering through curtains of lichen around its head. Then it moved away, carefully picking through the water to rejoin the herd, who all reached out to touch it in the same way it had reached for Starling in their moment of need. It was an experience that they knew they would never ever forget. They watched it rejoin the herd and felt a strange jealousy grow deep inside them. That creature clearly belonged there. Its family and friends were there to support it now that it was injured. Starling felt a growing, overpowering need to move away from this place, from that thought. They took a final sip of water, splashed more over their face and hair, and then started to step back to shore. They needed to find a spot nearby that was safe to build a shelter. Not too close but walking distance. It needed to be somewhere the crabs couldn¡¯t get at them too easily, and they needed to be able to rest without being disturbed or getting into danger. Not wanting to encounter anymore tree-crabs or tree-phalants Starling moved away from the trampled and obvious routes the herd arrived at the riverside by. Approaching the darker and slightly more foreboding intact forest it became quickly obvious that there were other paths here that maybe weren¡¯t so obvious from their spot above the canopy. [Skill Level Increased: Wilderness Navigation has reached Novice] [Primary Attribute: Intelligence] [Your ability to read the wilderness grows more sophisticated] New Capabilities: [Note: Higher Intelligence attribute improves pattern recognition] [Note: Skill synergizes with Environmental Awareness] Starling was surprised when the notification appeared, but activated [Wilderness Navigation] and smiled to themselves when the paths they had noticed ahead of them started to glow, marking themselves easy to follow. Starling ducked into the trees and started to follow a path, trying to aim for a generally uphill direction of travel. The path was easy enough to pass along, with their upgraded [Wilderness Navigation] making it easier to pick through the underbrush. The light was waning, the second sun clearly almost set. Whilst the purple tinged ferns and moss on the trees were luminescent, Starling was keen to find somewhere to rest before it got much later. They stopped and crouched down, channeling [Environmental Awareness]: [Dual Skill Activation: Increased Detail Available] With both skills being activated, Starling felt their Stamina draining at an alarming rate, but the payoff was impressive. The simple trails pulsed with life, showing the directions and giving an indication of size of the last creatures that passed through, like ripples in the air telling the story of each one. Intersections in the path stood out, some pulsing from constant use and others fading away from abandonment. The Stamina drain came from processing all this information, it was overwhelming, but Starling could take it in if they didn¡¯t let it run for too long. As they examined the web of life this revealed around them, their attention was drawn to a set of tracks unlike the others. Heavy treads broke and crushed the plants rather than passing through them easily. It took Starling a second but they realised these were their tracks, from when they first arrived. They must have woken up much closer to the water than they had anticipated. The clearing they had originally woken up in must be close, maybe it was a safe spot to set up camp? Making use of their skills, but not letting their Stamina fall below half full, they carefully and quietly moved through the undergrowth, arriving at the clearing from before. The instant recognition was a great feeling, making Starling almost feel like they had arrived home. That only lasted an instant however, before they noticed just how much the clearing had changed since that morning. Chapter 6: The Second Site With the second purple sun having set as Starling moved deeper into the woods most of the forest was dark save a low luminescent half-light. This clearing, however, glowed with a soft welcoming radiance it was a warming and comfortable light, and it surprised Starling that it hadn¡¯t really been visible until they breached the curtain of vines that now surrounded the open space.Those vines wreathed the trees surrounding the small open space and they were the ones radiating the soft gentle light, only inwards it seemed, and barely any escaped out into the forest surrounding the clearing. Starling stood stunned, utterly shocked by the transformation of the tree they had touched that morning. What the hell has happened here, if I didn¡¯t have the skills to prove it to me I wouldn¡¯t think this was the same place¡­ Touching the tree after waking had been a wild experience, swiftly forgotten with everything else that had happened that day. The tree, it seemed, had not forgotten and the dramatic alteration to it¡¯s appearance was something Starling¡¯s mind was tripping over in an attempt to comprehend. How did this happen? Who did this? Is the forest alive? Are the trees able to read my thoughts? What the hell is going on here? This isn¡¯t natural this is insane! The gnarled roots at its base had untangled themselves, stretching up and out from the base of the tree, lifting the trunk up from the ground. They now formed a sort of hollow under the tree, with the roots forming a loose open wall all the way around apart from on one side where an opening led inside. The roots were now draped in foliage, with ferns and vines that illuminated the inside of the space through the gaps in the roots. From where Starling was standing the inside looked dry and inviting, with dry leaves making a floor to keep away the dirt. The leathery trunk of the tree had changed as well. A groove now ran down the outside of it, a deep channel that spiraled around the outside of the tree. Starling spotted the glisten of water running down it and hear the soft burbling of fresh water flowing down a slope. Looking up, they saw how the branches and leaves had changed to channel rain water down into the groove that circled the trunk until it vanished into the under area of the tree. It was exactly like the image that had flashed in their mind that morning. The tree had become what Starling had seen, and it was now a safe, warm place to rest, with fresh water on demand. I.. I don¡¯t understand what has happened here¡­ Is this the foundation power? Can it do all of this? Unattended? [Warning: Foundation Aspect Manifestation] [Anomalous Interaction Detected] [Structure Exhibiting Unexpected Development] [Intense Psychological Discomfort May Trigger Unexpected Manifestations] This clearing felt safe and looked beautiful, but it was extremely unnerving. They took in more details, like how the ferns had all changed their orientation to make a pleasing spiral. They leaned inward towards the tree, the effect was eerie if you looked for too long and it made Starlings back itch if they concentrated on the layers of the spiraling ferns for too long. Shaking their head to clear the feeling, Starling strode boldly over to the entrance to the shelter and ducked inside, curious at what they would find. The hollow under the tree smelt of wood shavings and sap, it was a clean and safe smell, reminding them of campsites, workshops and the beginnings of adventures, the good times before things go wrong. In the hollow was a bowl built from tightly packed roots, the water from the spiral outside drained into it, with the overflow running down the back of it through a channel and out of the shelter - keeping the floor dry. There were a couple of raised wooden flat areas, somewhere to sleep off the floor, and at the far end a sort of desk with¡­ Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Things other people have left. Starling froze, their feeling of discomfort growing exponentially, stealing all the warmth from their flesh. It was clear that other people had been here during the day, that they had found this place and come inside here, put things¡­ it made Starlings skin crawl and without realising what they were doing they started to channel [Environmental Awareness] to make sure they were alone. They crouched in silence for several tense minutes, making sure nothing else was alive nearby. Once Starling was absolutely certain nobody was around they crept carefully further into the shelter, curious as to what was lying on the bench, Someone had left a small pile of jerky on the wood surface, and there were notes scratched above it into the trunk (now highlighted by red sap). ¡°Take what you need, I can bring back more tomorrow - Jeff" "Jason, we headed West, use the double peaked mountain to mark North!" ¡°Woke up here with this weird tree, whats going on?¡± ¡°If you wake up here, take shelter in this tree and I will send one of my group around every morning to pick you up - Jeff again¡± Starling felt their breath catch in their throat. This was too much. There must be people everywhere! They couldn¡¯t let them get too close, that would cause problems, people might get hurt. They had to get out of here. Starling started to back away, no longer really noticing the other small things left by other people. Grabbing a couple of pieces of jerky when their hunger momentarily overcame their caution they turned and ran, bursting from the hollow and straight out into the darkness of the forest. Starling ran blindly through the undergrowth skills forgotten, tree trunks looming out of the dim luminescence forcing them to dodge and duck at the last moment again and again. In their head they ran their checklist over and over. High Ground, Water, Shelter, Food I need to find shelter. It took them several minutes, but repeating the checklist, going over what they had done that day, and focussing on the next thing they needed to do gradually let them slow down and stop blindly charging into danger. Starling put out their hand and leant against a tree, no longer quite as perturbed by the texture of the bark or the warmth to the touch. They panted for breath, scanning around for anything dangerous but it was quiet. They tried to ignore the fact that they hadn¡¯t used any of their skills during that charge, that they could have run into something dangerous at any moment and not been in any position to defend themselves. Stupid! Stupid! You could have fallen, you could have run into a branch or a predator, you don¡¯t know where you are. You are the worst survivalist ever. Who runs from a safe place to sleep into the unknown? Who runs from an offer of help?! Finally they stopped berating themselves and looked at where they had ended up. As they had been running, the ground had been steadily leading them up the hill and the forest had opened up as they rose above the general tree line. Before them was an open hillside that pinged a couple of their survival instincts, stopping them in their tracks. A natural rise provided good drainage and clear sightlines down the slope. Three of the leathery trees native to the forest grew together to the back of the rise, their trunks and thick canopies making for an effective natural windbreak. But what really caught Starling¡¯s attention was the strange regularity peeking through the ferns. After being in a natural environment for so long even the hint of a right angle and a straight line really stood out. Moving closer, carefully, Starling knelt to brush away what ferns covering whatever was hidden. Doing so revealed ancient stonework, picked out in geometric patterns. Starling¡¯s hand tingled faintly as it made contact with the stone. Something about this place felt incredibly right, even though they couldn¡¯t put why into words. Was it possible my skills had somehow led me here during their dash from the other clearing without needing to use them? The practical part of their mind cataloged all the survival advantages of this place, now registering a small spring that burbled up around the edge of the stonework, a small depression capturing it before it trickled out to the hillside. There was a small pile of branches near the stone, almost as if they had been gathered and deposited here. Starling looked around and picked one up. This time, they would build properly. See what this power could do with careful purpose and control. No more accidents. This was going to be a safe place for them to return to. Somewhere they could control. Chapter 7: Foundations of Control Starling took a big deep breath, the faint antiseptic air mixing with the distant tang of spices reminding them just how alien and strange this place was. They took a second to look inwards, to take stock of how they felt, activating [Physical Assessment] without even thinking. With their eyes closed, the skill projected an image of their body into their mind, showing them how tired and worn down they were. I already knew that, but it¡¯s nice to know I wasn¡¯t confusing something more serious for tiredness. It had been a long, strange, frightening and oddly wonderful day. Thoughts of their ¡®death¡¯, their strange stats and how close they had come to dying were being avoided with a conscious effort. I just need a good sleep, to feel rested and I can properly take it all in. As they thought about shelter, their mind drifted to a warm memory, hints of sourness at its edges. Walt stood in front of a slightly younger, more naive Starling in a forest clearing with a group of other familiar people. In front of each of them were piles of branches, rope and tarp. The people standing around Starling were out of focus in the memory, edited out. The only things that were clear were Walt and the tools and items in front of Starling. The memory was strong with feeling, and Starling had to accept it all to let it sit comfortably in their mind. Pride, fondness, excitement as well as shame, remorse and regret all flooded through them in a way that they really hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. ¡°Alright folks,¡± he rumbled in his deep voice, bushy mustache vibrating as he spoke. The voice made the hairs on Starling¡¯s arms rise as more emotions, harder to name and accept added to the tide the memory was bringing in. ¡°This is it, if you want to sleep somewhere dry and reasonably warm tonight, you are going to have to build your own shelter. I am not doing it for you.