Forsaken: A Survival Island Quest

[Zhade]

​

Day 1

If you are reading this, then I am dead.

I am vaguely aware that obituaries are written by the deceased's kin after the fact, but I have decided to be a bit more proactive in that regard. I doubt any of the seagulls above me or the crabs below would deign to write such a thing, the stingy bastards. You think they would be a bit more grateful after they have undoubtedly gouged on my rotting corpse.

At the very least, if you also have had the misfortune to become stranded like me, this journal should provide a detailed list of things you should and shouldn't do here. All I ask is that you give my body a grave, and perhaps pour one out if you ever manage to escape. In the meantime, I will record the events that have happened to me, as well as any knowledge I have accrued and any plans I may make. I highly suggest you do not follow the last plan in this book.

Now that we have been properly introduced, let me tell you my life story. Or rather, what I can remember of it.

~~~~
​

My first memory was one of claustrophobia. I awoke in the dark, my limbs curled up like a newborns and cold water lapping at my chest. Hard metal surrounded me, prevented me from standing or stretching and panic flared in me like a dying star. I do not know how long I banged away at the inside of the pod, screaming, but my wild flailing managed to eventually hit something and the pod's door opened and I tumbled out onto warm sand.

I spent a few minutes just lying there, luxuriating in the light and the freedom. A few seagulls hopped closer curiously, perhaps hoping for an easy meal and I threw some sand at them in defiance. I do wish I had the presence of mind to at least attempt to grab one for later consumption. But at that moment, I was too distracted by my liberation from the pod.

For now that I could see it, my cage did resemble an escape pod. A yellowed sphere, barely large enough for a single person, it was pock-marked and rusted from what must have been weeks of sea and salt exposure. From what I could tell, there wasn't any blatant markings or brands on it, only what appeared to be some aesthetic lines (although now that I consider it, they may be welding lines).

The lack of any identifiable features on the pod jarred me to the fact that I didn't have any identifiable memories of my own either.

Oh yes, I know facts. I can tell you that the earth is a sphere and the sun feels hot because of photons striking receptors on my skin. I know how to run and eat and speak modern English. I am aware of chemistry and zoology and linguistics, even if I am no expert in them.

And yet I am unable to write my own name.

My heart began to speed up and the panic that had gripped me in the dark pod started to return, but warmth of the sun and the sound of the waves prevented me from spiraling downwards. It took a while for me to calm down, but it was quicker than last time. It helped that I remembered a "last time", the fact keeping me grounded. And then I distracted myself by really looking at my surroundings.

The sky above was a clear baby-blue, with only a few wisps of clouds hanging here and there. The sea lapped at the shore gently, and I could see hints of a dark landmass in the distance. Sand stretched away around me, extending from the beach into a patch of open grassland.I didn't see anything moving there, or if it was, it was too small for me to notice.It stretched far, before giving away to taller trees and foliage. There was darkness there.

The beach stretched northeast and southwest of my current position. It itself was bare, aside from a few coconut trees looming imperiously at the edge. There were some curious marks, wide tracks of sand pressed flat that seemed to attract the crabs. Seagulls wheeled above me, swooping down at times to grab greedily at things hidden in the sand. They never stayed down for long.

It was when one of the seagulls swooped at something near me that I noticed two things laying close to the pod incongruously. One is the journal I'm writing in right now. The other was...

[] A Machete. Sharp and straight, it's weight is reassuring whenever I look at the distant trees. And whenever I look at a coconut.
[] A Compass. Small and with instructions, I feel relieved that I need not rely on my nonexistent astronomy skills to navigate.
[] A Waterproof Matches. 20 uses. With this, I have gained control over the first and greatest of mankind's inventions. Cower, savage beasts.

In any case, we now arrive at the present time, with me writing in the journal in the shade of a coconut tree. Writing and organizing my thoughts have calmed me down immensely, and my body feels surprisingly well-rested and full of energy. With the sun approaching it's apex-
​

-QM INTERRUPT-
​

Alright, let's get some quick chargen out of the way before you go gallivanting off.

There are three main stats you need to be aware of. You have 13 points to spend between them, and the stats go upto (barring exceptional circumstances) 10, which is equivalent to Captain America. Allocate them as you wish, but it is wise not leaving any stat at 0.

Ferocity
Celerity
Vitality

Format your vote like this:
[] F:10, C:10, V:10

And for something non-mechanical, choose one of the following.

[] Sanguine: Optimistic, social, active. Forgetful, distracted, lonely.
[] Melancholic: Solitary, thoughtful, meticulous. Pessimistic, cautious, perfectionist.
[] Choleric: Ambitious, organized, proud. Confrontational, aggressive, ambitious.
[] Phlegmatic: Calm, empathetic, industrious. Submissive, passive, anxious.

One last word of advice: there isn't any mental stat because you're expected to be the brains here. Act accordingly.
​

-RESUMING-​

I think I'm ready to start...

[] Exploring!
-[] I will head south down the beach in search of food and water...
-[] I will head north up the beach in search of food and water....
-[] I will head deeper inlands, exploring the grasslands and perhaps the forest beyond in search of, well, you get the point...
[] Scavenging! The stretch of beach I am on is bound to have some food. Unless it's being very clever, I doubt I will find any freshwater or shelter here.
[] Examining! I have few items with me, but they are curious items the same. I should take some time to see if they're hiding any mysteries first.
[] Writein. ​

 

[Zhade]

Spoiler: Self-Portrait

Physical Health: Moderate Leg Wound (-2 Celerity)
Mental Health: Moderate Nyctophobia (3 Nights remaining)

Food Meter: 10/10
Water Meter: 10/10

Ferocity: 5
Celerity: 5
Vitality: 10

Traits​

• Unquenchable: Your body is not just a furnace, it's a nuclear reactor. Your needs for sleep, food and water are halved. Furthermore, so long as you have access to the above, you can heal from any injury given time (baring ones that the human body cannot heal). Your tolerance for pain and discomfort is also greatly increased, enabling you to just. Keep. Going.​

​

Spoiler: Skills

Combat

• Unarmed: Unskilled
• Slashing: Adept
• Piercing: Novice
• Crushing: Unskilled
• Accuracy: Novice

Movement

• Acrobatics: Adept
• Stealth: Adept
• Traversal: Novice
• Tracking: Novice
• Swimming: Unskilled

Food

• Scavenging: Novice
• Trapping: Adept
• Cooking: Adept
• Taming: Unskilled

Crafting

• Stonecutting: Inept
• Woodworking: Inept
• Weaving: Inept
• Medical: Competent

Misc

• Perception: Inept
• Art: Unskilled
• Singing: Unskilled
• Dancing: Unskilled

​

​

Spoiler: Inventory

I'll keep a list of my stuff here. The stuff I don't have equipped will be at my base. If you don't find the things that are equipped on or near my body, something probably already took them. Be careful.

Equipped:

• Machete
• Three spears (1 Stone-tipped, 2 fire sharpened)
• Atlatl
• Waterproof bag
  • 10m of bark cord, fashioned into harness.
  • Tunnel system Lever
  • 1 Quick Potion
  • Thieves' lantern: Sheds light only for the holder

Base

• A journal and an associated "Pen".
• "Pot", the skull of Tusker, fashioned into a container.
• Two days worth of food
• Pod...

Spoiler: Bestiary

I'll write down any creatures and plants I come across, friend. May it help you during your stay.

• Spoiler: Wispflies

  Race: Insect
  Edibility: ???
  Habitat: Grasslands, ???, ???
  Notes: A larger version of their cousins, the fireflies, Wispflies have a light-emitting organ just like them. The difference is that their light is far brighter and larger, and lasts for far longer (sometimes for more than a minute). Nocturnal, they seem to hunt by swarming at night and forming great, pulsating patterns of sickly yellow light. These patterns, while only introducing drowsiness in larger animals like myself, seem to draw in smaller ones, luring them to where the wispflies dance. I do not know what happens then. Suggest not looking at them during nighttime. Just turn away and close your eyes.
• Spoiler: ??? Spiders

  Race: Arthropod
  Edibility: Not that desperate. Yet.
  Habitat: ???, Forests , ???
