- Location
- Canada
NaanContributor, that second omake get's you 2 Fate and bumps Trapping to Novice. You can bump it to Adept now with 2 Fate, or bank it for later.
Forsaken: A Survival Island Quest
- Thread starter Zhade
- Start date
- Original
-
- Tags
- mystery survival exploration
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
Thank you, I'm guessing that's also a discounted offer?
What do the other players think? Should I take the boost to Adept so we can give Trapping a try this vote? Or is there something else that people want to use the Fate points for?
Based on our skills (specifically lack of swimming) I'm guessing that one of our fears is of entering the water. Not sure what the other one is.
- Location
- Philippines
Well if you could make them you might spot them too ... I think
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
You think the Tio are setting traps for us? That...actually sounds rather plausible actually.
- Location
- Canada
Actually no. Raising a Skill from Novice to Adept takes 2 points, from Adept to Competent takes 3. You had a two point discount for your first omake, not so for this one.
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
Alright, since no one is requesting something else, I guess I'll boost Trapping to Adept @Zhade.
And since Acrobatics and Stealth are each just one training action away from ranking up...
[X] Continue Interacting: Continue interacting with the Runt every morning when able. Increased tiredness in the morning. No action cost. Possible relationship increase?
[X] Train: Acrobatics
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
And since Acrobatics and Stealth are each just one training action away from ranking up...
[X] Continue Interacting: Continue interacting with the Runt every morning when able. Increased tiredness in the morning. No action cost. Possible relationship increase?
[X] Train: Acrobatics
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
- Location
- Philippines
[X] Continue Interacting: Continue interacting with the Runt every morning when able. Increased tiredness in the morning. No action cost. Possible relationship increase?
[X] Train: Acrobatics
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
[X] Train: Acrobatics
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
- Location
- Philippines
just thought of something should the crafting of traps be first?
- Location
- Canada
They fall under the same action. The Trapping skill handles the making and setting of traps. Woodworking doesn't really come into play here, as it's for more intricate stuff.
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] Train: Acrobatics
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
[X] Train: Stealth
[X] Find Food
-[X] Trapping
[X] Experiment
-[X] Find a way to keep the Lantern from dying. I could either investigate the skeleton it belonged to, or ask Shelog.
- Location
- Philippines
so no spikes, cages or crab pot trap how about nets or does that comes in weaving
- Location
- Canada
Sorta. I think I'll put in a dice-roll bonus from your crafting skills into your trapping rolls. Slight bonus/malus, but it'll still help.
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
A Study In Fire
I experienced an epiphany some time after my late night adventure. As bowel looseningly terrifying as that experience was, it was also illuminating. And I'm not talking about my magic lantern.
As I slunk through the trees like a rat, desperately hoping to avoid the notice of the titans moving around me as I scurried beneath their shadows to snatch up their scraps, there was a primal energy running through the air. And through me. I wonder if this was how our ancestors always felt in prehistoric times, when we were nowhere close to the top of the food chain.
Despite the constant fear and adrenaline, or perhaps because of it, there was a...purity to it all. Nothing else mattered except the present moment, and living to experience the next. But being so thoroughly returned to that primitive state of mind made me think about how we've supposedly evolved beyond it as a species.
The primary source of this ascendance is, of course, fire. It provides light to the dark, warmth to the cold, and keeps our predators away. (Or at least it did back in a more rational world, I doubt it would apply to some of the things I've seen here.) It was through fire that we forged the tools we needed to wrest control of our destinies from the world that birthed us, and build a new one in our image. More than any canine, fire is man's true best friend.
But I've neglected another key aspect of our relationship with fire until now. And that is the ability to cook the food I've been so desperately gathering. Eating and digesting raw food is unfeasibly difficult. I can see it just from watching all the chewing the animals around me all have to do. It's no wonder they never get anything meaningful done, when they have to spend all their time getting and processing food!
But cooking changes the entire game, softening tissues, releasing nutrients, and generally making ingestion and digestion more efficient. And more pleasant if you do it right. That's not to say I haven't tried cooking any of my food before, such as the stew and jerky I made from the Tusker piglet.