¡± Starling felt smug, sure of themself. They knew what to do here. It was literally page one of the survival guide ¡®Building a shelter for your first night¡¯. Without much hesitation, Starling began to go through the wood in front of them, looking for straight and strong but flexible branches and putting aside any that hinted of rot or damp. This was better, they could focus on the task at hand and the memories'' emotional side wouldn¡¯t be as strong. At the same time as they did this in the memory, Starling knelt and started to go through the branches that were lying here on the rise, sorting them in the same way quickly but methodically, in a manner born from experience. It swiftly became apparent that some of these branches were ¡®better¡¯ than others. Because they were sorting them quickly, no status messages were appearing, but some of the branches felt warm to the touch, and invariably these were the straightest, the strongest and the ones in the best condition. It didn¡¯t take long for Starling to have quickly sorted the pile into two stacks of viability. ¡°Already some of you are leaping ahead. Remember, a blind leap can lead to disaster, what do you need to do before you start building?¡± Walt¡¯s voice broke through Starling excitement and brought them to the present. Drainage, Wind Protection. The site is as important as the shelter itself. Drainage was already taken care of, being on a rise meant that any water would head downhill without sitting and getting stagnant, the small spring here was already routed down and around the strange stones. Starling did a quick careful scout of the clearing, using [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] together to confirm that the ground was solid, that there were no hidden creatures or dangers. Interesting to note, there weren¡¯t any recent tracks through this clearing at all either. That meant that nothing was coming here to drink from the spring, and that whomever had left the pile of branches didn¡¯t seem to be coming back for them. Starling picked a dry, flat and sturdy spot near the trees, using them as a natural windbreak. There was a good view down the gentle slope from here. The only direction they couldn¡¯t see was past the trees and uphill, but anything coming from that direction would need to come around them, so it wasn¡¯t the biggest vulnerability. Feeling confident, they felt their mind go back to Walt¡¯s lesson. ¡°All right, let¡¯s see how sensible you all are¡± In Starling¡¯s mind¡¯s eye Walt wandered around this new campsite, the memory combining with what was actually happening in the real world. Walt started near the spring ¡°Carter? Are you planning on swimming tonight? That''s what''s going to happen if you keep building here.¡± He wandered over to another spot, near the trees but further over from where Starling had sighted their potential camp. ¡°Rameriez, why are you building under a dead branch? You don¡¯t want to wake up tomorrow?¡± Walt continued around the space, pointing out issues with every student''s placement. Finally he approached the space Starling had picked out. They swelled with pride in anticipation of his approval. ¡°Good spot Starling, high ground, wind protection¡­ But what¡¯s going to happen when the spring swells? Look at where the water collects, see how it routes around the stones currently? See those marks on them? Those are water marks. Remember that water always finds the path of least resistance, that spring gets bigger.¡± Starling stopped in shock, they were sure this was the perfect place to build but the memory of Walt was correct, and subconsciously they had flagged the issue. If they wanted to build a shelter here, at some point they were going to have to shore up the spring a little, to make sure that their new camp didn¡¯t flood. At the back of their mind they felt their [Environmental Awareness] skill grow a little. [Skill Level Increased: Environmental Awareness has reached Intermediate] [Primary Attribute: Focus] [Your understanding of environmental patterns deepens] New Capabilities: [Note: Past experience enhances pattern recognition] [Note: Skill synergizes with Wilderness Navigation] Taking the notes from Walt¡¯s memory into account, Starling slightly moved their planned building spot to somewhere further from the stream''s flood zone. They would at some point put a permanent fix in place but now distance would be their safety. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Walt continued his lesson as they worked. ¡°Alright, you all have a reasonably good site to start construction. Now you need to put together a shelter that will keep you warm, safe and out of the elements. Light is fading, and the temperature is dropping, so you can¡¯t take too long with this.¡± While Walt spoke Starling followed the instructions in their memory. Two of the branches were stripped of smaller growth and leaves and planted firmly in the ground. Starling was surprised how easy this was. The ground became soft and pliable as they pressed the end of the pole against it, making it easy to sink it in until it reached the required depth, then just as Starling was about to let go the pole became ¡®locked¡¯ into position, no longer easy to move at all. The other support pole behaved in the same way. Starling felt that they could remove these poles if they wanted to, but without a conscious effort to do so they would stay in place. [New Skill Discovered: Basic Construction] [Primary Attribute: Intelligence] [The foundation of all shelter lies in proper support] [Note: Foundation Aspect greatly enhances effectiveness] [Note: Skill synergizes with Environmental Awareness] The locking mechanism is precise - like setting a tent pole but with perfect placement. Could be incredibly useful for emergency shelters. Starling paused, a big difficult thought pushing its way through to the front of their mind. If I can control it like this, rather than it running wild with no direction¡­ Maybe I can build things that help other people without having to.. Without needing to be there when they use them. The thought hit Starling like a physical blow. Their body reacted instantly, survival instincts kicking in before conscious thought could catch up. [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] activated simultaneously, an unconscious response scanning for threats, for escape routes, for... what? There was no danger here except the thoughts in their own head. Their heart hammered against their ribs, palms instantly slick with sweat, face flushed and burning. The same feelings as that day, when decisions and responsibility had... No. They forced the memory back down. But the thought lingered, refusing to be dismissed. Building things that could help people, but from a safe distance. No direct contact. No immediate responsibility. No chance of... failure. With a deep breath they clamped down on their response, slowing their heart, tempering their breathing. They carefully checked the support poles they had just planted in the earth, the ritual of inspection, confirmation and marking off a task grounding them once again. Their heart stilled. Their breath calmed. Peace returned. Starling reflected back on the clearing they had fled earlier. All the wild changes that had occurred, how unnatural it had looked but how natural it had felt. The signs of habitation and visitation. At the end of the day it was a safe place for people to rest¡­ How could it be a bad thing for anyone? Me included? The thought hung there, Starling unable to form an answer, until Walt pulled them back into their work through the memory. The two poles that Starling had stripped and planted had been picked because of the ¡®Y¡¯ shape their branches had made at one end of each These made a good place to set a cross pole once they had been properly sited. Starling came back to the present to see that these two shapes had changed since the poles had been set, both increasing in size and featuring a smooth groove to lay a cross pole into. Walt resumed speaking as Starling walked back to the pile for the cross pole candidate pile they had made earlier. ¡°Ok, now that you have your site, you have your supports, you need a good solid pole to act as a brace for your cover. This needs to be a dry, unrotten piece of wood, make sure you inspect it carefully - the last thing you want is for your shelter to collapse on you in the middle of the night.¡± Normally, Starling would take the wood and run it through a series of tests to check its strength, bend, health¡­ but just holding it they knew it was perfect. Or it *would* be perfect. Even as they held it in their hand the branch was subtly changing, getting straighter and smoother. On a whim Starling wrapped their hand around the top of the branch and pulled it gently down it, as they did the outer bark peeled away easily, revealing the wood beneath to be somehow naturally protected in a sheath of the red amber. [Foundation Aspect Resonating] [Material Enhancement Detected] [Natural Optimization in Progress] Analysis: [Note: Foundation Aspect responds to conscious direction] [Warning: Materials may continue to improve over time] Starling marveled at the resin coated pole and the System Message it had triggered. Working with the System, to create somewhere safe, was working really well. They were not surprised when they found the pole was the perfect size and shape to fit the ¡®Y¡¯ shaped holders, snapping into position and locking there with a fizz of their power. The rest of the shelter came together quickly, Starling walked through the familiar steps of arranging the purple tinged leaves of the branches that still had them over one side for the frame at an angle so there was space underneath to crawl into and hide from the elements. Again the branches seemed to flow into each other, the leaves melding into their neighbours once they were locked in and creating a properly waterproof roof. ¡°Now remember, this isn¡¯t a permanent shelter. Don¡¯t get lazy and rely on it to keep you warm, dry and safe long term. Always be planning ahead. Always be preparing for the next challenge. You need water, food and shelter, in that order. So make sure you are looking ahead and deciding on your next steps.¡± Walt was pacing around the strange carved stones as he lectured, driving home his points with his fist smacking his palm. Starling yawned wearily. Putting this together had taken a lot out of them. Without fully realising it they had set aside a stick that served as a makeshift broom and they used to sweep the area under the Shelter free of dirt. Once it was clear they crawled into the space, snuggling into the enclosed area. As their eyes grew heavy, Starling noticed how the geometric patterns in the ancient stones seemed to glow faintly in the purple twilight. That¡¯s strange, I have never seen stones glow like that. I wonder¡­ Starling¡¯s thoughts were derailed by a yawn and they curled up tighter in their little shelter. Unlike their first shelter, this one felt... contained. Controlled. Their power hadn''t run wild, hadn''t tried to create more than they intended. Maybe it was the old stonework around them, or maybe they were learning to direct their abilities better. They should check their status screen, examine everything that had happened today properly... but exhaustion was winning. Their last thought before sleep took them was how the stones'' patterns reminded them of the way their power had locked the branches together, as if they were somehow speaking the same language. Then, Starling drifted off into a deep, heavy sleep, exhausted body finally winning the battle against their mind and pulling it into a restful unconscious. Chapter 8: Status Update Starling woke to the sound of rain hitting the tin roof of their tower. The sounds made them smile, rain meant a quiet morning where they could stay in bed and not feel guilty. After a couple of seconds of self indulgence they realised the sound wasn¡¯t right, and then their memory came flooding back in a deluge of emotion and imagery, washing away the sleepy feeling and replacing it with one of mild concern. They weren¡¯t in their tower, they were in a shelter, dry and warm after setting it up during the previous night. In fact, dry, warm and comfortable. Starling opened their eyes slowly, surprised to find a warm, reddish light was filtering through the leaves above them,. The drumming noise they were hearing was rain on their shelter roof, which was now coated in a thin layer of the red crystalised sap that was common to most plants here. It had sealed with the leaves of the branches overnight while they slept making for a water and windproof roof under which they were now lying. This layer had trapped their body heat, making the shelter warm and comfortable to be inside. As Starling lay on what had been hastily swept ground yesterday they realised there was a softness against their bare skin, and their joints weren¡¯t sore and stiff from lying on hard ground. In fact the ground had molded and shaped itself to Starling¡¯s sleeping position while they slept, and a strange unknown moss had grown around and under them, cushioning them and stopping the ground from leeching their body heat. [Foundation Aspect: Temporary Site Ascended to Permanent] [Local ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Link Established] [Convergence Point Resonance Initiated] [Trait Unlocked: Site Attunement] - Always aware of direction and distance to established sites Wow, who needs a compass? Starling could feel the trait already. Home was now *here* and they could feel it in the same way that they knew their fingers were all on their hands. It was part of them in a way that felt like it had always been part of them. On that note, I should probably actually look at my status screen or whatever, in detail. Starling took a deep breath and called up the Status screen, selecting the mental option for the full detailed list. Their vision cascaded with information, and it took a coulple of seconds to assimilate what they were seeing and start to digest it. [Name: Starling] [Level: Beginner] [Status: Alive - Rested] [Core Stats] [Health: Full (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Health Details from being displayed) [¨€¨€¨€¨€: ¨€¨€¨€ (Warning, current class restrictions prevent full ¨€¨€¨€¨€ Details from being displayed)] [Stamina: Full (Warning, class restrictions prevent full Stamina Details from being displayed)] [Class: Convergence Point] [Aspect Manifesting: Foundation] [Additional Aspects: ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€] [Primary Focus: Create stable foundations for future growth] [Warning: This Class has Action Restrictions] [Status: Active/Developing] [Note: Structures naturally improve over time] [Current Known Limitations: Cannot harm living creatures] [Hidden Potential: ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€] [Traits Unlocked: Site Attunement] [Core Attributes] (Detailed View) [Physical:] [Strength: 8 (Base)] [Agility: 12 (+2 from past experiences)] [Endurance: 11 (+1 from past experiences)] [Dexterity: 13 (+1 from past experiences)] Good well rounded physical stats. If this really was a video game I think it would probably lean into some sort of sneaky acrobatic character rather than a sword swinging adrenaline fueled murder hobo. [Mental:] [Intelligence: 14 (+2 from professional training)] [Wisdom: 8 (-2 Compromised by past experiences)] [Focus: 15 (+3 from past experiences)] [Negative Effects:] Hyperfixation and Sensory Overload? How come my most developed and powerful stats have downsides? Surely the bigger the number the better right? [Creativity: 12 (+1 from personal interests)] Emotional: If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [Willpower: 16 (+4 from past experience)] Negative Effects: Destructive Persistence? Suppression Response? Why am I being punished for being good at what I do? Masking trauma? Who am I hiding it from exactly? I¡¯m on my own here aren¡¯t I? [Trust: 6 (-2 Compromised by past experiences)] [Empathy: 8 (-2 Compromised by past experiences)] [Leadership: 7 (-2 Compromised by past experiences)] ----- [Active Skills] [Purpose: Create. Build. Improve.] [Note: Mental state directly influences attribute effectiveness] [Warning: Some attributes locked by psychological barriers] [Opportunity: Personal growth may unlock restricted potential] Starling read through the statistics floating in front of them. Proud of the Physical and Mental attributes. It was when they got to the Emotional ones that the world flipped on them. Leadership: 7 (-2 Compromised) Compromised¡­ Compromised¡­ ---- ¡°Would you say that your operation was compromised, Starling?