  Notes: Massive fuckoff spiders. I know little about them and hope it stays that way.
• Spoiler: Titanshells

  Race: Crustaceans
  Edibility: ???
  Habitat: Shoreline, Intertidal Zone
  Notes: Giant hermit crabs, basically. I wouldn't recommend trying to eat one, given the size of their shells and the speed of their claws, but every morning they come onto the beach to clean themselves. If you're up for fighting against the seagulls and smaller crabs, you may find something to eat from a Titanshell's trash.
• Spoiler: Tuskers

  Race: Mammal
  Edibility: Delicious, Nutritious and strangely Spicy
  Habitat: Forests, ???
  Notes: Large size. The young are the size of regular pigs, but an adult would likely tower over me. Their skin starts off dark brown, but grows whiter with age. Good indicator of relative danger too, as a Tusker stops growing after a certain point. Still seems to increase in strength and ferocity though. Although you shouldn't really be trying to kill any but the young ones. And even then only if you know they're separated from their parents; they're fiercely protective.
• Spoiler: Pernades

  Race: Plant
  Edibility: Satisfying, yet tasteless
  Habitat: Forests
  Notes: Pear-like fruits that explode after being detached. There's a brief delay, so you can use them as organic, natural grenades (IN EXTREME SITUATIONS). They also explode when punctured, which makes me think that they contain some sort of volatile chemical (an organic byproduct of the seed maturing?) inside them that reacts with air to create the explosion. Perhaps it's their way of spreading seeds; the chemical builds up as the fruit matures. All the while, the skin of the fruit is growing thinner and thinner until...BOOM. Wide dispersal of seeds. Most of the meat is gone, but there's still probably some left after the explosion; I suggest not eating them unless necessary; they're very loud. The explosion, not the fruit itself. That's quite tasteless actually.
• Spoiler: Sappers

  Race: Plant
  Edibility: Inedible for Humans
  Habitat: Thick Forests, Jungles
  Notes: Vines that usually hang from the branches of trees or just lay on the ground. They're a lot thicker than you would expect vines to usually appear, and are mostly a dark green color that becomes lighter closer to the roots. Where there would be leaves, instead you find small pores that leak the plant's trademark poison. The plant is almost always covered in it, but in times of stress, poison production vastly increases. It must constantly produce this poison, because of how quick it dries. The vine is motile (probably via hydraulics) and it uses this ability to hunt by moving towards sources of heat and motion. By itself, it isn't that strong, but by wrapping around prey, they are exposed to the Sapper's eponymous poison, which drains them of energy. Once the prey is subdued (note: doesn't have to be deceased), the vines begin digesting it in a manner similar to spiders: spray digestive fluids all over it and drink the corpse.
• Spoiler: Bananas?

  Race: Fruit
  Edibility: Tasty and filling. Remove seeds.
  Habitat: Jungle
  Notes: Bright purple.

Spoiler: Map

Spoiler: Relationships

• The Shadow Walker
  Relationship: Hostile?
  Abilities: ???
  Appearance: A skull-faced (literally) man, he stands almost seven feet tall. Dark, almost ebony skin that is stretched tight over bulging muscles; he looks like he stepped out of an anatomy book. Ritualistic scars and tattoos cover what parts of his body that are visible, the rest being covered by a large leathery cloak. Carries a giant talon as a weapon, it's size making it appear like a greatsword.
  Notes: Apparently a woman? According to Shelog at any rate.
• Dora the Secretary
  Relationship: Neutral?
  Abilities: Unnoticeable Aura
  Appearance: Dirty, emaciated and with dark yellow eyes. Blonde hair hacked short, absurdly pale skin and has somewhat pretty features. Wears what looks to be the remnants of a business casual outfit. Carries a backpack with a Nazi symbol on it.
  Notes: Seems quite mad and rather German. Sometimes lapses into traumatic flashbacks. Can be tempted and maybe bribed with food, but I would be careful given her abilities. Is a Nazi? Not that it matters anymore; I'm distinctly non-Aryan and she didn't seem to have any ideological compunctions against me. The Island probably took care of that. Knows of a tunnel system beneath the island.
• Shelog the Witch
  Relationship: Neutral (???)
  Abilities: Ability to speak Tongues, Animal Mimicry, Heat (?)
  Appearance: Opulent, if such a word can be used on the Island. Rich, fur-trimmed white robes with extravagant markings on them and that drape all the way to the forest floor. They clink with the weight of the Charms she holds. Rings adorn both her fingers and her dark locks of hair, but her face is unmarked. It is a beautiful face, but it is haunting. Maybe even a little revolting?
  Notes: A Witch. Extremely powerful and intelligent. Proceed with Care.
• Faction: The Tiö
  Views: Reverence/Intense Dislike
  Population: >100
  Attributes: Competent, practical woodsmen. Hunting parties are in bands of 10-12 each, and composed mostly of men. The women, children and the incapable tend to stay near the camp, which seem designed to be temporary. Seem to have adapted very well to the Island, even if "adapting" doesn't really mean "thriving".
  Culture: Very little religious beliefs, but the few they have is all the more intense for it (see "Lamb"). Seem to have withstood their culture's Cataclysm by focusing on the here-and-now, the "Present".
  Notable Members: Shelog the Witch, Mav

 

[Zhade]

Rules:

1. SV rules.
2. Don't be a dick.
3. There will be some dice-rolling, but not a lot. Encounters, scavenging, weather and the like will all use dice, but stuff like combat won't (unless you decide to do a Leeroy Jenkins). See Mechanics below
4. Fate points are gained by making the QM happy. Omakes, fanart, quality discussion, managing to complete a questline optimally/cleverly, etc. all make the QM happy. Fate can be used to buy things from the Fate store.
5.​

Spoiler: Mechanics

Stats
You have three stats: Ferocity, Celerity and Vitality. Each stat represents a different aspect of your physical body. In the most general terms, Ferocity deals with Strength and Endurance, Celerity with Speed and Agility and Vitality with Stamina and Constitution.

Each stat goes from 1-10, with 1 being almost debilitating and 10 being peak human. Your stats will raise to 5 automatically just from being on the Island, but higher ranks require dedicated training. Starting at 1, you gain one d20 dice for every two ranks in a stat, gaining a max of five dice at rank 9. At rank 10, you will gain a special trait related to that stat.

Whenever you are doing something related to a stat, the number of dice you have for it will be rolled and any relevant modifiers will be applied. In most cases, only one dice needs to pass the DC for it to be counted as a success, with more increasing the magnitude. In a few cases, the sum will be considered for the purposes of the DC, such as for some combat rolls.

Skills
Skills represent the accrued knowledge and abilities you have learned while on the Island. Similar to stats, a skill may be raised to Novice purely through the natural course of the quest. Generally speaking, Inept can be reached by doing a task once, Novice by doing it twice (on separate occasions). All levels after require dedicated training time, at an increasing rate. Levels above Competent require better and specialized equipment in addition to training, while levels above Expert require great deeds (again, in addition to previous requirements).

Skill ranks grant modifiers to dice rolls:

1. Unskilled: -5
2. Inept: -3
3. Novice: -2
4. Adept: -1
5. Competent: 0
6. Skilled: +1
7. Expert: +2
8. Master: +3
9. Legendary: +5

The modifiers are applied to all dice rolled for a task, so for example, assume you have a 7 in Celerity, an Expert rank in Traversal and you are attempting to run through the forest on a time limit (DC10). To roll for your attempt, you would roll 4d20+2. A single dice above 10 represents you succeeding; more lessens your travel time while a crit would mean you get something extra (multiple crits don't do anything). A failure here means you make it through the jungle, but not in time and a fumble means you get wounded in the process, or even end up lost. Success trump over failures, but a failure can cancel out excess success, while excess crits can only be cancelled by fumbles.

Food and Water
You have two meters for your Food and Water, two of the most important resources on this island. Things like Sleep and Shelter are consolidated into Physical and Mental Health. Both meters range from 1-10, with 10 being considered "full" or "hydrated".