But it's rarely been a concerted effort. Quite often I would find myself chowing down on my finds even whilst collecting them. Well no more. After returning from my late night scavenging trip, I was loaded with various fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, roots, and meat. After all the risks I took to get them, I was determined to make the most of them.
Rather than haphazardly throwing all my dinner ingredients together into Pot, I decided to experiment. I separated them into multiple small portions, and prepared each one differently. I actually did make a small amount of stew, along with kebab skewers, a stuffed tuber, meat and fruits wrapped in leaves and sealed in river clay for steaming, and others. I tried to get creative with my limited seasoning options, sprinkling with sea salt and mixing flavors.
As I carefully moved through the steps to prepare my personal feast, I became intimately more familiar with Fire. I learned to think of it almost as a living thing. Fire breathes and eats, dances and crackles. It will grow beyond your control and bite you if you don't respect it. And this growth has levels, going from simmering embers to a roaring flame.
I made use of these various stages, searing on flat stones, boiling, baking, and even placing a few specimens directly into the coals to give them a nice bit of char. When I finally sat down to partake in the cornucopia before me, I took a moment just to immerse myself in the medley of aromas, backed by a foundation of steam and wood smoke.
I took my first bites, filling myself with flavor and heat. I can honestly say that it wasn't that well made or delicious, I'm still no chef after all. But that meal left me feeling more...human, than I've felt since I woke up here. I could examine my surroundings with fresh eyes.
The sun had set below the horizon, but there was just enough light to dye the undersides of the clouds in bright hues of pink and orange. It was gradually being overtaken by the glow of the nearly full moon, and the stars that were appearing one by one in the deep indigo sky. My hair was ruffled by the breeze coming off the river, carrying the symphony of the forest at night time.
Those hours by the fire were a gift, and for all the strife I've been subjected to in my time here, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It was a reminder that beyond the daily grind of survival, I shouldn't forget to actually live. To take a step back and appreciate the beauty around me when I can.
Is this how the Tiö used to live, how they viewed the world every day, before the poisoned hope of prophecy sunk its claws into them? If so, it's no wonder that Shelog is so desperate to return them to that pastoral state. A truly worthy goal, I now wonder if I can help her to accomplish it in some way.
Perhaps more sophisticated philosophers would scoff at my attempts to parse meaning out of mere fire touched flesh. But that meal is something that will always stay with me.
Last edited:
Back
- Location
- Canada
I stared at the crab. It's eye-stalks swiveled in my general direction.
A drop of sweat slithered from my forehead to my neck. I didn't wipe it off, because doing so might startle the giant crab in front of me. Doing a lot of things might startle the giant crab in front of me: speaking, moving, breathing or living. I tried not to do any except the last. One could say I was emulating the pieces of driftwood found on the beach, if I hadn't seen the Titanshells sometimes test their claws on them.
The moment of stillness stretched on like a piece of tough jerky, before it suddenly snapped. The crab made two or three quick warning snaps of it's claws before it maneuvered it's shell around and began lugging the thing back to the water.
It seemed to be having an easier time of it now.
Having very little clues aside from a witch's warning, I struck out towards the only place that I could think of: where I had taken the lamp in the first place. It was bordering a bit close to Tiö territory, but I was confident enough in my skills that I wouldn't be spotted right away.
And I have been thinking of placing some traps around lately.
A drop of sweat slithered from my forehead to my neck. I didn't wipe it off, because doing so might startle the giant crab in front of me. Doing a lot of things might startle the giant crab in front of me: speaking, moving, breathing or living. I tried not to do any except the last. One could say I was emulating the pieces of driftwood found on the beach, if I hadn't seen the Titanshells sometimes test their claws on them.
The moment of stillness stretched on like a piece of tough jerky, before it suddenly snapped. The crab made two or three quick warning snaps of it's claws before it maneuvered it's shell around and began lugging the thing back to the water.
It seemed to be having an easier time of it now.