¡± The harsh white light from the bulbs overhead flooded the nearly empty sterile room with a flat ugly light. The Air Conditioning was up too high, making it feel cold, unfriendly and the hair on Starlings arms stood up. It made the air taste stale and old. The seat Starling was sitting in was hard and unyielding, the metal cold to the touch, they were sure it was lower than the ones the people across from them were sitting on as well, forcing Starling to look up at them across the room. Their faces were hard to make out, somehow shadowed even in the harsh light. All except for Dr Chen. Starling gripped their hands together tightly under the table. Dr Chen leaned forward, and Starling realised they were waiting for an answer. ¡°I followed protocol.¡± Starling was startled at the tone of their reply. Argumentative, defensive, spat out like something that tasted foul. Dr Chen sat back and raised their eyebrows behind their glasses. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I asked.¡± She looked down at the pad in front of her and wrote a note, pen scraping loudly across the paper in the quietness of the room. The only other sound was the hum of the air circulation. Starling gripped their hands tighter. Someone else leaned forward, the face of Captain Walsh revealed itself. The wise old expert looked concerned, his face creased into a frown. His usually clean shaven face showed several days worth of stubble growth. ¡°Starling, your team trusted your judgement.¡± Starling bit back a reply and took a breath. ¡°That was their mistake.¡± The frown on the captain¡¯s face deepened. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Before Starling could reply there was a loud scraping noise as another of the shadowed figures stood up abruptly, revealing the young face of Lt Rameriez, their once friend and member of the same training cadre. Starlings hands were hurting from gripping so tight. ¡°Walk us through your decision process¡± Martinez barked. ¡°I followed protocol. I deferred to senior judgement. I was wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong about following protocol?¡± ¡°Wrong about trusting judgement over instinct.¡± Captain Walsh leaned forward again and put up a hand to stop Rameriez saying anything else. ¡°Your technical decisions during the operation were sound,¡± he said, almost kindly. ¡°Technical decisions don¡¯t bring people home.¡± Starling replied acidly. A flash of pain brought Starling back to the present, they were gripping their hands so tightly they had cramped up. Suddenly they were back in the shelter, nestled in the moss, safe and warm from the rain. ¡°Crap.¡± I thought I had pushed that right down. Damn it, I can¡¯t go back to having panic attacks and thinking about that damn tribunal all the time. That mission. Starling opened and closed their cramped hands, making fists and then relaxing them to try and shake off both the physical pain and the memory. The rain continued its steady drumming on the crystallized sap above a noise that would be comforting if they had a blanket, cup of coffee and a book. Speaking of coffee, Starling realised they were famished. Water was easy to deal with but food was a problem they hadn¡¯t solved yet. Reaching into their pocket they took out the jerky they had stolen from the clearing last night, remembering guiltily they had snatched it right as they had left. Delicious, old gamey dry meat. What I wouldn¡¯t give for some cereal and fresh orange juice right now. The meat was hard, chewy, salty. Starling could feel the fibers catch in their teeth and they grimaced, knowing that working those offending pieces out could take days without a proper way to care for their teeth. Another thing to add to the list, a toothbrush - and floss. With a wry smile they forced them to roll out of the cosy hollow under their shelter, marveling at how comfortable it was. Already looking forward to getting back in there at the end of the day. Starling thought back to the last time they had slept in a shelter like that, how cold the ground had been and how stiff and sore their joints had felt when they had woken from what had been a sleep of exhaustion rather than comfort. In comparison the bed of moss was like sleeping in a hotel for the night. If this was how their powers manifested in a basic shelter, how would they contribute to an actual hut? Already their mind was working, it looked like they would be stuck in this strange place for the foreseeable future, so it made sense to start planning a more suitable structure. Hopefully they could find some flint or other sharp rock to split and use as an axe, they could cut and dry some of the strange leathery wood and see how it would do for logs. Judging by this strange resinous sap they might dry very quickly if left off the ground and out of the rain. Their stomach rumbled, reminding them that all they had eaten since beans on toast was a handful of gamey jerky. They needed to find some food and find a way to make it sustainable. At least I have fresh water. Starling knelt down and scooped some of the absolutely crystal clear water out of the natural mossy bowl that held it near the strange inscribed stones. It was ice cold, but delicious, and extremely refreshing. Ok, it doesn¡¯t beat orange juice but damn that is pretty close. Starling cast an appraising eye over down hillside while they supped on handfuls of fresh water. The golden familiar style sun was cresting the top of the mountain, and it seemed like this slope was going to get the best of its light for at least the morning, if not the whole day. For a second Starling saw the whole side of the hill covered in small fields, growing different vegetables. If I could find some edible plants, maybe a garden isn¡¯t a bad idea. Not that I have ever managed to keep a plant alive before, at least not one that wasn¡¯t made of little plastic pieces that fit together. It was a nice image, something to work towards, then their concentration was interrupted. As a noise cut through the still morning air, something that Starling had heard before.Someone was screaming for help, down in the woods below. Chapter 9: Shadow and Sap Without really thinking, Starling activated [Environmental Awareness] eyes sweeping the canopy for any sign of where the disturbance was coming from. Their hearing sharpened and they instantly knew the rough location of the noise. It¡¯s that way, somewhere downhill and to the ¡®East¡¯ if I stick with the names I gave the mountains yesterday. Now that they had a location, their training snapped into action. Goading them to get moving in the direction of the noise. Most people, hearing someone screaming like that, would move away, too scared that whatever is happening to the other person might happen to them, but Starling¡¯s training had been thorough, and a big part of that was responding to a cry for help. Their feet moved before their mind had a chance to protest, before that traitorous voice deep inside could whisper ¡®stay away¡¯, before they could think about the last time they had rushed in headfirst to respond to a cry for help. They took off at a sprint down the gentle slope, crashing through the calf high ferns that mostly covered the ground. The treeline met them quickly, and they slowed a little as they passed into the darker forest, careful where to put their feet, remembering to use [Wilderness Navigation] to pick the best path through the trees, following the natural flow through the forest rather than fighting for a new path. They flashed through the undergrowth, picking up speed again as their natural caution was overridden by the confidence that the skill gave them. It felt like their feet knew exactly where to land, that they were able to duck and weave to dodge every branch as they sped across the forest floor. Despite the danger, and the plight of the person ahead Starling let out a whoop of excitement. The thrill of moving through the forest like this filling them with joy. It felt good to run at full tilt, with no cares or worries, just moving with purpose and power to a destination. The spiced air burned in their lungs as they took deep breaths, the ferns whipped against their legs, some letting up clouds of spores that swirled in the air as they passed. They felt the warm leathery bark of the trees as they braced and pushed off them, carving a path through the forest like a ship through a reef. It felt so right, so correct to use the skill like this. Their laughter grew as they indulged in this new power, this new ability they had unlocked. The laughter faded abruptly when they suddenly came upon the site of the commotion and they halted with a start at what they saw.. A man was lying against a tree trunk, a crude wooden spear lay shattered in pieces that lay across his lap. Other whole spears lay in a small pile next to him. Starling saw in an instant that they were badly made. Crooked and unfinished, they were sharp sticks more than spears. The man''s head was hanging down over his chest and he was bleeding heavily from a wound to his upper body. Standing over him was a dark figure that made Starling instantly uncomfortable.Iit was strangely hard to make out, some sort of humanoid with too many limbs. The creature was holding a weapon that Starling couldn¡¯t define the silhouette of. The creature and its weapon seemed wreathed in shadow, the light bending and blending around it. It was flat and texturless, like a hole in the world. Without [Environmental Awareness] cranked as hard as they could push it Starling would have struggled to see it at all. [Environmental Awareness Blocked] [Unknown Entity Detected] [Warning: Interference Pattern Detected] [Warning: Multiple Skills Active] [Stamina Drain Rate: Elevated] The creature startled at Starling¡¯s appearance and with a glance down at the man, turned and faded quickly away from them, Starling didn¡¯t see it¡¯s legs move, one second it was there and then it faded into the distance. Starling stood terrified for a second, whatever that was, whatever had been there had been wrong in a way that they had never ever encountered before. The tree-crab had been terrifying because of the physical violence it could mete out, a visible visceral threat but whatever had been here a second ago¡­ Starling shuddered and almost melted away into the trees themself, but just as their nerve started to fray the man coughed and groaned, blood bubbling from his lips. I need to administer first aid, If I don¡¯t do anything he is dead. He looked so feeble, so broken. Starling guessed he would stand over 6ft, broad shouldered and proud but this injury had felled him like a tree. He was wearing what looked like a postal workers uniform,, he even had a satchel at his side. His clothes were dirty and marked though, and he had a cloak woven from what looked like leaves and cord over his shoulder. I can¡¯t leave him, but this looks really bad. That is a huge amount of blood he is losing at a rapid rate. With a start Starling remembered their [Physical Assessment] skill and quickly activated it, hoping it would help determine what was wrong with him. ¡°Diagnosis is your most important skill when dealing with physical trauma in the wild. Move the wrong person, perform the wrong steps and you could kill them rather than help them. Assess, Identify, then act!¡± Walt¡¯s words rose in their mind unbidden, another lesson. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Starling hadn¡¯t used [Physical Assessment] on anyone else before, and wasn¡¯t sure how the skill would manifest. They were pleasantly surprised when the man''s wounds were instantly highlighted in the same way as the climbing holds. [Physical Assessment Active] [Prior First Response Training Enhancing Feedback] Sections of his torso started to pulse a bright red, indicating actively bleeding puncture wounds. His lips were highlighted in blue, showing his declining temperature and lowering blood oxygen levels. His whole body was highlighted in orange, indicating to Starling in a strangely instinctive manner that moving him would be a mistake. Ok, we have deep penetrating wounds on the torso, and he is coughing up blood. Worst case scenario we have a punctured lung. Starling cast about, uselessly, looking for inspiration. Patting empty pockets like they would magically find bandages or a hospital trauma center. I have neither the skills or the tools to treat a punctured lung! But if I don¡¯t do anything this man is going to die¡­ I can¡¯t let that happen¡­ Not again! Starling started with the basics, tearing his shirt to access the wounds and look at them, whatever it was that had made them had left a pattern of four penetrations on the man''s tanned skin. Thick dark blood was oozing from them and Starling could feel that they didn¡¯t have very long to do something to save this stranger''s life. Getting desperate, Starling activated [Environmental Awareness] shocked to find there was a skill synergy while also using [Physical Assessment]. [Skill Synergy Discovered!] [Environmental Awareness + Physical Assessment = Natural Medicine Detection] The forest around them suddenly erupted with new information. Several plants nearby glowed faintly, an indication that they might help but that they weren¡¯t powerful or urgent enough as an option. [New Skill Discovered: Natural Medicine Detection] [Primary Attribute: Wisdom] [Nature provides remedies for those who know where to look] Capabilities: [Note: Requires careful testing for safety at low levels] [Note: Skill synergizes with Environmental Awareness] Starling could feel their Stamina plummet, they couldn¡¯t keep this up for long or they would be in serious danger of tapping their Health like when they defeated the crab. They looked around again, suddenly realising that the tree behind the man was pulsing a dark heavy red. Potent. Powerful. Dangerous. Starling¡¯s memory flashed up images of the red sap leaking from the trees, the tree-phalant¡¯s wounds coated in a thick red crystalline amber. They looked down at the man in front of them. His breathing was shallow, his face pale, he really didn¡¯t have long to go. He¡¯s dead anyway, I don¡¯t have the tools I need to help him. My skills are telling me this is extremely dangerous but if it could help him, even if it stopped the bleeding for now. Crap if anyone caught me doing what I am about to do they would kick me out all over again. They would re-enroll me just to kick me out with prejudice! Starling hesitated a moment, then with their Stamina almost completely drained they grabbed the sharp end of the broken spear lying on his hip and scraped it across the bark of the tree. A thick ugly scar opened in its flesh and then seconds later the thick red sap started to ooze out. Acting on instinct Starling poked the sharp end of the spear tip into the sap and then brought it down on the wound, pressing it to the nasty punctures on the dying man''s chest. There was a hot sounding sizzle and the smell of burning meat and hair filled the air. The man cried out, arms jerking into the air for a second. He whimpered loudly, hands falling to the ground limply as he fell back into unconsciousness. With barely any Stamina left Starling gave him a look over with [Physical Assessment], terrified they have just spattered a dying man with what appears to be burning sap for no reason. Thankfully, his outline is a cooler colour now, and his wounds are the green of having been addressed. Starling''s skill isn¡¯t powerful enough to tell what, but they can see there are going to be serious side-effects from this treatment. The alternative was death though, surely he would understand. I guess I need to try and get him to safety now. He¡¯s a lot larger than I am, maybe a litter? They were just starting to try and come up with a plan to move the man when they heard a rustling in the ferns and then voices calling out a name. ¡°Jeff! Jeff where did you go! We heard you shouting! Jeff! Are you alright!¡± Starling stiffened. They had dropped [Environmental Awareness] to preserve their Stamina. They had gotten so used to its reliability that they had forgotten to rely on their perception and this man¡¯s friends had nearly found them! With one last look at his status, happy to confirm that it was stable and that his friends were on the way, Starling slipped off in the opposite direction. Too tired to use their skills, their flight was a lot more cautious and slow than their approach had been, Behind them they heard cries of shock and horror as the people found their injured friend, and a part of Starling relaxed a little knowing for sure he was back in safe hands. [Trust Check Failed: 6 (-2 Compromised)] [Flight Response Activated] [Warning: Rational Decision Making Impaired] [Ability Level Increased: Empathy has grown through action!] [Growth Note: Helping others strengthens emotional connections] [Current Level: 9 (-2 Compromised) - Increased from 8] [Additional Growth Blocked: Requires Trust Development] Chapter 10: Templates Now that the adrenaline had settled Starling reflected back on what had just happened. Not only had that been another person, clearly someone from Starling¡¯s world, but they had been attacked by something. That hole in the world that vaguely looked like a humanoid. I don¡¯t think I would have been able to see it without my [Environmental Awareness] being so high. I don¡¯t think that man, Jeff, would have seen it at all. The implications made Starling uncomfortable to think about. If creatures like that were roaming around, and you needed Intermediate skills just to see them¡­ The other¡­ survivors? Taken? Saved? What do I call them? Well, people I guess. The other people are at risk. I can¡¯t fight those things, but I can see them, barely. While they were mulling this all over in their head, they broke back out of the treeline onto the fern covered hillside. Ahead was their small camp, shaded beneath the three red-resin trees that grew next to the spring and the strange stones. Seeing their safe nest was a comfort. I don¡¯t want to invite people back here, this needs to be my safe place, but if I could find a way to warn them - maybe protect them somehow. As they reached the edge of their camp they felt a different heat on the back of their neck and turned, just as the light around them changed subtly. The purple sun was rising over the edge of the mountains that ringed this large valley. The site of the purple sun rising reminded them of the river, the Crab and the Tree-phalants. And then there are the more physical threats. I think I need to look into some sort of defense. Starling¡¯s memory handily supplied an image of the camp-site they had found the day before, trampled by Tree-phalants. Once I am certain I won¡¯t be returning to a pile of tinder, I can start properly looking for a food source. Starling¡¯s stomach gave a gurgle of protest, but Starling was set on their priorities now, and they wanted to get this done before they went back to looking for food. There were too many unknowns, too many threats, for them to feel safe leaving the site, or sleeping there again without doing something to make it a little more protected. My only real indication of hostile creatures is those tree-crabs. They seem to ambush from tree-tops, and grow quite large, but they are also pretty clumsy on the land. Until I know more, I should probably just focus on protecting against them. Starling had arrived back at the camp-site by this point. Their shelter was as they left it, tucked up near the overhanging trees. The little spring burbled pleasantly, running around the small square of clean stone that sat in the center of this space. There was also the pile of wood that Starling had found here, and they went over to it, still thinking about the tree-crabs. I hadn¡¯t really thought about it a lot, but when I dealt with that crab¡­ I used my building powers. I wonder if I could replicate that stake, the System sort of did the work for me as I fell. In their mind, Starling visualised the stake that had impaled the crab, trying to work out what had happened. Abruptly, a system message appeared in their view. [Previous Construction Library Accessed] [Please Select Template for Construction] There was a very short list of buildings before Starling, overlaid on their view. A stake, a small lean-to and the altered tree in the clearing that Starling had woken up in. The lean-to was highlighted in red, with a symbol that Starling knew instinctively stood for ¡®Insufficient Resources¡¯, the tree however, had a different symbol marking it as unavailable, one that Starling couldn¡¯t understand. It was hard to look at, and seemed to shift whenever they focused. The stake, however, was green and they were able to select it. [Defensive Structure has been Selected] [Resource Requirements: Wood x1] [Nearby Resources: Wood x27] Starling could now see the outline of the stake in front of them, it seemed to be attached to their hand without them touching, moving their hand let them move the outline of the stake and they could turn their wrist to change its angle and rotation. By clenching their fist, Starling was able to set the outline in place in the world - locking it from further movement in a satisfying way. [Building Template Established: Supply Required Resources] Is¡­ is it really this simple? Starling turned and walked away from the Stake outline sticking out of the ground. They stepped over to the pile of wood and grabbed the first stick they could find. There is no way this stick is going to fill that whole outline¡­ Starling disregarded the notification they received for picking up the stick and approached the stake. As they got closer they could feel the same magnetic pull from the outline on the piece of wood that they had felt at other times since coming here. Starling pushed the stick towards the outline, and when it touched it, there was a snap and the stick flew from their hands and suddenly filled the outline of the stake. One second it was just a see-through image in the air and then¡­ It was a full stake made from a treated log, tip sharp and bark scraped away, sitting at an angle facing out into the world. Starling tried to let out a little whoop of glee, but realised they were suddenly out of breath and sank to their knees in the ferns. [Inferior quality building material used to create Defensive Structure] If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. [Foundation Aspect Activating: ¨€¨€¨€¨€ currently locked. Defaulting to Stamina] [Foundation Aspect Active: Stamina in use to increase material quality to Good] [Warning: Insufficient Total Stamina to boost to higher quality] [Warning: Building Material used for construction is below Superior Quality. Material does not Resonate. Stamina drain incurred to maintain structure!] Wait, that was a lot to take in, what''s going on here? Starling opened their status window and had a look at the stamina section. [Stamina: Detail View] [Current Stamina: Very Low] [Effects Active:] [Note: Superior or higher quality materials required for optimal Foundation Aspect Resonance] [Note: Current material quality prevents full aspect manifestation] So the camp boosts my Stamina recovery while I am here? No wonder I feel so refreshed. It looks like I can keep a pretty good defensive perimeter maintained with the low quality materials I have left while I stay here, but if I leave it¡¯s only going to be four. If I set up too many stakes and then leave I might find myself struggling to move or even get back. I can¡¯t risk that. I need to go now, find some food and then come back here. Starling hovered uncertainty, a part of them really wanted to stay, methodically set up defenses and then come up with a plan to harvest superior resources to rebuild their defenses. They needed food, and a regular supply, or they wouldn¡¯t be coming back at all. At least this way they knew they could build the defences when they returned. ¡°Perfection is the enemy of Survival. You know this. Good Enough sometimes has to do.¡± Walt¡¯s voice, another lecture, a hard memory. They hadn¡¯t slept one night in training because they had been obsessed with finding better wood. They found out later Walt had been through the area and removed all the best candidates to force all of the recruits to use whatever they could find instead. It was one of Starling¡¯s worst performances, after being top of the class for so much else. ¡°Alright¡± Starling said aloud, hardening their resolve. They put the wood aside for now, channeled [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] and headed out of the camp. Food first, defense later. You cannot let yourself get bogged down in the wrong priorities. Be more flexible. [Focus Check Initiated: 15 (+3 from past experiences)] [Wisdom Check Against Focus Lock: 8 (-2 Compromised)] [Memory Trigger: Training Experience] [Focus Lock: Broken!] [Note: Survival training provides resistance to excessive Focus] [Ability Score Increased: Wisdom 8 ¡ú 9] [Note: Continued growth requires balancing preparation with action] [Status: Some Psychological Barriers Weakened] Starling made quick progress back into the woods, heading away from the area they previously encountered Jeff and his friends, not wanting to accidentally stumble on anyone just now. The skills synergy was heady, showing so much information. Starling looked for signs of a smaller prey animal, something that shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous if they stumbled into it and that might lead them to edible plants. Small doesn¡¯t mean safe, a boar can kill very easily, and if there are giant tree crabs I bet the prey animals here have some interesting ways to defend themselves. Starling inspected the tracks of the animal trails around them, looking for something that didn¡¯t leave too deep an impression and also didn¡¯t have large claws in its tracks. After a few minutes of study and continual Stamina drain Starling settled on a set of tracks and followed them, hoping their intuition was correct. They followed the path through the forest for some time, the purple sun rising through the sky and the yellow one falling. It was easy enough to track the time and the progress, for one thing they always knew the direction of their camp and roughly how far away it was thanks to their [Foundation Aspect] and anytime they wanted to check the terrain they just had to activate [Natural Climbing] get on top of a tree and scan the horizon. They saw smaller tree-crabs in the branches, but no sign of anything like the large one from the river. There was a denser section of the woods near the water that held larger and clearly older trees, that might be their domain. Staying away from them for now, I don¡¯t want to risk another crab battle. Eventually, Starling pushed through a particularly thick stand of ferns and almost fell into a hole in the ground. They caught themselves and luckily didn¡¯t make too much noise. Before them was a tunnel, leading into the underground through the roots of several trees. It was nearly a meter tall, big enough for Starling to enter if they wanted to. Also ahead of them, looking around suspiciously for the source of the noise Starling had made almost falling in, was a strange creature, and clearly the creator of the hole. Starling had picked these tracks to follow because the owner had a set of what seemed like four paws, each with small claws and didn¡¯t leave a deep depression, hinting at a small light herbivore that could climb. Instead they had found a large squat creature with short reddish fur, it did indeed have four lower legs, each with a paw as thought, but it also had two large powerful upper arms with digging claws, which it used to carry most of its weight as it walked. The