An average human males needs around 2000 calories of food and 2 liters of water per day to survive. That's assuming ideal situations, and not including hot/cold temperatures, wounds, stress, etc. In this quest, food and water will be abstracted to a unit of days (eg. a day's worth of meat, two days worth of boiled water). Different conditions will add multiplication modifiers to your stocks on a case-by-case basis (eg healing from being severely wounded cuts the number of days by half, being sessile in a good shelter doubles it).

Every day, both of the meters will decrease unless offset by your supplies. Depending on the circumstances, they will decrease at varying rates, but you will lose some amount of points in food and more points in water every day (assuming an average day on the Island; a hunger strike would ironically last you much longer). So long as Food and Water are above or at 5, then there is no effects (aside from your character's increasing complaints). At below 5, your stats start to become affected. Every point below 5 will reduce the dice pool from your highest stat. Once that stat hits zero dice, you fall unconscious and began losing stat points from all your stats, at the rate of 4 per day. Unless treated, you will die once you hit zero in all your stats. However, if you are treated and both of your meters hit 10 again, the process will reverse, with you gaining two ranks in each stat until it reaches the previous level. Lost dice are recovered during this process as well.

Physical and Mental Health
Unlike your Food and Water, your Physical and Mental health do not have a meter. Rather, they have a status bar, which will list any wounds above Light. During your time on the Island, you will inevitably suffer wounds (physical and mental). Wounds range in severity, from simple bruises and irritability all the way to severed limbs. Negligible and Light wounds may be mentioned in-story, but will not recorded on the status bar.

• Negligible wounds (rashes, errant thoughts) don't really need any attention, but may be representative of deeper problems.
• Light wounds (scrapes, moodiness) require the bare minimum of attention, but are generally gone within a day or two.
• Minor wounds (cuts, extreme emotions) require more attention, but are still automatically dealt with by your character and will be gone within a week (although they may leave a cool scar without good equipment).
• Moderate wounds (large cuts, loss) start requiring dedicated attention from the playerbase. You now have to spend time treating them, needing a few weeks to recover. As long as you have them, you will be subject to a negative modifier on dice rolls, but it will go away once you're healed.
• Severe wounds (broken bones, mental breakdowns) are much more serious. These pose a very real risk of killing you outright if untreated, and can last for months. They do not give negative modifiers, but they will decrease your stats until you are healed. Decreased stats won't affect traits, but will affect dice pools.
• Critical wounds (severed limb, insanity) appear rarely and are usually the signs of a game over. There is no way you can recover from these without extensive care, and even then only if treated immediately. And even if you do survive past the "critical" first few days, your stats are going to have a reduced cap, meaning they will be permanently decreased. Even magic won't be of any help, save for a few legendary, lost artifacts.

​

Spoiler: Fate

Fate Points: 0

The World Tilts on it's Axis​

The Sandman's Favor: Your dreams are usually chaotic and full of nonsense, but sometimes you can extract meaning from the babble. Experience a prophetic/meaningful dream. The dream and it's subject matter will be decided by the QM, but will always be of immense use to you. Grows more expensive each time you buy. 3 Fate

No, No, No, That's Not How it Happened: A few strikethroughs and a ripped page. A small cost to alter time itself. Erases the last update, and can be bought upto three times at once. Grows more expensive each time you buy, and the QM will occasionally veto this option during climactic moments. 5 Fate

Unusual Circumstances: It is a hard and grueling process to increase your stats normally. This lets you undergo a difficult trial that lets your stats increase immediately afterwards. The higher the stats you wish to increase, the more dangerous the trial. (2*Stat) Fate for each level

You Know Kung-Fu: Sometimes, your broken memory coalesces for a moment and you regain a skill you had forgotten. This lets you choose a skill for you to "remember" and can even be used to increase an existing skill. Don't even think about trying to learn "Survival" as a skill. Cannot raise a skill above "Competent" with this method. Price upon request.

Iconic: Advance more into the quest to unlock this option.

The Other Side: Advance more into the quest to unlock this option.

The Black Moon: Advance more into the quest to unlock this option. You don't want to buy this.

Writein: Fate is a very flexible system. Reward yourself as you see fit. Be reasonable.

​

​

 

[Zhade]

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail. That saying would be a lot more meaningful if I could remember where I heard it from. Most of my memories are similar, intact and complete but loose in a way. There is no root to them, no history behind them. I knew how to tie knots but nothing of a father that taught me it. How scrambled eggs tasted, but no memories of watching a mother cooking them for me. How to make small talk but no instances of small talk with friends. How to make love but no lovers-

As an aside, I believe I should take this time to talk about my recall ability. It is with some relief that I noted that I hadn't forgotten anything else since I had awoken. Only time would tell if anymore memories would vanish. The worst case scenario would be a loss of memories every time I fell asleep, but there isn't anything I can do to prevent that, aside from writing in this journal that is. Best to avoid the line of thought.

...I know I said that it's best to prepare but there really isn't much here. I mean, I'm not even wearing any clothes.

Yes. It is true. Maybe the pod could only be operated if it's occupant was stark naked. Perhaps pod joysticks are more expensive than I thought, although that raises the question with regards to female occupants.

In any case, I decided to take some time examining my body, making sure there weren't any markings or tattoos that would give me hints to my past and current predicament. Unfortunately, there was nothing so convenient, as my body was completely unmarked. My tanned skin is fairly unwrinkled and healthy, although I feel like that would change as my time here passes.

On a less disappointing note, I examined the journal I'm writing in. It's a small, compact book that can fit in a palm (which you probably already know if you're reading this). The cover is pitch black and almost as unmarked as my skin. Almost. There is a word recessed into the front cover, the same color as the rest of the book. Explains why I didn't notice it right away. The word itself is rather straightforward: SURVIVE.

Encouraging. What would be even more encouraging would be a company logo or maybe even a How-To Guide on surviving when stranded on an island. No luck there.

There is nothing else on the journal, the spine and the back cover appearing similarly unmarked. The pages appear to be waterproof, which I am thankful for. There appears to be quite a number of pages, although I haven't counted, so I don't think I need to worry about running out for the near future. The writing instrument I mentioned previously is similarly interesting. Slim and made of a dull silver metal, it is also unmarked. Whenever I push it to paper, it colors it. I tried pushing it to the sand, water, and the back of a curious crab but nothing happened. Testing it on my skin and the surface of the pod also failed, suggesting that the stylus is perhaps paired with the book. I'll withhold breaking it open because I don't have anything else to write with, but I'll make a note to continue experimenting with it when I have some more free time. In the meantime, there is a small pouch on the spine which I can keep it in.

The machete that came with the journal is, again, unmarked. It's almost as long as my wrist to my shoulder and is made of a dull, black metal. The grip appears to be made of black leather, and the blade itself is sharp enough to cut easily through skin when I tested it on my finger. Probably not my brightest idea, but the seagulls were too fast for me and the crabs too hard. I did check it on a coconut. It took a few minutes to crack it, but at least it worked. I'm going to need to blind a sling or a hold for it, but for now I'll carry it in hand.

As for the pod, my initial impression was largely correct. Aside from a few welding lines and the door, there was nothing interesting on the outside. The sea had washed away any identifying features and the sand and salt likely did the rest. The pod itself seemed to be made of steel, although most of it was rusted now and on the verge of falling apart. I wonder how long I had been floating in it for such a state to occur? I'm rather glad I escaped before it did collapse.