~~~
My big task for today was figuring out how to prolong the life of my lamp. I've only used it sparingly, but it's utility is immense. Light, glorious light, that can only be seen by me. Artificial light in the middle of a forest is very eye-catching. While a torch may keep some of the other animals at bay, it would also serve to attract attention from the more predatory ones. Not to mention some other, smarter and hungrier eyes watching out for me.
Having very little clues aside from a witch's warning, I struck out towards the only place that I could think of: where I had taken the lamp in the first place. It was bordering a bit close to Tiö territory, but I was confident enough in my skills that I wouldn't be spotted right away.
And I have been thinking of placing some traps around lately.
~~~
Trap setting was a lot harder than it looked. The traps themselves were simplistic; mechanisms of wood and twine that would kill any small creatures that triggered them. As I continued on my journey, I took some time to set them up along promising looking trails. I had a few extra yards of cordage I used for such things, as well as any heavy rocks and strong sticks.
Most of my traps were simple deadfalls, a heavy rock held back from falling with some sticks. I became rather practiced with them and could set them up quickly as the day wore on. The tougher ones were snares, as that took quality cordage. Like the deadfalls, I set them at vermin height and along what looked like game trails I hoped that I would be able to retrieve any game they had caught as I was returning home.
Hopefully resetting them will be quicker than then setting them up in the first place.
Most of my traps were simple deadfalls, a heavy rock held back from falling with some sticks. I became rather practiced with them and could set them up quickly as the day wore on. The tougher ones were snares, as that took quality cordage. Like the deadfalls, I set them at vermin height and along what looked like game trails I hoped that I would be able to retrieve any game they had caught as I was returning home.
Hopefully resetting them will be quicker than then setting them up in the first place.
~~~
I was nearing the location where I had found the lamp, becoming increasingly alert for any sudden noises. Aside from the usual jungle noise of course. This place never seems to sleep.
I managed to catch sight of one of the wolves today. I've seen glimpses of them here and there, but never out in the open. I was high up in a tree, perched precariously on a branch, when a massive green-tinted shadow ambled into the clearing below. My suspicious were confirmed; the wolf I had seen last time I came here was only a child. A child, and it's eyes were level with me.
The adult had yellow eyes that were almost level with me in the trees. It was the size of a doubledecker bus. Slick, dark fur carpeted it with unusual markings on the lower part of it's legs. Grey like mist, they made my eyes slide off whenever I tried to get a good look. You can never tell where a wolf's feet are placed.
The adult ignored me, even as it's child sniffed around the tree I was on curiously. It's eyes were a dull black in comparison to it's parent, but it was far more energetic. The wounds I had seen the green shadow inflicting upon it were still scabbed over, but it did not seem bothered by them.
A few tense minutes passed, with the pup continuing to shake my tree incessantly, before it's parent called it off with a sharp bark. It was the first sound I had heard either of them make; even the youngling had been playing in complete silence. Quiet eerie. Not as eerie as watching the adult direwolf thread it's way through the forest. I think my eyes were defective; it was like it was clipping through the tree trunks. The pup stared at me wistfully, it's teeth glinting, before stalking away.
I was a lot faster in calming myself this time around. By the time I reached the ground, my legs weren't even shaking!
I managed to catch sight of one of the wolves today. I've seen glimpses of them here and there, but never out in the open. I was high up in a tree, perched precariously on a branch, when a massive green-tinted shadow ambled into the clearing below. My suspicious were confirmed; the wolf I had seen last time I came here was only a child. A child, and it's eyes were level with me.
The adult had yellow eyes that were almost level with me in the trees. It was the size of a doubledecker bus. Slick, dark fur carpeted it with unusual markings on the lower part of it's legs. Grey like mist, they made my eyes slide off whenever I tried to get a good look. You can never tell where a wolf's feet are placed.
The adult ignored me, even as it's child sniffed around the tree I was on curiously. It's eyes were a dull black in comparison to it's parent, but it was far more energetic. The wounds I had seen the green shadow inflicting upon it were still scabbed over, but it did not seem bothered by them.