tracks Starling had assumed where this creature''s predator, as they moved with the smaller footprints, were actually it''s as well! What a bizarre thing, it¡¯s head reminds me of a capybara with that thick square-ish snout and those small ears. Its eyes must be underdeveloped, or it would have seen me as I pushed through the ferns. I think it¡¯s focussed on hearing and smell. Starling wasn¡¯t sure what to do, and was about to call the whole expedition a failure when another of the creatures lumbered out of the tunnel, carrying something that looked a lot like an armful of potatoes, albeit deep red. So they are diggers, this is a burrow? But then why are they bringing food out of it? What if it¡¯s like an excavation? They seem adapted to dig underground, but their fur and the way the first one is standing watch makes me think this isn¡¯t where they live, and it¡¯s maybe not safe. Still, if there is something like a potato here I *need* it. Thoughts of mashed potatoes run through Starlings mind, making them suddenly desperately hungry. I don¡¯t think these things are a threat, they are slow and methodical. Starling watches the laden one come up out of the tunnel. Kind of like a more animated sloth, they place those digging arms very carefully, almost like two walking sticks and lift their lower body up so it can walk on their smaller legs to the next long arm. So weird. The two creatures move away together, taking their tubers into the forest. Now that Starling has identified them, they are pretty sure they can follow them using their tracking skills. The tunnel called to Starling, again that voice urged them to prepare and be cautious, but the thought of food had them giddy and they wanted to at least see if there was anything to grab before it got too dark to see. It¡¯s just like caving, don¡¯t do anything stupid and don''t disturb the earth. With a grunt of effort Starling jumped down from the edge of the tunnel into its mouth and started to carefully head inside, crouched over and moving softly. Chapter 11: Beneath As Starling stepped through the threshold and entered the cave proper they were greeted by a waft of cold wet air. It stuck to their hair and clothes, instantly making them damp. The smell was different from outside, gone was the almost heady scent of spice and antisceptic and replacing it quickly was the smell of turned earth, there was a strong smell that made Starling¡¯s nose run, like horseradish or wasabi. It smelled fresh but sharp, and it mingled with the earthiness in a way that wasn¡¯t totally unpleasant. If it¡¯s too dark I won¡¯t be able to go very far inside, but if this is anything like the forest¡­ Just as the thoughts were going through Starling¡¯s mind their eyes adjusted the gloom, picking up the faint radiance of the bioluminescent moss that grew along the walls and roof, dripping and heavy with condensed water out of the air. Perfect, now for a little boost. Starling channeled their [Environmental Awareness] only to receive a shock. [Warning: Skill not attuned to current Environment] [Skill attunement required for optimum performance] [Unattuned skills incur a 200% increased Resource cost] Starling dropped [Environmental Awareness] like it was burning them from the inside. They gasped for breath. Damn! That was awful, I could feel my Stamina flowing out of me like I was cut open. I guess I can¡¯t just rely on these skills all the time if I am somewhere unfamiliar. Let¡¯s do this the old fashioned way. Losing access to the skill like that was a blow, Starling had been relying on it heavily ever since they had discovered it, but it was a reminder that they were not helpless without them. Drawing on their accumulated knowledge and traditional skills from many nights in the wild. Starling slowed their breathing and closed their eyes. Keeping them closed while they listened carefully. The drip of water onto mud, rock and plant. The howl of a wind running through space. Trickles of water splashing against the banks of a small stream. The earthy smell, the sharp smell and.. Something sweet and sticky smelling, like honey, deeper in. The smell of the sweet sticky something made their stomach growl. Tubers would be good but a source of sugar would be very very useful indeed. What sort of creature would make honey in a place like this though? Maybe some sort of cute little Bee-mouse if I am lucky. Starling opened their eyes and was happy that the memory had been correct. Their vision had adapted faster and now they could make out enough in the gloom to continue on for now. I haven¡¯t had to do anything like this since¡­ that night. Damn was it really that long ago? It takes a little out of Starling to acknowledge that. The memories of trying to rush through the dark woods, previously banished, almost replaced, by their run to Jeff that morning came back in a flood. The dark tunnels ahead of them, the roots pressing in on the sides reminded them even more of that desperate, futile sprint. Starling took a second to hug themselves tightly, hunched over a little in the low space. You are not that person anymore. Look at how you have grown! Look at where you are! You can do this Starling. With a little more confidence they stepped deeper into the cave, crouching down carefully and checking each step before putting their weight on it. It was hard to keep their head low, everytime they forgot they bumped it on a low hanging root or scraped it on the soil above, causing it to shower down into their hair and face. It wasn¡¯t long before they were coughing in a cloud of dirt. They forged deeper into the darkness, and it became steadily somehow more humid and colder, until there was a gentle mist wafting around their ankles, blocking their view of the floor. Starling shivered, trying to shake off the chill, causing the mist to eddy and swirl around them in the gloom. The tunnel continued on for a while, Starling¡¯s Foundation Aspect giving them a decent idea of how far they were traveling by using the knowledge of where their camp was as a reference point. Starling moved cautiously, relying on their hearing to warn them of danger. There were strange echoes and sounds in the distance. Rock scraping on rock, the tap of something hard on something harder. Wet organic noises sometimes emerged only to fade into nothingness. Starling became more and more concerned about the curve of the tunnel blocking their view ahead, worried they might come around a bend and find a crevice, or worse. The tunnel walls pressed in around them, in a way that couldn¡¯t help but remind them of the views from their new hillside camp, or from the windows of the fire watch tower before the disaster. There was something important about being able to see for miles in every direction. Down here... Starling fought back a shiver as another clump of dirt fell from the ceiling. Down here they could barely see three feet ahead. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. As Starling continued, brushing past hanging curtains of luminescent moss and carefully stepping over knotted roots they found something peculiar. The tunnel continued ahead, but the mist at their feet was flowing to the side, the dim light reflecting off it in a way that made it quite visible. Crouching down to investigate, Starling could see a hole in the lower wall of the tunnel, under a large thick root, there was a large open space on the other side, but it was much darker. Closing their eyes again and inhaling slowly through their nose, Starling could tell the honey smell was stronger here. I have come this far, it seems pretty quiet down here. Either I am very lucky, or I am bigger than everything down here¡­ For a second Starling imagined facing down a crab in this tunnel, its thick armoured hulk filling the tunnel in front of them, but then they saw how ridiculous that would be. No room to use its claws! It would be helpless. Getting down on their belly, ignoring the filth of the tunnel floor, Starling crawled over to the gap and pushed their head and shoulders into the new space. The first thing that hit them was the heat, unlike the tunnel behind them - which felt almost too cold - this room was warm enough to make Starling¡¯s temple itch with sweat. The mist streamed around them through the gap and fell to the floor, showing Starling that it wasn¡¯t a long way down. They could climb back up here pretty easily, using the roots to pull up - they wouldn¡¯t even need [Natural Climbing] if it also didn¡¯t work down here. It took a bit of awkward shifting and balancing, but eventually Starling pulled their legs through the gap, and lowered themself to the floor. The very stable, flat, clear floor. Starling moved their feet around in the mist, feeling for roots or stones to catch them as they moved. Nothing. The floor was flat and clear of debris, apart from a little dirt and mud around the area Starling had come in from. Unlike above, there was no soft green light from moss and lichen, but as Starling stood in the darkness, a very faint blue light pulsed softly. It gave just enough to reveal the edges of the room, the straight walls and perfect corners, and in the middle some sort of plinth. This is not a natural space. The stones back at camp hinted that someone had been here before¡­ but this confirms it. I bet if I could see them, these walls would have a pattern on them just like the ones at my camp¡­ Starling reached out with their hand to touch the wall, running their fingers over the surface, feeling out the geometric pattern they knew would be there. The wall reacted to their touch, the blue pulse spreading from their fingertips with more intensity than it was before. The room seemed to throb with potential at their touch. Starling felt a heady rush, something was being tapped inside them, but there was no status message, and Health and Stamina seemed fine. Trailing their fingers, they walked the perimeter of the room, noticing a section on the far wall that did not pulse, that was dark and ominous. It seemed to be a huge crack, leading into a deeper section of the underground. That honey smell was much stronger in that direction, as was the heat rising from it. Starling was torn for a second, the idea of something warm and sweet to eat was very very tempting, but it wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Starling turned, too curious about the room for now. They took their hand from the wall and the space plunged back into darkness, but their memory of the space was good, and it only took a couple of steps to approach the center of the room and stand next to the plinth. Well, let¡¯s see what happens now. Starling lifted their hand and placed it gently on the plinth. There was a rush of power, something flowed - no poured from Starling into the plinth. There was a powerful backwash of bluelight and pressure pushing away from it. The mist flew to the corners of the room and out through the rent in the wall. Starling cried out, but like the tree they touched in the morning their hand felt stuck to the plinth. Hair and clothes flapping in the pressure they focussed on what the system was desperately trying to tell them in numerous alerts. [WARNING! This Foundation is unlinked and severely damaged!] [Leyline link not found! Foundation power is Offline] [Last Update from Central Foundation: Unknown] [Foundation Network Status: Offline] [Structural Integrity: 32%] [Foundation Breach Detected!] [Attempting to establish local Resonance...] [Error: Foundation Aspect insufficient for full restoration] [This Convergence Point is unsuitable for Resonance!] With that last line of information, there was a loud crack - a flash of white-blue light and stunning shock up Starling¡¯s arm that flung them hard across the room. With a cry of surprise Starling smashed into the far wall with enough force to drive the air from their lungs, and feel a hard crack deep in their chest. [Warning: Physical Trauma Detected] [Health Status: Very Low!] [Movement Impaired: Chest Injury] With a gasp they struggled to regain their breath. Before them blue light swirled around the plinth in a vortex of light that pulled in the mist from the corners of the room. Every breath was agony and Starling felt tears of pain and frustration running tracks through the dirt on the face. They reached uselessly for the plinth, out of reach and sheathed in the crackling vortex. No! What does it mean! What does it all mean! The light built to a blinding brightness, throbbing with power before collapsing in on itself with a loud crack. The light vanished instantly, leaving a blue afterglow floating in the room. The plinth was gone, all that remained was rubble. [Foundation Node: Destroyed] [Local Network Connection: Failed] [Warning: Foundation Resonance in Local Area no longer in effect] [Possible Destabilisation] Chapter 12: Rising Tide Starling coughed, and the dull pain in their chest blossomed into an agony that pulled them right back to consciousness. With a cry they rolled onto their side and hugged their torso, flexing their stomach and back muscles to try and find a position in which the pain wasn¡¯t overwhelming. They gasped for breath, then flinched and tried again with a shallower breath, breathing with just the top of their lungs. I think I broke a rib. I can¡¯t breathe without it nearly making me collapse¡­ And that cough. Stiff muscles and joints protested to their frantic movement, and they were kicking up a shower of dust as they moved. It puffed around them, in a strange way reminding them of the mist that covered the floor last time they had looked. In fact, now that they had found an angle to hold their torso that was only a dull pain rather than a blinding agony they realised the room felt quite different. That mist was gone, and so was the heat. It was cold in here now, and still, the air was dense and almost heavy to breathe in. Crap¡­ did I lose consciousness? How long have I been out for? The dust swirling around Starling threatened to tickle their throat, they couldn¡¯t afford to cough again, the pain was too intense. Working quickly Starling held their breath and opened their jacket, mimicking the idea they used back in the fire to try not to inhale the smoke Starling carefully tore a long strip from their t-shirt. Being very wary so as not to upset their injury, they tied the strip around their head, covering their mouth and nose. At least this way I won¡¯t cough from any dust. Ugh, I came down here with no water, no bandages, no knife or equipment of any sort. That''s the sort of thing that gets you killed. Though I don¡¯t know what I could have packed to prepare me for that thing. Starling nodded towards the ruined plinth