The inside...

I'm not going to lie, it took a long time for me to gather the courage to head back in. Even if I could tell how the door worked (a small push panel on the inside unlocked it), my first memory is myself panicking inside it after all. I took some time calming myself, jogging back and forth on my stretch of the beach to get my blood flowing.

It was almost anticlimactic once I mustered enough courage to venture inside. The inside was smoother than the outside, if that were possible, and made of a black, shock-absorbant material that was in similar states of disrepair as the rest of the pod. The only other item of note was the red liquid that had pooled at the bottom. I first thought it was blood and almost scrambled out before I regained my senses. Blood smelled differently and probably wouldn't have remained a liquid this long in the heat.

At the very least, if I had stayed in the pod for however many weeks, then the liquid wasn't likely to hurt me. And if it was what caused me to lose my memories, well, I had so little to lose that the journal would be good substitute. So, I carefully dipped my finger in it and brought it to my lips. It...didn't really taste like anything. Like water, but more boring. Of course, that's when I noticed that the cut on my finger had healed.

A few more tests confirmed it. The red liquid was some sort of regeneration serum. Probably would have kept me nourished as well, given that I don't feel any tired or hungry from so long asleep. And given that the liquid level was relatively low, I seemed to be running out. If I had a bit more or was a bit more wasteful, I could probably run some tests to figure out how long I had been in pod, assuming the pod was completely filled with liquid when I first entered it.

By the time I was done, my shadow was growing long. The sun was close to setting, it's bottom touching the distant trees. I would need to find shelter soon. I was good on food and water so far, having eaten and drunk some coconuts I had tested the machete on before, but I would need to find a place to sleep for the night.

[] Go search for Shelter: I decided to leave my beach and head into the darkening island in search for a tree or ditch to sleep in. Might not be wise, but it's vastly preferable to sleeping in the pod or out in the open.
[] Sleep on the Beach: The coconut trees were very comfortable. Spending the night leaning against the trunk of one sounds pleasant. Although it would leave me very exposed and out in the open, in case something decides to come down the beach. Or out of the water.
[] Sleep in the Pod: I don't like this. The pod discomforts me. Creeps me out. I lost my memory in there. But it's near, the inside is comfortable and the door opens from the inside. Just need to avoid touching the red liquid.

 

[Zhade]

I decided to leave my beach and head into the darkening island in search for a tree or ditch to sleep in. Might not be wise, but it's vastly preferable to sleeping in the pod or out in the open. Gripping my machete firmly in one hand and the journal in the other, I began a trek in search for shelter.

I skirted the patch of open grass infront of me. While it was likely I would find a comfortable ditch there, it was too open for my liking. Best to head to the trees, quickly while I still had light.

The sun was...larger. Way too large actually, now that I think about it. Almost twice as large as when I saw it midday. But it didn't seem to be affecting anything (the temperature was dropping in fact), so I shrugged it off and continued into to look for shelter.

It was slow going. My feet were unprotected and the terrain was rough, filled with sharp stones and broken twigs. The wind was picking up as well, it's eerie moan only made worse by the way it bit into me. I shivered. It looked to be a chilly night. With how quickly the sun was going down, I wouldn't have time to make a fire either. Not that I knew how to make one, aside from vague generalities.

The sun was almost gone by the time my feet left the scraggly grass and unto softer soil. At this point, the shrubs and small trees around me had began to give way to taller ones, thick and with canopies that shadowed the ground. The sound of the waves, almost a constant ever since I woke up, had vanished almost completely, replaced by a suffocating silence. The air was heavier here, more stagnant. A prickling in the back of my neck told me I was being watched, but no matter how deeply I peered through the undergrowth, I could find nothing. My grip grew tight around my machete and I started to need to hack a path clear through the more dense areas.

In the end, I decided heading deeper and deeper in the search for the perfect tree or hollow wasn't going to get me anywhere. The light was quickly fading, so I backtracked a bit and compromised on a sturdy looking tree. I had initially bypassed it because of the rough bark and it's nearness to the grasslands, but beggars can't be choosers.

I rubbed my hands with dirt, anything for that extra grip, then carefully tossed my journal so it landed on a branch. Then with my machete in my mouth, I carefully, tortuously, made my way up. My muscles, so long unused, screamed in protest as I tried to lift my entire body up. Acids coursed through my body as I finally pulled my body off the ground and started to maneuver it onto the branch. Every part of my body was focused on getting to the point where the tree and not my arms were holding up the majority of my weight. Every time I managed that, I would lay on it for a few minutes, gasping, feeling the strength return to my limbs. Then I would do it all again. Twice, my body would quit and I fell back to the ground. I would there lie, wheezing, before I regained the will and the strength to get back up.

I didn't have a watch, but I think it took half of an hour for me to reach a high enough elevation. There was a brief moment where my journal fell off and it looked like I have to go back down to retrieve it, but thankfully it landed on another branch close enough for me to reach. By the time I had snuggled down into a comfortable position, it was pitch black. The bark was uncomfortable against my bare skin, but I was damned if I was going to get down and find another tree now. This was good enough.

I would have feel asleep now and started writing again in the morning light, but it seemed nightfall awoke something.

Fireflies.

First one light, then two, three, a dozen, a hundred, a thousand! A great swarm of them, wheeling and dancing away in the grassland. The conflagration (I assume that's what you call a group of them) wasn't close, but it was bright enough to give me light to write. I have very little knowledge regarding the insect, but these seem brighter than normal, the light they gave off reminiscent of a incandescent bulb. They're beautiful, moving in patterns and shapes my mind still can't comprehend.

The quiet of the forest seems to vanished. Twilight must to be a shift change, I hear a great number of rustle and chirp every. Curiously, I no fear at the noises.

i note bugs going towards the lgihts

rats too

so many rats

ratz ratz ratz

(Illegible)

Day 2

The good news is, I awoke in the morning unharmed and with most of my memory intact.

The bad news is, I did so by falling out of my tree. I'm very lucky I fell on my journal and not my machete.

It took awhile for me to gather myself. My memories of last night were...hazy. I remember climbing the tree and watching the fireflies. And I remember something about things moving towards the grass, but nothing else. Just dreams full of light and dripping water.

I ventured cautiously out into the grassland, keeping my eyes unfocused. Judging by how the only non-hazy things I could remember were the fireflies (which I will hereby name Wispflies), it stood to reason they were the ones responsible for last night.

Well, whatever happened, I could find no trace of the Wispflies where I searched. I did find something that looked like a rat's bone, but it was too dry and old and was probably just an unusually looking twig.

Well, whatever. Lesson learned. No harm done and I got a good night's sleep. An overall plus I would say.

That is, until I came back to the beach.

The first thing I noticed was the number of crabs and seagulls. There were a lot more of them than when I woke up yesterday. Although it was far earlier as well. They swarmed the edges of the beach, curiously ignoring the center and the outer edges. Wasn't hard to see why; there were these...piles of crap there. Detritus and the remnants of what looked like dead fish. Washed up by the morning tide probably.

The second thing I noticed was that the pod door was closed.