A few tense minutes passed, with the pup continuing to shake my tree incessantly, before it's parent called it off with a sharp bark. It was the first sound I had heard either of them make; even the youngling had been playing in complete silence. Quiet eerie. Not as eerie as watching the adult direwolf thread it's way through the forest. I think my eyes were defective; it was like it was clipping through the tree trunks. The pup stared at me wistfully, it's teeth glinting, before stalking away.
I was a lot faster in calming myself this time around. By the time I reached the ground, my legs weren't even shaking!
~~~
I stopped abruptly as I neared the ridge the skeleton had been on. The decaying remnants of the Sappers were gone, likely scavenged by opportunistic herbivores.
The skeleton was gone too, a stray bone here and there to mark where it had been. That wasn't why I had stopped though.
There was a set of footprints all around the ridge, deep any heavy. They looked like a single set, and like they were dragging something away. But that wasn't why I had stopped either.
I had stopped because I was staring at the Secretary from across the clearing. Her mad yellow eyes (I dreamed of them at night) were staring at me, completely focused. None of the shifting or rapid movements I had remembered from before. The rest of her was like before; dirty and anarchistic. She was perched at the edge of the ridge, a knife of white bone gripped in her hand. It was dripping red.
Before I could react, she jerked her head, bird-like. Her tongue slid out to wet her lips nervously. "Come."
A single word, small but clear, and then she dashed off, in the opposite direction to the footprints. I could hear her heading through the forest. I could keep up with her, if I followed.
[] Search for Bones: You came all this way to fix your lamp, not to chase skirts!
[] Follow Footprints: The small fragments of bones aren't going to be enough for your experiments.
[] Follow Secretary: This isn't ominous at all. Let's see where madness leads.
The skeleton was gone too, a stray bone here and there to mark where it had been. That wasn't why I had stopped though.
There was a set of footprints all around the ridge, deep any heavy. They looked like a single set, and like they were dragging something away. But that wasn't why I had stopped either.
I had stopped because I was staring at the Secretary from across the clearing. Her mad yellow eyes (I dreamed of them at night) were staring at me, completely focused. None of the shifting or rapid movements I had remembered from before. The rest of her was like before; dirty and anarchistic. She was perched at the edge of the ridge, a knife of white bone gripped in her hand. It was dripping red.
Before I could react, she jerked her head, bird-like. Her tongue slid out to wet her lips nervously. "Come."
A single word, small but clear, and then she dashed off, in the opposite direction to the footprints. I could hear her heading through the forest. I could keep up with her, if I followed.
[] Search for Bones: You came all this way to fix your lamp, not to chase skirts!
[] Follow Footprints: The small fragments of bones aren't going to be enough for your experiments.
[] Follow Secretary: This isn't ominous at all. Let's see where madness leads.
Last edited:
- Location
- Canada
NaanContributor, same as last time. Cooking is now Novice and can reach Adept with 2 Fate (or you can bank them for later).
- Location
- Philippines
- Location
- Canada
Being silly.
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
Huh, I was actually considering looking for her in the next action vote. Hopefully we can come back here for one of the other Investigative actions later if we have to (probably not though). Seize the moment, now that we can actually talk to her.
[X] Follow Secretary
Once again I leave the offer of what to do with the Fate points up to suggestions from the other players.
With 2, we can boost any of our Novice skills to Adept, or two Inepts to Novice if I'm calculating right. Or we can save them for something else later.
If no one requests anything, then @Zhade can just boost Cooking at his discretion. BTW, that omake was inspired by an episode of "The Chef's Table". Watch it if you like getting philosophical about food.
[X] Follow Secretary
Once again I leave the offer of what to do with the Fate points up to suggestions from the other players.
With 2, we can boost any of our Novice skills to Adept, or two Inepts to Novice if I'm calculating right. Or we can save them for something else later.
If no one requests anything, then @Zhade can just boost Cooking at his discretion. BTW, that omake was inspired by an episode of "The Chef's Table". Watch it if you like getting philosophical about food.