with a grimace and then looked around for ideas. With the immediate threat of further coughing somewhat alleviated they focussed on what else they could see. To their left, about 4 feet up from the ground is the hole in the wall they crawled through to get in here. It¡¯s ringed with roots that have pushed into this space, and it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to climb up, although doing so with a busted rib, and then having to crawl on their belly back through the gap did not sound fun. The only other option was the deep dark gash on the other side of the room, the one that led to the honey smell and even more intense heat - or at least that was how it was earlier. Starling gritted their teeth and braced a hand against the wall behind them, pushing themselves up very carefully and slowly, trying not to jar their damaged chest. With a sigh of relief Starling straightened up, one hand cradling their lower torso protectively. The room was still dark, but the luminescence from the hole they had entered through gave just enough light for Starling to make out the edges of the space and where the hole was located. I don¡¯t like the idea of climbing those roots in this condition, but continuing further down when injured is a stupid idea. They looked over at the gash in the wall and hobbled over. The sweet-sticky smell was stronger than before, the heat pouring through the ragged hole on this side of the room was surprising - it seemed to dissipate quickly, but at the threshold it was almost unbearable, an even hotter temperature than when Starling had breached this chamber. Now that Starling was at the gash, and looking down into it, they could see a red glow. There were dull flashes of blue around the gap, with bursts of heat rushing into the room after every one. Do I push further, in case that is some sort of honey? Or head off and lick my wounds? Starling¡¯s memory flashed with images of Jeff and the red sap cauterizing his wound. What if it is something that could heal me right back up? Starling hovered, clearly unsure of what to do next. As they stood on the edge of the gash the heat wafted up at them again, hot enough to make them close their eyes and flinch. The deep red glow grew in intensity. Listening carefully Starling could make out the soft noises of a thick liquid moving below them. Soft slaps and pops of bubbles of air escaping. I¡­ can¡¯t keep going, I have to get out of here, rest up, find some other source of food. Work out what the hell is going on here. Just as they turned away, the heat grew again, burning their back, and the light increased. Casting a worried glance over their shoulder Starling saw something that made them gasp. The darkness below was filling with a deep red liquid, like the tree sap from before, but this had strange purple striations running through it. Dark but somehow leaving afterimages in Starlings vision. Whilst the liquid churned and flowed into the gap the striations didn¡¯t change shape or move. More of them became visible as the liquid spread, as though they were always there but not visible until the sap covered them. Starling moved quickly, wincing in pain as they hobbled over to the other wall, reaching for the roots hanging down. The liquid followed them, reaching the edge of the gash behind them and starting to flow slowly down the wall to the floor. If the sap was moving at this speed Starling probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry, but it was like something was pushing it up and over the edge, so it flowed over itself, cooling and heating itself as new sap flowed over old. There was a sizzling noise as it hit the geometric patterns on the floor. They flared blue for a brief second, staccato flashes buried under the deep red and purple blanket that was sweeping over them, before they faded away, the worked stone blackening and going dull under the viscous tide. Starling reached out with their left hand, right arm still cradling their chest, they grabbed a root firmly and tried to pull themselves up off the floor towards the tunnel above. Behind them the sweet smelling sap pooled around the remains of the plinth, flashes of blue lighting the ceiling before vanishing into nothing. The air was getting hard to breathe, heady fumes making Starling¡¯s vision swim. They pulled with all their might, but one arm was not enough to lift them off the ground, and the sap was inching closer to their boots by the second. The boots had been a gift, they were not losing them to some lava honey. Gritting their teeth, setting their focus, blanking the pain with grim determination Starling reached up with the other arm. Slowly, agonizingly, painfully they raised it up, past their shoulder, past their head and finally gripped a root. With an involuntary groan they pulled themselves up, getting their feet off the ground just as the fluid swept into the space they had been standing in. They braced their feet against the wall, walking them up until they were parallel to the ground. Their back burning from the heat below.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It took long, agonising minutes to maneuver themselves. Walking their hands up the roots and their feet further up the wall. Finally finding the gap, pushing off with a grunt and swinging back in with their toes pointed into it. They slid into the space, getting up to their hips before friction stopped them. Then they hung there, still holding the roots, legs in the cold tunnel from earlier, torso in the hot furnace that had become the plinth room. With a desperate look back Starling could see the room was filling with the sap, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it breached this tunnel as well. I¡­ I can¡¯t go on¡­ This is too much¡­ Every gasp for breath made Starling¡¯s vision swim with pain and the fumes made them dizzy. Their stomach muscles screamed for release as they rigidly held themselves in place over the rising heat. The thought of shuffling through the gap, having to release the roots holding them up, reach inside and find a handhold, keep their chest level around the pain of their rib. It was far too much to take. Unbidden a sob escaped Starling¡¯s throat. Damnit. No. This is NOT it. I will not give up. ¡°Come on Starling! This is not where I lose you!¡± Walt¡¯s voice was there too. He was kneeling over her, hand outstretched, another memory, but a good one. I can do this! Or I will die trying. I do not give up. The fire, the radio, the fight with the crab, the disaster in the past, graduating, getting enrolled in the first place. Starling had Never given up. With a grunt and a yell of pain Starling let go with one hand, releasing the root and swinging around. There was a loud slap as their palm hit the wall and their body twisted to the side. The pain screamed inside them but they held on. Surprisingly, the worked stone was cool, and it glowed blue around their hand. They could feel the power still in it, just a trickle. Just like the power that had flowed from them into the plinth. With something akin to a breath, Starling sucked the power out of the wall, feeling it come to them from all over the room. It felt good, soothing, cooling and relaxing. The random flashes of blue light where the sap was covering fresh wall stopped abruptly. From below, deeper below back through the gash in the wall there was an inarticulate growl of rage, and the sap seemed to well for a second, no longer flowing into the room, before suddenly returning with more pressure than before. Starling shuffled their hips, scrabbling with their free hand through the gap for something to grip. They found another root, on the other side and gripped it tight. Now this¡­ This is going to really hurt. Without giving themself time to really consider it they let go with their other hand. The weight of their upper body transferred to their hips and the hand on the other side of the gap. They wedged their hips in, stopping them from rotating, but when their weight hit the root they were grabbing it shifted, and they started to slip back out of the hole. Starling gripped tightly, twisted their hips as much as they could. The root continued to slip and then with a jarring, painful jolt stopped. Starling was hanging half out of the tunnel entrance, the back of their head now mere inches from the bubbling sap that burned them through their clothes. In desperation, Starling pulled on the root with everything they had left, the pain threatening to black them out but gritting their teeth they fought it. Just¡­ a¡­ little¡­ further The action was just enough to lever their upper body around and in, relief flowed through them for a second. Then, suddenly, as they struggled to get their other arm into the gap, the root they are anchored on snaps, throwing them free. Desperately Starling scrambled for a hand hold on the rocky floor of the tunnel. They slipped further out, crying out in fear before their hand seized a solid heavy root. Their grip had snapped to it suddenly. [Natural Climbing] activating in their desperation without being channeled. They hold like that for a second, panting, before pulling the rest of the way in and lying on the rough floor just trying to breathe. I forgot to use the skill, I just assumed¡­ no time, later! They don¡¯t get much respite, only moments later the sap starts to eddy around the bottom edge of the gap. If it continues to rise it will fill the tunnel. I¡­ I have to keep going. No longer feeling anything but pain all over, Starling reached for the wall of the cavern, using roots and rocks to pull themselves up. They dislodge earth and soil but they stagger to their feet and almost fall back up the incline to the way out. As they stumble in the darkness, the way barely lit by the red glow behind and the green from the lichen and fungus around them they feel a tremble in the ground. Behind them came the sound of stone falling into the sap, of the ground giving way. It sounded like the room they left was collapsing! The earth beneath them shakes and shudders, and a large crack starts to open in the middle of the tunnel. Baleful light shoots up through it, and within seconds more of the sap starts to push out and fill the tunnel. Haven¡¯t I gone through enough? The roof of the tunnel is thick with fumes and smoke, and Starling¡¯s eyes are streaming with irritation. It¡¯s a shock when they collide with something soft and furry, trembling in the tunnel ahead of them. A thick powerful arm almost hits Starling in the temple but they duck at the last second, eyes clearing to show them one of the digging creatures from before. Its fur singed, its eyes and nose looking sore and reddened. ¡°We need to get out of here friend! You need to run!¡± The creature looked at Starling with desperation in its eyes and Starling looks it up and down, tapping [Physical Assessment] even though they are exhausted. The skill highlights the problem. One of its paws is trapped in the crack, and the oozing sap is getting closer. Starling looks up at its pleading, desperate eyes. There is just enough room to squeeze past it. Starling doesn¡¯t hesitate for a moment, bending down and digging around the creature''s foot. Its large claws are not nimble enough to get into the crack to free it. The soil is horrendously hot to the touch and Starling burns their fingers as they dig the foot free. They jolt and cry out as one questing finger reaching under the paw to lever it out touches the sap and the burn is like nothing Starling has ever felt - much worse than the broken rib they are still trying to deal with. As soon as its foot is free the creature pulls itself up the tunnel with its large arms, grabbing roots overhead and swinging up to the exit. Starling, meanwhile, is fighting to free their finger from the sap. It feels like it is being sucked in, and the tide is rising. Bracing their other hand on their wrist they pull with everything they have left, the pain on their finger so intense they forget everything else. It comes free with a sickening splorch and they almost fall backward, throwing a hand out to catch themselves at the last moment. Ok now run! Without a second thought Starling barrels up the tunnel towards the light ahead, bouncing off walls and smacking their head on roots. The ground shakes and groans, upsetting their balance. They gasp for air through their face mask, eyes fixed up and ahead as the light grows. It''s a desperate race, fleeing the heat and the noise, the tremors and the fear, but they make it finally, and burst out into the clear fresh spiced air of the forest. They scramble away from the tunnel mouth, pulling the mask from their face and gasping for breath. I made it. Damn. It¡¯s too much, as soon as Starling is up out of the tunnel mouth, they nestle into some tree roots. Just for a minute, I just need to rest for a minute. In seconds exhaustion overcomes them and they fall asleep. ¡ª Several hours later, the crunch and snap of something making its way through the underbrush doesn¡¯t wake them. Something stops nearby, looking down at the burned, bruised and battered figure curled up in a knot of roots. ¡°Hey Kara, look at this. I found another survivor!¡± Chapter 13: Recovery A soft light fell on Starling¡¯s closed eyes, slowly waking them. Consciousness brought a wave of pain from their whole body. Everything ached and throbbed. The mattress was soft, moulded to the contours of their body, it was like lying on a soft warm cloud. Starling¡¯s eyes fluttered open, peering in the light that seemed to come through a curtain that was around their bed. They could feel the ache of the burns on the back of their hands, face, down their back and legs. There were bruises and scrapes everywhere and one of their fingers was extremely painful. Moving their arm carefully they could see some sort of cream was smeared on them soothing the pain. Their whole body was damaged, and they cast their mind back, trying to think of what could have put them in the hospital. There was a fire? A wildfire! The campers¡­ I think they got out and the tower collapsed? I must have been caught in the fall. Lucky they found me and got me to this private hospital. I¡­ remember thinking it was over. I thought I was going to die. How¡­ how the hell did they get me out of the forest? The curtain moved aside as someone held it up and ducked under it. Starling struggled to focus on them, eyes tired and heavy. There was something not quite right about this nurse. ¡°Good Morning sleepy head! You were in pretty bad shape when we found you!