~~~
​

I took me a while to figure out what had happened. It seemed the waves had pushed the pod over, slamming the door shut and jamming it in the sand. Thankfully, there shouldn't have been any spillage from the liquid inside, but trying to right the pod is beyond my capabilities right now. And then I would have to pry it open. Although I doubt I need the liquid right now, it's a valuable tool for emergencies but-

Wait.

If I couldn't push the pod back up, how could the waves have pushed it down? I have no illusions about my strength, but still...

I pressed my ear up against the pod door. Nothing. But the beach still looked ominous. Now that I think about it, the waves couldn't have reached all the way the the end of the beach to deposit those junk piles.

I still my heart. Focus. I need to start planning what I'm going to be doing today. Deep breaths.

[] Explore: I decided to go searching for food, water, shelter, and maybe something to help with the pod.
-[] Which direction? North up the beach, West down it, or further inland?
[] Writein​

 

[Zhade]

If there are gods, then they must hate me.

It took a few hours into my trek inland before I realized I was hopelessly lost. It didn't happen all at once of course.

I had assumed that my machete and I would leave a blatant enough trail for me to backtrack along, but the thick jungle and a few wrong turns corrected that notion. Finding my way back to the beach would take time, far too much right now, so I continued to press further. I at least needed to secure a good base. Can't be sleeping in trees every night like some sort of overgrown squirrel.

I mean, it's not like I had anything left at the beach. Sure there was the pod, but I can't drag it with me and I don't have anything to carry the serum in. Another thing I should be looking for, unless I wanted to string some cut coconuts together.

The air is steadily growing heavier and wetter as I head further in. There's a whirring sound as some large bird flies over my head, and the hum of insects is constant. Mindful of how last night went, I'm cautious of any strange lights I see. And even though I'm hilariously bad at it, I still try to sneak through the jungle, cautious of anything that may sneak up on me in return.

Currently, I am looking for some higher elevation, something that could give me the lay of the land and help fill out my map. From there, I could hopefully see if there any sites of notes, maybe even signs of civilization if I was lucky. If there was a port or an airbase on the other side of this island, I am going to feel incredibly foolish.

Food and water is also important things on my shopping list. I'm not stupid enough to eat any of the berries or mushrooms I see, but if my eyes are peeled for any small rodents I can roast or ponds I can drink from. I can't live on coconuts forever, the beach wouldn't be able to support me for a week. I needed more sustainable sources.

So far, no luck. I was making slow progress through the jungle, trying to keep an eye out for anything useful while trying not to make enough noise to alert every animal in my vicinity. Not that there were many animals. I see some insects here and there, some harmless ants and wasps, but nothing bigger than my hand. For a while, at least.

The one good thing about my slow progress was that I saw the spiderweb before I walked into it. It was huge, hanging like a tapestry of glittering stars between two trees. It was taller than me by half and wider than twice my height. Smaller, supporting structures spiraled off above and below, attaching to other vegetation. The strands themselves were thrice as thick as regular silk and faintly dappled with dew, which the only reason why I noticed it. The architect was nowhere to be found (and neither were any cocoons), so I cautiously picked up a largish looking stone and tossed it into the web. Just to see if it could take the weight. The strands may be useful.

It did and a huge fucking spider spring up out of the ground and started scrambling up it's web. This thing was the twice the size of my outstretched hand, and that wasn't counting the legs. Needless to say, I ran away as fast as my legs would let me, heedless of the noise I was making and desiring only to get as far away as possible from that spawn of Satan.

I ran full tilt for a good bit, by which I was completely lost. But on the bright side, I could hear running water! That was one thing on the list down.

The river was wide, but not enough that I couldn't see the other side. It seemed rather shallow as well, so I should be able to easily swim across if I ever needed to. It was also gentle, easy to access and when I cupped my hand in it, clear. Tasted great too; no weird aftertaste or feel, just cool, crisp water. Probably runoff from the mountains I keep glimpsing east whenever there's a break in the canopy. It was pretty much perfect.

Of course, this meant that something was wrong and the gods were about to fuck me over again. So, with my machete in hand, I continued my search for shelter and food. This time, I kept careful track of where I was. Losing an entire river would be rather embarrassing.

It took a few more hours, but I found something. A small cave, really more a hollow than an actual cave, formed by erosion into a hill creating a natural little nook. Big enough for me to stand in, but small enough to feel cozy. And within shouting range of the river too.