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
- Location
- Earth
[X] Follow Secretary
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] Follow Secretary
Underground
- Location
- Canada
I moved quickly. My feet were callused things, hardening fast soon after I set foot on the island. Twigs and small stones never bothered me and now they didn't even hurt me. Furthermore, I was no stranger to running through the woods; I knew of some small tricks to maintain my balance and speed.
But even then I could barely keep up. The Secretary dashed through the forest on quicksilver feet, flowing over and around obstacles. It was like trying to chase the wind. At times you think you've caught up, but the terrain inevitably slows you back down. Flashes of her dirty blonde hair kept me from veering off course too much, thankfully.
In addition, we weren't headed far. It was around ten minutes of pitched running in total, and while I may have forced her to double back one or two times, I was barely panting when we arrived.
It was dark, dense part of the jungle she had led me to. I kept my grip on my machete tight. I had been through here before, but not for long. Only to give it a cursory glance and to fill in another part of my map. A few seconds at most.
The woman dropped to the ground, digging away at something beneath a tree. I couldn't see properly from behind, but I could the glint of metal. I debated stepping in to help, but I decided that staying back and not alarming her would be the better option. And also because it gave me more room to dodge.
A hiss of exertion later and the glimpses of metal resolved into...a hatch. It was rusted and old, looking like something out of a war movie, but I was struck more by the sheer incongruity of it's presence than anything. Just how many secrets does this Island hold?
There was no window on it, nothing but a small gear in the center. The Secretary reached into her pack and retrieved what looked like a wrench, which she fitted onto the gear. She turned it clockwise a few full turns, muscles tensing, before something gave and she swung the hatch upwards. Darkness yawned from within, what sunlight penetrated the canopy above revealed a tight tunnel descending into the bowels of the Island.
"Go", the Secretary said. I looked from her to the darkness she was pointing at. A few minutes passed in silence, before frustration showed on her face. She pointed again insistently. I took a step back.
"I'm not going to drop down into that without some reason!" I exclaimed.
She didn't seem surprised that I could speak German now, which should have warned me. Her eyebrows stopped crinkling up like a pair of caterpillars. She glanced around nervously, well, more nervously than before.
"Repayment. She wishes to repay you." The Secretary responded. She was getting restless, sitting on her haunches before straightening repeatedly. "For food and fire you gave."
"She? Who is she?" I asked, perplexed. The only one I had given food to was- "Wait, you mean you?"
The woman titled her head at me. "Yes, she."
Wonderful. "You're welcome, I guess. Can you not you bring it up here?"
"It is not something but somewhere." She responded cryptically. "Now, go. Hurry, before she is found."
I wavered. "Can you not go first? I mean, you are wearing-", I tried one last time.
"She must close the door. Now go, hurry!" There didn't seem to be anything approaching us then; the jungle was relatively peaceful and noisy. But the Secretary's eyes were beginning to roll madly and she was jumping up and down. It was if staying in one place unnerved her, wound her up until she was ready to explode.
Because I wasn't interested in seeing that, I took the plunge and headed down. There were pegs embedded into the walls of the tunnel, which let me go down easily. Far more easy than climbing down a tree at any rate.
I was still getting my bearings as the darkness swallowed me when the Secretary, probably at the end of her frayed rope, leaped down. She managed to slam the door shut on her way past before latching onto some pegs only a few rows above mine.
I glanced up. Complete darkness. I tried to stop my heart from pounding.
When my feet reached the ground, I immediately fumbled for the lamp. It's light was a blessing, letting me see, but only for the first moment.
Close. The walls were too close. They were made of decaying concrete and rusted steel, a maze of artificial lines in an Island that had none. They pressed around me, barely holding back the tons of dirt and earth from smashing in and crushing us. The walls were too close, I could barely stretch my arms out, what if I got trapped down here or lost-
My increasingly frantic breathing was cut off when something touched my shoulder. I whirled around and pointed both the lantern and my machete.
The Secretary looked at me curiously, the lantern's light somehow not reflecting in her yellow eyes. They looked like they were glowing in the dark. She seemed calmer now, more in control. Not sane, certainly, but more stable.
"Are you sick?" She asked, more curiosity than concern in her voice.