¡± The still blurry form of the nurse paused for a second. ¡°Well, worse than you are now. Which is still pretty bad I will admit! The doctor, the closest we have to a doctor at least, says you have a broken rib in addition to a whole ton of burns and bruises. We¡¯ve got some natural remedies on your burns, one of our foragers unlocked a skill for finding natural medicine and they are pretty effective. Everything should be fine, though we do need to take another look at that finger once you are a bit more rested.¡± The nurse stopped talking and looked over their shoulder as something on the other side of the curtain distracted them. ¡°Hang on, I need to deal with this, I¡¯ll be right back hon.¡± The nurse stepped back and let the curtain fall, returning Starling to the soft light and the comfort of the hospital bed. This hospital was strangely quiet, none of the sounds that Starling remembered from their last, lengthy, stay were apparent. They couldn¡¯t hear any distant announcements, the sounds of hurrying feet or even simple things like heart monitors. I must be in some sort of quiet ward? Never heard of that before, this must be a really exclusive private hospital. Nice as it is, I really hope I am not stuck here for months again. It took so long to get my fitness back last time. Something tickled the back of their mind. This hospital smells weird¡­ sort of spicy? Acknowledging the smell triggered memories - the forest of purple and green, the two suns, the tree-phalants, the crabs and then finally their desperate painful escape from the underground. This wasn¡¯t a comfy eco-focused private hospital, they were in the wild somewhere, and these were other people living in the forest? Damn, this isn¡¯t good. I can¡¯t stay here, I can¡¯t put these people at risk! I¡¯m just a drain on resources like this. What if that Shadow Creature is stalking me and I lead it here! Or a tree-crab or that sap flow? There are way too many things that could go wrong if I don¡¯t leave this place as soon as possible! With a grunt, Starling tried to sit up from what they now realise is a wooden bench with moss growing on it, similar to their little bed back at the camp. Rising is difficult, someone has bound their torso tightly so that it doesn¡¯t bend well, probably to help their rib heal. It takes a little work but after a minute or so Starling is sitting up in the bed, taking in the small alcove they are in, enclosed behind a luminous plant curtain. There is a notification in the corner of their eye that they quickly check as they get their breath back. [Secondary Settlement Site Established] [Existing Structures Connected with Proxy Foundation Network] [Site Attunement Development Increased - Secondary Site added to Location Knowledge] [New Site Attunement Ability Unlocked - Shared Inventory] Sleeping here must have linked it in with my ability?! I¡­ guess I need to be really careful about where I rest or I will end up with a ton of these cluttering up my mind. Proxy Foundation Network? Does that have something to do with the plinth that was destroyed? My powers feel¡­ looser somehow, like they aren¡¯t tied into the fabric of the world in the same way as before. Maybe I was linked to that local, damaged, Foundation Node and now that it is no longer there I can establish my own network? Head swimming a little with the pain in their chest and the new bright flare across their bare back, Starling took in their situation. Their clothes were gone. Someone had dressed them in a strange sort of gown made from interwoven ferns, the back was open and now that they were sitting up the fresh air was wafting over their burns. [Proxy Foundation Network Established] [Primary and Secondary Sites now linked] [Site Inventories available: Note only items stored in connected storage units can be catalogued] [Primary Site:] [Secondary Site:] Whoa, that¡¯s a lot. Wait, I can see Everything they have stored in ¡®storage units¡¯ here, and whats stored at my other site as well? This is really powerful information. You can just put things in storage and know exactly what you have! Something nagged at them in the list but they put it aside as the shape of the nurse approached through the thin curtain of hanging glowing lichen. ¡°Oh! Nonono!¡± the friendly looking nurse said as she bustled back into the alcove. ¡°You need rest, honey! Your injuries are not healed enough for you to be up and around. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re gonna look after you ¡®till you are all better.¡± The nurse paused, absently patting Starling on the shoulder. She stopped and looked Starling up and down before continuing in a tender tone. ¡°Have you been here long, I mean this forest? Things are a little¡­ different here.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Starling didn¡¯t fight the nurse as she pressed gently on their shoulder and pushed them back to lie on the bed. It was hard not to be rolled up in her enthusiastic avalanche of one-sided conversation. And Starling couldn¡¯t argue that the bed wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. From their prone position, Starling looked up and regarded the nurse fussing over them, taking in what they could. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had ¡°The Problem¡± printed on it with an arrow pointing up at the nurse''s head. The jeans and the t-shirt had many rips and tears that had been sewn back up with some success, it looked like whoever had been fixing the clothing was slowly getting better at sewing. Over the top they wore a cloak very similar to the one that ¡®Jeff¡¯ had been wearing over his postal worker uniform when Starling had found him. It looked like it had been made by weaving together the hanging tendrils that fell from many of the trees. This one had some of the luminous lichen and moss running through it, making the nurse easy to spot in the dim room. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t ask, Jeff usually does the introductions but he is recovering from an injury himself right now. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for Jeff getting injured we wouldn¡¯t know about the sap and you wouldn¡¯t have anything to help with those burns¡­¡± The nurse trails off and bites their lip, clearly worried about something. ¡°Look, Kara will be along once she hears you are awake and she will likely have some questions for you, just try and relax until then. I¡¯m Helen, just shout out if you need anything ok?¡± Starling tried to reply, voice cracking as they answered. ¡°O.. Ok¡­ I¡¯m Starling. Thanks for looking after me, but honestly I am fine, I should probably get going.¡± The nurse rounded on Starling and gave them a look, ¡°No, you are going to lie there, try and relax and wait for me to bring you some food. Stop arguing and lie back!¡± Helen paused and broke into a smile, showing she really wasn¡¯t all bad. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about it, I don¡¯t have that Physical Assessment skill that Armaan has but I used to work as a vet¡¯s assistant so I get to play nurse in exchange for not needing to hunt. I¡¯m pretty happy about that honestly, there is some freaky stuff out in the woods. I''ll let you doze, you¡¯re gonna need your strength.¡± With that Helen smiled again and stepped back into the larger room past the curtain. Starling lay back and thought about what Helen had just told them. It sounds like this is a bigger group than I thought. It¡¯s also the group that had that man I helped in the woods is from. Sounds like he is still recovering. I can¡¯t let myself get tied into this place - it¡¯s too dangerous to stay here too long. With the Foundation Aspect link I can keep an eye on them from a distance, maybe stop by and pretend to just be a wanderer. I don¡¯t think it is a good idea to advertise what I can do... Plus it sounds like they have people with special skills here as well. Now that Starling was a little more comfortable they noticed that they had the same resting Stamina recovery bonus here as they did at their primary camp. Knowing how powerful that little boon was they activated their [Environmental Awareness] and focused on what they could pick up. There were the sounds of several people walking around and talking distantly, someone else was trying to cut firewood but it didn¡¯t sound like they had the proper tool and were maybe dropping wood onto a sharp stone? It was surprising how their hearing and smell were able to build an image in their mind of what was around them when they closed their eyes. [Settlement Analysis] [Note: More Information Available with higher Class Level] Assigned Roles Detected: So, they do have skills like I do! I am not the only one! No sign of [Environmental Awareness], I wonder how they got access to [Natural Medicine Detection] since I can only use it as a skill synergy? There was a flurry of activity in the room on the other side of the curtain and two voices spoke quietly. If Starling didn¡¯t have their skill active she wouldn¡¯t have heard more than a murmur. ¡°Hey Doc! Welcome back.¡± Helen said brightly, greeting the new arrival. ¡°Helen, how is our new patient doing?¡± A different voice replied, their accent was Canadian, which contrasted a lot with Helen¡¯s very casual New Yorker drawl. ¡°They¡¯re doing ok, awake and already tried to get up, very quiet and shy.¡± ¡°And the sap cream? What sort of effect is it having?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s what''s strange, we know that on Jeff that stuff crystalised and kind of grew into his skin¡± Starling¡¯s face paled as they tried to picture what had happened to Jeff since they had doused his upper body with sap straight from a tree. ¡°And?¡± replies the new voice, presumably Armaan ¡°Well, it¡¯s different for them, the burns are healing but there is no sign of crystalisation. In fact I keep finding crystals on the floor around their bed, like their body is rejecting them or something. The effect is much less powerful as well. I would say it¡¯s mostly just working as a numbing agent. It¡¯s totally different from Jeff¡­ except for their finger. ¡°No change there?¡± ¡°No, it''s still just as strange.¡± Starling recalled getting the finger stuck in the rising sap for a few seconds when they were helping free the digging creature in the tunnel. The feeling of it being crushed and burning on all sides resurfaces in their memory making them wince. Warily they lifted their hand and saw that the index finger was swaddled in homemade fern bandages. Starling unwrapped it carefully, terrified of what they might find. Layers of thin fern bandage fell away and as the binding became loose they were happy to discover that they could still move the finger, though it felt heavy and the sensations were dull. Finally they got to the last layer of bandages and ripped them off, soft fern leaf ripping on what was underneath. Nestled in the ripped bandages, standing out among their other fingers, Starling¡¯s index finger on their right hand was now clear, with a reddish hue. It was a crystal finger with deep purple striations running through it. Starling turned their hand this way and that, watching how the light caught it. Flexing the finger carefully they found that at least they could still bend it, but it wasn''t part of them in the same way the rest of their hand was. It felt dull, and weirdly hollow. Running the fingertip of the crystal over the ferns they could feel the texture of the fern exactly the same as they could with their other fingers. What the hell, this place has taken my finger from me now as well!? How the hell does that work? What if this spreads? What if I touch someone and turn them into crystal?! Starling held their hand out from them as far as they could, pointing the crystal finger away from themself, trying to keep it as far from their body as possible. There was a rustle from the curtain and someone new stepped into the space, there was an aura around this person that felt different from the overbearing friendliness of Helen or the detached medical focus of Armaan, this person expected to be listened too. They were dressed in business attire, what looked like a very expensive power suit. The woman''s clothes were repaired like Helen¡¯s but to a much more effective level. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she regarded Starling with suspicion. ¡±Awake, finally.¡± She sneered down at Starling, as though they had kept her waiting for a latte during a lunch rush. This must be Kara¡­ ¡°Good, because you are going to tell me Exactly what you did down in that tunnel, why my people found you half dead and burned and why it¡¯s now full of hard resin. It has cost us a significant amount of medical supplies and attention to keep you here so far, and you aren¡¯t leaving until you tell me everything.¡± Chapter 14: Tension Kara leans forward, looming over Starling who is trapped on the bed beneath her. ¡°So let me get this straight. You swan-in out of nowhere, invade one of our most stable foraging spots, fill it with some sort of burning resin, get pretty horrifically injured in the process, collapse in the open so we find you and then you proceed to tie up our limited medical resources? Is that about right?¡± Starling looks up at Kara, absolutely stunned by her attitude. ¡°Safest? That was safe?¡± They reply, voice sharp with professional disdain. ¡°The completely unmarked one with ancient ruins nobody noticed and some kind of hostile entity living in it? That spot? Tell me, how many other ''vital resources'' are you leaving completely unprotected? No warning signs, no guard rotation, not even basic safety protocols. Have you even heard of a geological assessment?¡± Kara interrupts Starling¡¯s tirade by slamming her hand into the wooden wall, which Starling realises isn¡¯t shaped wood but a network of roots that have fused together. Something clicks in their mind as they realise Exactly where they are. ¡°You have No idea what we are dealing with out here-¡± Kara starts to say, but Starling interrupts her, rising up from the bed in fury. ¡°Actually,¡± Starling cuts in icily ¡°I do! My entire professional career has been about keeping people safe in the wild. So when I say that you have absolutely no idea what you are doing you should listen to me. I am the expert here, not you. Sending people to forage in that tunnel was a death sentence that you somehow got lucky enough to avoid again and again!