I peered inside. It was actually really nice once I got a closer look. Once I got some vines and leaves, I could cover the entrance for camouflage and cover, have some room for any stuff I find that I can't carry with me. Hell, I could even bring the pod here, once I figure out how to move it.

That's when I noticed that the soft, loomish floor of the hollow was peppered with small white sticks. I pulled one out.

It was a broken femur.

At that moment, I heard a snuffling sound and turned around to met the eyes of a wild pig.

[] Fight: I doubted that I would be able to run from an animal in it's own territory, so I stood my ground and fought.
-[] Face it head on! I know of bullfighting, and while I don't have a cape, I thought I could trick it into impaling itself on my machete...
-[] Lead it to the River: The rushing water and the riverbank should provide some opportunities to fell the beast. I ran the risk of losing the corpse though...
-[] Lead it into the Forest: Feeling a bit reckless, I smashed through the undergrowth, leading the enraged pig into some interesting terrain I saw earlier...
-[] Writein: I went for something different...
[] Flight: I, of course, decided to flee immediately. There will be other shelters, preferably ones that aren't inhabited by man-eating cattle. Just needed to shake this pig...

 

[Zhade]

I carefully shifted my stance so I was facing the pig, twirling my machete threateningly as I did so. Well, trying to really, it was a wonder I didn't drop it. I carefully leveled it at the beast, moving my weight to the balls of my feet. I had weight on it, but that was it. It was likely stronger and faster than me, and could rip out entire goblets of flesh if I moved wrong.

But I was smarter. I could think ahead and trap it. Facing it head on was a no go, but what about leading it to the river? There had to be something I could use there, even if I ended up just drowning the thing in it.

My decision made, I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet. The beast hadn't moved towards me, it just stood there stock still. From what I can remember through the adrenaline fog, it's back reached higher than my chest. It's entire body rippled with muscle, and two small tusks glinted out from it's snout. It pawed the ground, as if getting ready to charge.

I thought that was my cue. My subconscious plan was to dodge the instant it moved, zigzagging my way through the trees towards the river. The beast may be faster than me, but hopefully it wasn't agile too. At least I was thinner and could probably jump higher.

And thus, I tensed my legs in preparation for the leap and the pig promptly ran away, squealing.

I was...a bit perturbed at this to be honest, unable to really grasp what had happened for a few seconds. I stood there, staring dumbly at the direction my nemesis had fled, unable to comprehend that the fight had ended so unsatisfactorily.

I checked behind me once my brain started working again, but thankfully the pig hadn't run because a bear had sneaked up behind me or something of the like. From what I could tell, it had run from...me. Needless to say, my confidence rose a few notches at that line of thought. At least until I started searching the hollow more thoroughly.

I was still unsure if I should claim the hollow as my new home, so at that moment, I investigated it to make sure it proved adequate. With my luck, I would spend two nights sleeping in it only to have the roof collapse on the third.

It took a few hours, but searching through it didn't unveil any structural defects. The roof and walls were sturdy, enough to support my entire weight, and surprisingly free of holes. No need to worry about leakage during a storm. The floor however...

I knew there was bones there, but I didn't realize just how much there was. Small bones and larges bones, crushed and broken, bird bones and mammal bones. Thankfully all old. It seemed that the hollow was once the den of rather prolific and messy carnivore. Not anymore, given the age of them. The bones were trampled into the ground, almost as if the carnivore tried to make a nest of out the bones. It was rather comfortable once you tried sleeping in it. The detritus had turned into a floor that was surprisingly soft in places.

But the most surprising find was a massive skull that had been lodged into the side of the hollow. I didn't see it initially because it blended in with the stone, but it was obvious once my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light.

The head was enormous, almost as long as I was tall. It was shaped like a right-angled triangle, with a broad flattened forehead and two long, curving tusks that almost reached up to it's eyes (although one had snapped off). It's teeth were...flat and shaped for crushing.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I was looking at the skull of a pig, one massive enough to look down on me. And it didn't take long after that to realize that the pig I saw earlier was probably this thing's offspring.

The confidence I had gained earlier vanished like the morning dew. Well. At least I know I'm terrifying to young-

~~~
​

As I finished writing that last section, an unearthly roar shook the ground. It was bestial and primal, and my very bones hummed in tune. Besides scaring the shit out of me, the white noise of the forest around me stilled, bird and insect song quietening.

I myself hid in my hollow, wondering if this was how my caveman ancestors felt eons ago. The roars continued, alternating in pitch and volume, until I was unsure if there was one creature roaring or four. ​

I did muster up some courage to take a peek outside my shelter. The sounds were clearer, if no less frightening, and I was able to discern that they were coming from far away. Deeper in the island, east and away from the shore. They were savage, loud roars but I couldn't place from what creature they came from. Definitely not from a tiger, but my knowledge there stopped. It was didn't have that distinctive, sustained growl, but instead was composed of quick bursts of sound, interspersed with silence. Like barks but longer, and sometimes they would last for minutes without any ceasing or volume change. Furthermore, the sound was constant, almost like a musical tone rather than something organic. The only hint that there was something more were the brief warbles before and after each roar.

As an aside, the human brain is surprisingly adaptable. It's only been half an hour since the racket started and already I've grown tired of it. There hasn't been any hint of the demonic creatures coming to eat me, so I've instead decided to plan my next steps. I still have some time before the sun sets.

After some thought, I have decided to...

Pick two. The order matters, as the first one you pick will be what you do before bed, the next the one you do when you wake up.
[] Explore and Map my Surroundings: I'd rather I didn't get lost again.
[] Abandon my Hollow: The roars aren't helping. Best to find someplace else, even if it's substandard
[] Find some Food: My water situation is fine right now (unless I start bleeding), but I can't say the same about food.
[] Craft the Skull: I have a machete and some sharp rocks. I could make the skull into a rudimentary pot.
[] Find my Beach and Pod: I need to find and secure that serum as soon as possible.

 

[Zhade]

This island is, I have to admit, unorthodox.

A bit of an understatement perhaps, given what's happened to me so far, but I feel it bears repeating. This island is downright weird. Just think back on my journey from the beach to here: grassland became forests became jungle. That shouldn't make any sense; there shouldn't be such a drastic biome change in just a morning's walk!

Not to mention the weather. Almost immediately after the roaring had stopped, a thunderstorm hit. It was almost supernatural at how fast it appeared, grey clouds forming out of a blue sky like magic. I honestly thought I was dreaming, what with the speed of the storm, but alas, it was just the island being strange again. An occurrence I fear will become more regular as my stay goes on.

I know I'm not the best authority on what can and cannot happen, but I'm pretty sure this is ridiculous. I think the sky went from clear to overcast within a minute. Then again, logic is sometimes helpless against reality. There isn't anything I can really do except grumble at this inconsistency and keep moving forward. Or rather, stay inside.

Counting the strikes reassured me that the storm was too far away for me to worry about the lightning, but it did put a damper on any plans I had for the rest of the evening. I spent it huddled in the hollow, cataloging what I had and trying to keep warm. I managed to grab some leaves and vines, hanging them over the entrance. They're a paltry defense, they don't even block the rain, but they should help somewhat in camouflaging my base. Somewhat.