¡± [Wisdom Check Failed: 8 (-2 Compromised)] [Warning: Past Trauma Response Triggered] [Memory Suppression Active] The crystal finger pulses with a sudden violet light as Starling''s own words hit them. Their breath catches, in their throat and for a second both Kara and Starling stop arguing and just stare at the finger. Kara''s eyes snap from the finger to Starling''s face, her lip curling into a sneer. "An expert in keeping people safe?" Her voice drips with sarcasm. "That would be the expert who my people found unconscious and exposed in the open forest? Burns across your body, bruises, broken rib, and whatever that is." She gestures at the crystalline finger. "Looks to me like you''re just another reckless fool who got in over their head. The only difference is you''ve managed to cost us valuable medical supplies while lecturing me about safety." "At least I was mapping and assessing the dangers," Starling snaps back, trying to sit up straighter despite the pain. "Unlike whoever keeps sending your people down that tunnel blind. Do you even know what''s down there? Have you documented any of the hazards? Set up proper..." Their voice catches as their crystal finger pulses again, the memory of the burning sap and collapsing chamber flashing through their mind. "You got lucky. That tunnel could have collapsed at any time. One shift in the ground, one wrong move..." [Trauma Response Active] [Warning: Memory Suppression Failing] [Emotional State: Unstable] "Kara," Helen says hesitantly from the other side of the curtain. "I wonder if this is the time for this... They are still recovering from some pretty nasty injuries." "Indeed." Armaan''s measured voice joins in. "Their vitals were quite unstable just hours ago. I am looking at them now and this person is in the middle of a significant stress response. You are pushing them too hard. Physical Assessment is telling me-" "I don''t care about their vitals," Kara snaps, cutting off Armaan while not taking her eyes off Starling. "What I care about is that we''ve lost our best source of tubers, furs and meat because this fool decided to-" ¡°You were hunting the tunnel-sloths!¡± Starling shouts in shock, pushing themself to their feet with a grunt of pain. Rising to their full height, Starling realises they loom over the woman in the ridiculous business attire. "Those ''tunnel-sloths'' as you call them are the only reliable source of meat we''ve found that isn''t trying to kill us," Kara snarls, standing her ground despite Starling towering over her. "What exactly do you think we''ve been eating out here? Berries and good intentions? This isn''t a nature reserve - its survival. And thanks to your expert intervention, we now have eleven people to feed and one less food source to do it with." ¡°Those creatures were foragers, they were stockpiling the food for a reason. If you¡¯ve been hunting the adults who were collecting food you have probably left a nest of young without a food source!¡± Starling kneads their forehead with their hand in frustration, reeling in shock at the naivety of these people. ¡°By indiscriminately hunting you have potentially wiped out an entire population! Not only have you disrupted the local ecosystem by not thinking about your actions but you may have wiped out your own food source with your idiocy!¡± Starling closes their hand into a fist and suddenly there is a waterskin there, without thinking they take a swig of the tepid water, slaking their powerful thirst. Kara stares at the waterskin in absolute shock. [WARNING: Emotional State Critical] [Foundation Aspect: Local Settlement Inventory Accessed] [Storage Network Connection Created. Settlement Inventories Linked!] It takes Starling a second to work out why Kara has stopped arguing, their gaze following hers until they see the waterskin in their grip. ¡°Oh.¡± they manage, stunned themselves. There is a rustle from the other alcove in this space, now that Starling is standing it¡¯s obvious they are in the root structure underneath the tree in the clearing they originally woke up in. It seems it has continued to grow and change since they were last here. The space is much much larger, with roots making a smooth floor and these curtain covered alcoves in one side. The space must have expanded underground to have this much room here.An unfamiliar, deeper male voice breaks the silence. ¡°Hey! What''s going on out there? Can¡¯t an old man get some rest in peace these days?¡± The curtain covering the alcove the voice came from is pulled aside and a man shuffles into the room. His torso is swathed in bandages that are stained red, with hard looking protrusions pressing against the inside of the wrapping that covers him. He looks around, taking in the tableau and then stops when his eyes fall on Starling. ¡°You!¡± He says, voice thick with emotion. ¡°The forest! I remember you. You are the one who¡­¡± he runs the fingers of his right hand over the hard protrusions under the bandages, while his left hangs loosely at his side. Everyone watches in silence as the man in the torn postal uniform staggers over to Starling and Kara, he looks Starling up and down for a second then reaches out, ignoring Starling¡¯s sudden flinch, and wraps his right arm around them, hugging them tight. He is careful not to let the left side of his body touch Starling. ¡°You saved my life. I can¡¯t thank you enough. Without your quick action I would have died, and we would never have realised the sap has so many useful properties. Thank you so much.¡± He leans back and makes eye contact with Starling, eyes welling with emotion. ¡°My friend you are very welcome to stay with us as long as you need! What is your name? I¡¯m Jeff.¡± He breaks from the hug and steps back, holding out a calloused hand for a handshake. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Starling reaches out with their unchanged hand and awkwardly shakes the man¡¯s hand, still self-consciously holding the waterskin in the other. ¡°It.. it was nothing, I just rendered first aid to someone in trouble.¡± they say weakly, pausing before adding ¡®Starling, my name is Starling.¡± while trying to put the Waterskin back wherever it came from, making motions like they were putting it on an invisible shelf. Behind them Kara was silent, eyes flicking back and forth like they were looking at something only they could see. They stop after a second, just as Jeff releases Starling¡¯s hand with a warm smile. ¡°You... you took that from the Settlement Inventory. How did you do that? I can see that one of our waterskins is missing from the inventory list. We only have a couple - they were found by one of the foragers! We don¡¯t have the tools to make something like that yet.¡± ¡°What inventory list?¡± Jeff asks, turning to Kara in confusion, ¡°You mean the settlement inventory? The one you can see with that skill? Starling was able to pull that Waterskin from the storage shelves from here?¡± Kara looks up at both of them, shock on her face. ¡°It looks like it, I didn¡¯t realise we could do things like that here. I¡­ They must have a skill we haven¡¯t seen yet. Something that lets them see and interact with inventories?¡± Starling blushes uncomfortably as all four people in the room look at them in a mix of awe and fear. ¡°Crap, I am so sorry¡± Starling says, still awkwardly trying to return the waterskin to wherever it came from. ¡°I just needed a drink and then it was there. I didn''t intend on stealing it or anything.¡± They add, glancing nervously between the others.¡°Wait,¡± Helen says slowly, piecing it together ¡°Can they just take whatever they want from our stores, from anywhere?¡± Her eyes darted from Kara to Jeff, clearly unsure whether to be impressed or alarmed. Kara bristles and crosses her arms, staring Starling down. ¡°Hand it over Starling, and don¡¯t take anything-¡± Jeff cuts Kara off, interrupting her as he realises the implications of this power. ¡°Damn, this is unbelievable, you could.. You could carry food and medicine to people without needing to actually move it! We could just have a core store of building materials and you can hand people the tools and resources they need! This is.. This changes everything! With your power, we could really transform this place, make it even safer! If only we could find the person who built this shelter, then we wouldn¡¯t need to worry at all!¡± Guilt flooded Starling, it would be so easy to reveal themselves right now to this group, explain their burgeoning powers, help them build and adapt this space even more to their requirements. But something made them hold back, it was both a relief and a pain. Starling realised they hated the part of them that kept pulling away. Hated it with an intensity that almost hurt itself. Their crystal finger flashed purple once again, surprising everyone. The purple glow faded, but the ache in Starling''s chest didn''t. They found themselves looking around at the intricate root structure - their creation - that these people have turned into a home. Shelves and storage spaces they never intended have been woven into the walls. Places for beds and rest areas have formed naturally from their power. The space itself has grown substantially, like the tree has pushed it¡¯s roots further out to make space and the trunk higher for clearance. There are signs that a community live here. Belongings in little alcoves, cooking utensils stacked near the water source. It¡¯s clear that not everybody sleeps here but this is the meeting place, the core of this community. And Starling created it by accident. "Here." Starling thrusts the waterskin at Kara, desperate to change the subject. "I really am sorry about taking it. I should go, I''ve already caused enough-" "Nonsense!" Jeff interrupts, then winces and touches his crystallized wounds. "You need rest, and we need your help. Look at what you did for me - imagine how many others you could help! Unless..." His expression softens with understanding. "Unless there''s a reason you prefer to be alone?" [Warning: Empathy Check Incoming] [Subject Displaying Understanding of Isolation Patterns] [Psychological Barriers: Heightened] Starling feels the familiar urge to run growing stronger. The idea of helping, of being needed, sends tendrils of panic through their chest. Their voice comes out barely above a whisper. "I just... I''m not good for people to be around. Things go wrong. People get hurt." "Like how I got hurt?" Jeff asks gently. "Because from where I''m standing, I''d be dead if you weren''t around." Just as Starling struggles to find words to respond to Jeff''s statement about saving him, Kara makes a small sound of surprise. "Wait... there''s..." Her eyes do that strange darting thing again, like she is reading off a sheet nobody else can see. "There''s another inventory. I can see it but I can''t... it''s like it''s just out of reach. Wood, different quality than ours. Where is this coming from? Did someone store something in the wrong place? I thought I could only track things in the alcoves over there¡­" Kara gestures across the room to an area that has reconfigured itself into a variety of cubby holes and shelves, with different items carefully arranged in and on them. ¡°No," Kara continues, frowning in concentration. "It''s... different somehow. Like there''s another storage area connected to ours now, but I can''t quite..." She trails off, her earlier hostility forgotten in her fascination with this new development. "Could this help us track supplies between camps?" Jeff asks thoughtfully. "We''ve been having trouble coordinating resources with the river settlement..." The conversation is shifting to practical matters, taking the pressure off Starling. But they find themselves frozen, torn between the urge to run and the growing realization that their accidental creations might actually be helping people. The crystal finger pulses softly, but this time it''s not from panic - it''s responding to something else, something that feels almost like...hope? Wait¡­ river settlement? ¡°Do you have another settlement? Down by the water? I¡¯ve been down there¡­ it¡¯s really dangerous.¡± Starling interrupted Kara¡¯s thoughts with urgent concern. Jeff turns to Starling. "Well we thought so too at first - the tree-crabs were a huge problem. But then we found this interesting spot. There''s this massive dead crab impaled on some kind of stake. The weird thing is, the stake seems to have changed since we first found it." Starling grabs Jeff¡¯s arm, urgency still beating through their chest. ¡°Changed? What do you mean it has changed?¡± ¡°"It''s gotten bigger, stronger. The crab''s shell... it''s like it''s become a whole structure. The roots of nearby trees have grown up through it, turning it into this natural shelter. It¡¯s got openings that are big enough for us to get into, but the bigger crabs can¡¯t follow us in, and they don¡¯t seem to like going near it either.¡¯Helen nods enthusiastically. "Those elephant creatures love it too! They come down to drink and rest there. It''s like having guards - nothing dangerous comes close when they''re around." Starling remembers that desperate moment, falling with the branch-turned-stake, hoping it would save them. They had no idea their panic-driven defense would evolve into something so elaborate, so protective. [Foundation Aspect: Defensive Structure Evolution Detected] [Note: Structures continue to develop based on environmental needs] [Warning: Unauthorized modifications may occur without direct input] I made that shelter¡­ when I killed that crab with the stake. I didn¡¯t even consider it. Everything I touch seems to be wanting to make people safe and protected. I don¡¯t understand why I have these powers. Kara¡¯s seem much more limited, Jeff doesn¡¯t even seem to have any. Why do I have this¡­ responsibility? I just want to be safe, warm, alone in my own space - where nobody can be hurt by my actions. Why does this keep pulling me back towards other people? ¡°I called them Tree-phalants¡­ when I met them.¡± Starling says cautiously. ¡°I think they are intelligent, compassionate even. One of them protected me when I drank from the river, it was a powerful experience.¡± Starling looks up, resolve in their eyes, their thoughts still ringing in their head. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous between here and there, but¡­ I can show you safe paths - keep your people away from danger. Just until I heal, until I can travel again. Pay my way.¡± Kara starts to protest, but Jeff lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. ¡°You say you can keep people safe?¡± he says kindly. ¡°Just do that, help us keep our people safe, that''s all you need to do¡­ we can figure out the rest later¡± Starling¡¯s crystal finger pulses one more time, a deep resonant red rather than the purple of the striations, as though acknowledging this compromise between running and staying. [Ability Level Increased: Wisdom has grown through risk assessment] [Growth Note: Acknowledging past actions'' positive outcomes improves judgment] [Current Level: 9 (-1 Compromised)]