~~~​

Being placed under house arrest by the weather doesn't feel all that great. This journal is great for organizing and as an obituary, but not so much as a timewaster. I wasn't lazy enough to just sleep away the storm, so I started cleaning up my new home.

First, I started clearing out the floor. Bones, twigs, rocks; all were pulled out and stacked to the side. The remaining dirt was then packed into a semi-comfortable little nook. The previous occupant may have been fine with dozing atop crushed bones, but I like to consider myself more civilized.

Aside from three leg/arm bones, most of the osseous matter was too broken to be of any use. Too old or too damaged for me to even guess what type of animal or body part they came from. I did manage to scrounge up enough rocks to make up a small firepit. Once it stops raining of course; I'd rather I didn't try my hand at firemaking in an enclosed space. The twigs and dead plant matter I dug up should help with the kindling though.

I managed to get the pig skull dislodged from it's resting place. It's massive; almost the size of my entire torso. The jaw is missing (and isn't in the osseous pile) and the skull itself is broken and old. But there's a decently large part of it, the part that would cover the back of the head, that is still intact. Hell, with some tinkering and a few judicious swings of the machete, I'm sure I could make it into some sort of container. I'm unsure how long bone can withstand heat, but I am eager to see if I can use it to make soup.

It was surprisingly difficult to craft a pot. I didn't want to crack the skull entirely, so I had to carefully break off the large sections, instead of just hacking willy-nilly. The lone tusk was carefully snapped off and then stored for later (I was thinking of making it into a spear, for range when the machete isn't enough), while any excess bone shards were dropped into the bone pile.

Then came the hard part of slowly sanding down the edges. Word of advice: use stones instead of a machete for this. Thankfully the cut on my knee was minor, and it's already scabbed over. Oh, and remember to drill in two holes to tie a rope through, for easy holding! Well, not that I have a rope, but one should always think ahead.

Aside from those slovenly attempts at bonecrafting, I also took some time to familiarize myself with the machete; it's weight and handling in order to make attacking with it easier next time. At the moment, I'm still a complete beginner, but hopefully things will be different in the future.

Day 3

I dreamed of dripping water again (which is not surprising considering the rain) as well as golden eyes looking at me from below the water surface. But let's put that aside for now; we're not here to talk about my dreams.

When I awoke, I felt my first pang of hunger. Which, now that I think about it, is rather phenomenal. It's been almost two days since I had eaten those few coconuts, but I'm only now starting to feel peckish. And it's not even debilitating; I'm pretty sure I can keep going for maybe another day before my body really starts to complain. Don't think the same can be said for water, but thankfully I took some time during the storm yesterday to stand outside with my mouth wide open.

Speaking of which, seems that the storm has let up.

Choose One
[] Go Exploring: My map is currently woefully lacking. I should start putting some real effort in cartography
[] Practice with Machete: Now that I think about it, I'm unsure if I could have faced that piglet yesterday head on. Best to make sure I actually know what I'm doing
[] Hunt and Forage: My food situation will likely become critical in the near future. While it's not urgent now, it's best I prepare a pantry I can fall back on during lean times.
[] Study: This island is strange. I will try cataloging and examining what flora and fauna I come across, to better prepare for the future.
[] Pod: I have a pot to hold the serum in; I should go fetch it. The creepy pod can stay where it is though. First I need to find it though...

 

[Zhade]

I've been thinking about memory. Not just the absence of mine, but memory as a whole and how we, humans and animals, use it to survive.

When you think about it, memory sounds like a fantastic ability. The capacity to remember prior events and thus act on them would be a tremendous advantage over those who can't. It opens up the possibility of planning, of learning from your mistakes and growing wiser. I vaguely recall that even some single celled organisms have a sort of "memory" , although I believe it was chemical based. Truly, memory is one of the greatest biological adaptations ever passed down.

At least, I thought so. But really, what's the use of just remembering what happened before? Unless that exact same situation happens again, your memory is useless! A computer with nothing but memory cannot be considered a computer!

Memory is only useful when paired with extrapolation, pattern recognition and analysis. You need to be able to relate a situation with something similar (but not exactly the same) in your memory. Then can you draw upon your experiences to arrive at an optimal solution. Otherwise, you're not truly learning from your past, simply not repeating it.

Interestingly, if you looked at it the other way, one would fare a lot better with just extrapolation rather than memory. It's the difference between knowing that the berries growing by the riverside will make you sick and realizing that none of the blue and red-striped berries show signs of being eaten by animals.

Moving on, what I'm saying, friend, is that you need to use your brain. If you see a bush full of berries in the wild, don't eat any if it seems untouched. Life isn't that easy; this isn't a Garden of Eden. Don't expect to be able to just easily pick fruits off plants and vegetables out of the ground. There's a million other vermin you're sharing the island with and they're far better than you at strip-foraging it.

Trying to rely on guesswork and saying "I'll learn through trial and error!" is borderline suicidal.

It didn't take me long to figure this out myself; the first fruits I found were pear-like, hanging low enough that it barely reached thigh-height. The fruits were practically glistening, gleaming with moisture, and the branch was heavily laden with enough to feed me for days.

And the plant was just sitting there, out in the open. No other trees around or any other plants. Just the small pear-tree in the center of almost a meter of undisturbed dirt.

A few theories came to mind to explain this bizarre situation: Acidity in the root system that prevented other plants from blooming near. A grazing herbivore that, out of fit of whimsy, pulled up all the grasses around the tree. A small, localized plague wiped out most of the flora in this area but left the pears alone; an important reminder on the role of biodiversity.

Either way, a curious anomaly but ultimately harmless.

And I was born yesterday.

So, using my memory and extrapolation ability, I started throwing rocks at it from a distance. If it worked for the spiderweb, it'll work here. I'd rather they suffer what horrible fates the pear had in store rather than me, as "hardhearted" as that may sound. I threw them at the ground around the tree, at the tree itself and even lobbed some of them at the hanging pears.

I think it goes to show how this island has been affecting my personality because even that wasn't enough to kill my suspicions. It was only after a pear fell off after a few minutes of me bullying the tree that I finally decided to pick one up.

And that was when the pear blew up.

I know.

Thankfully, I wasn't holding the fruit grenade in my hand when it did so, so I escaped mostly unscathed. Well, if you can call having a part of your left hand destroyed by the last "unscathed", then sure.

There doesn't seem to be much bleeding, thankfully, but it was still excruciatingly painful. It also made my little finger completely unusable, destroying the tissue enough that it's barely hanging on.

On the bright side, there's still some pieces of the pear left. Most of the seeds are gone, but there's still some bits of flesh here and there. A few careful pokes with a stick, and then testing the flesh by pressing it against my skin, lips and tongue reassured me that it should be safe. At the very least, I doubt a plant would have both poison and explosive properties for self-defense.

It was a bit salty, but actually perfectly fine otherwise. There wasn't much (and what was there wasn't worth the cost to get it), but it did help in settling my stomach done for now. I even exploded two more pears (hiding behind a tree of course) to top me up. Might last me until tomorrow, at the very least.

For now, I've just put a splint on my finger with a twig and some reeds. I have to keep it gripped with my ring finger, but so far it seems to be holding. Let's me grip my journal at least, and even holds it steady when I'm writing. Thankfully, I'm ambidextrous.

So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I'm heading back to the pod for this. A completely useless finger, while not life-threatening, is a bit more concerning than some simple cuts and bruises. It might be necessary to dip into my stock of serum, assuming I can roll the pod over. Think I can do it; I feel a lot stronger after giving my muscles time to stretch away from the pod.

Now I just needed to find where that part of beach was...

~~~
​

Walking down a beach is dull work. It's not like walking in the jungle, where you have to keep an eye out for holes and rocks and twigs. Not to mention keeping an ear out for any rustling in the bushes to herald me readying my machete and holding a pose like an idiot for five minutes. I'm starting to think that the only other beasts on this part of the island are insects, arthropods and rats. Did the pig whose skull I'm carrying kill all other major competitors?

If so, I humbly thank you Pig. You may serve as the serum container for the rest of my stay here. I will also christen you as Pot. If you are reading this and happened to find Pot, please take good care of her. She will undoubtedly "serve" you well.

Reaching the shoreline wasn't hard. It was just after noon, so all I have to do was head west, staying within earshot of the river. Once I hit sand, I'll just head away from it, as I'm certain I didn't cross the river to find my hollow.

Yes, I grabbed Pot before I headed out. Might as well see about gathering the rest of the serum there, although I don't know if it will all fit. Better than nothing at least.

But man, that river was a lot longer than I thought it was. Or maybe that was because of all the winding it did. I reached the beach only a few hours before the sun was about to set. A brisk walk shall keep me going, and help in ignoring the pain from my still throbbing little finger.

Incidentally, in case you haven't noticed, I learned to write while walking. Yes, I'm coming to you live, directly from the beach as I walk down it, the sun painting orange tints on the waves. The beach is rather dull, unlike the jungle, so I have to amuse myself somehow. I wrote almost this entire entry while walking down the beach.

And speaking of, I can see the pod! It's still in the same spot it was before, the door wedged under it's weight. I still have lots of daylight left, so I should try to work fast if I want to get home before it gets dark-

There's someone there.

he sees me​

 

[Zhade]

My thoughts became frantic. Another person? At my pod? Were they trying to get in? Had they been the one to close the door earlier? What was with the giant sword they were carrying-

With a visible effort, I calmed myself, tore my mind from the dark thoughts that were swirling around in it. Steady. Focus. Don't let panic affect your actions. Look at this rationally.

Fact: There's someone standing near my pod.

Fact: He sees me.

There is currently no evidence he was previously involved with the pod, either by bringing it here or closing it's door. Furthermore, going purely by aesthetic reasons, I doubt he is involved with it's origins, although you should never judge a book by it's cover. But I just can't see someone like him, with his white tattoos and red scars, carefully manufacturing an advanced piece of equipment like the pod. All evidence points to him either being a native or another castaway like me. Leaning more towards native personally, considering the artistic markings on his weapon and his skull-mask.

But more than that, it was just this aura he gave off. Like he was less a human and more a beast. Like he belonged on the island. Compared to me, who was fighting against it, he felt like someone who had been accepted by it. Had let the island in and in turn, became a part of it.

It disquieted me.

But running was probably the wrong thing to do here, and fighting felt even more foolish. He carried a giant sword easily in one hand, looking like he had ripped out a talon from a gigantic beast. It probably was, now that I think back on it's wicked, curved shape. Fighting him seemed like something only a suicidal person would do.

So I waved at him. "Strange weather we're having, isn't it?"

I doubt he could understand me, but I felt it was best to speak in a calm voice. Just act like an anthropologist meeting an uncontacted tribe. Appear nonthreatening and hope they don't eat you.

It seemed to have worked, as he grunted at me in what I hoped was a friendly manner, before he resumed his inspection of the pod. I very carefully walked closer, trying not to appear as if I was sneaking up on.

It was then I noticed that the pod door was open. He must have opened it in his tinkering! In my excitement (in my defense, my hand really hurt), I rushed over and started babbling thanks and trying to explain.

He just tilted his head at me in confusion, so I decided that I should best demonstrate by plunging my hand into the serum. Even if there was only a limited amount of it, trading away some of it for the friendship of an experienced island dweller was well worth.

There was an uncomfortable few seconds as we both stared at my hand, which refused to show any signs of healing. I was just about to take it out and laugh awkwardly, when the serum began to froth around around the wound. It was kinda hard to see with all the bubbles, but I could feel my fingers realigning and the bones reconnecting. It was kinda weird to feel, and I was glad I didn't have to actually see the bones and skin moving around.

After awhile, the bubbling stopped and I lifted my now healed hand. There wasn't even any scarring and it felt like it had just been freshly cleaned. I even felt sated, like I had just a meal. I displayed my hand proudly to the native(?), awaiting his reaction. I was pretty confident that he wasn't going to kill me, as he probably would have done it already, but even I was a bit stupefied when he started laughing, a low growling noise that sounded like a mountain collapsing.

I stared at him as he continued to laugh, casually picked up the pod with his free hand and began filling it with seawater. The sheer absurdness of it held me still for a moment, watching him carefully hold the pod so that none of the serum would spill out. There was a bit of frozen fear as well, as the sight of him easily lifting the heavy pod made me realize how utterly outclassed I was. It took a few seconds for it to be filled to his satisfaction, the reddish water brimming close to the lip. Was he trying to dilute the serum? Make it easier to split up?

My curiosity wasn't enough to stop me from starting forward when he closed the door with a flick of his wrist. Something was wrong. The part of my brain that was still concerned with trees and bananas and predators in the dark screamed out a warning before I even registered what he was doing. I began to yell out a question or a word of caution, or something. Anything to hold off the feeling of dread that was rising within me.

Too little too late, as the moment the noise left my lips, he gripped the pod with one hand and shot put into the ocean. It was a splendid shot, the pod flying almost to the horizon before it hit the water and began sinking down.

I stared at where the pod had sunk down in shock, not really comprehending what had happened, when I smelled a sweet, rotting scent and darkness swallowed me.

Day 4

When I woke up, I was lying on the sand, still holding onto my stuff. The sun was rising and I felt like my head was about to split in half. I gazed blearily at the beach, but there was no sign of the pod or the man who threw it into the ocean.

There were, however, some giant hermit crabs cleaning themselves on the beach. Guess I now know what closed the pod all those days ago.

Like that helps.

Choose two:
[] Scavenge: My food and water situation is fine after last night, but that won't last. I need to be prepared.
[] Explore: I haven't really made an effort to really examine this island. I need to know more about this island.
[] Practice: My skills with my machete are weak. Never again.
[] Track: I'm going to find where that fucker who threw away my pod went.
[] Examine: I think I should find out more about these hermit crabs. Maybe they can be of some use?
[] Writein: Actually, I think I'll...