I stifled a laugh. "Not...physically." I responded. Best to leave my mental traumas alone.
She nodded and tapped her own head absentmindedly. "She is sick too."
Well, knowing you have a problem is the first step to fixing it. "What are you going to show me."
The same head tilt, the same look of confusion. "She has shown you already."
"These tunnels?" I asked, disbelievingly. "That's it? Where do they lead to?"
"The Island," She responded simply.
With her, it always takes me a few seconds to figure out what she's saying. Then it clicks. "You mean these are tunnels that go throughout the Island? Everywhere?"
She flinched for a moment, eyes darting nervously. "Not...Not everywhere. Some. Most. But not everywhere."
She pointed down the dark tunnel we were standing in. The darkness seemed to swallow it up. "Go straight without turning."
"What's there?"
"Your home." She said, as it wasn't one of the more ominous things she had said today. She reached into her pack and handed me a wrench similar to the one she opened the door with. Now that I look at it, it's less a wrench and more of a handle, probably specifically made for attaching to the door.
I was still ruminating over the possibilities, when she suddenly turned to leave, heading deeper into the tunnel network.
"Hold on, is that it?" I called.
She turned around and stopped. The same tenseness I saw uptop was back, her entire body beginning to wind up. So, more stable but not entirely then.
"Yes." She muttered, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "She has repaid her debt."
I scratched my head. "I don't even know who you are, you understand? It's not exactly-"
"Dora." Came the quick reply. "Th-Th-Dora."
Her voice stammered on some syllables for a moment, before reasserting herself. Her flightiness was increasing. I probably could only ask one more question before she fled into the dark, where I couldn't follow.
[] What happened to you?
[] What is this place?
[] What else is down here?
[] Nothing. Stay quiet for now.
[] Write-in
But even then I could barely keep up. The Secretary dashed through the forest on quicksilver feet, flowing over and around obstacles. It was like trying to chase the wind. At times you think you've caught up, but the terrain inevitably slows you back down. Flashes of her dirty blonde hair kept me from veering off course too much, thankfully.
In addition, we weren't headed far. It was around ten minutes of pitched running in total, and while I may have forced her to double back one or two times, I was barely panting when we arrived.
It was dark, dense part of the jungle she had led me to. I kept my grip on my machete tight. I had been through here before, but not for long. Only to give it a cursory glance and to fill in another part of my map. A few seconds at most.
The woman dropped to the ground, digging away at something beneath a tree. I couldn't see properly from behind, but I could the glint of metal. I debated stepping in to help, but I decided that staying back and not alarming her would be the better option. And also because it gave me more room to dodge.
A hiss of exertion later and the glimpses of metal resolved into...a hatch. It was rusted and old, looking like something out of a war movie, but I was struck more by the sheer incongruity of it's presence than anything. Just how many secrets does this Island hold?
There was no window on it, nothing but a small gear in the center. The Secretary reached into her pack and retrieved what looked like a wrench, which she fitted onto the gear. She turned it clockwise a few full turns, muscles tensing, before something gave and she swung the hatch upwards. Darkness yawned from within, what sunlight penetrated the canopy above revealed a tight tunnel descending into the bowels of the Island.
"Go", the Secretary said. I looked from her to the darkness she was pointing at. A few minutes passed in silence, before frustration showed on her face. She pointed again insistently. I took a step back.
"I'm not going to drop down into that without some reason!" I exclaimed.
She didn't seem surprised that I could speak German now, which should have warned me. Her eyebrows stopped crinkling up like a pair of caterpillars. She glanced around nervously, well, more nervously than before.
"Repayment. She wishes to repay you." The Secretary responded. She was getting restless, sitting on her haunches before straightening repeatedly. "For food and fire you gave."
"She? Who is she?" I asked, perplexed. The only one I had given food to was- "Wait, you mean you?"
The woman titled her head at me. "Yes, she."
Wonderful. "You're welcome, I guess. Can you not you bring it up here?"
"It is not something but somewhere." She responded cryptically. "Now, go. Hurry, before she is found."
I wavered. "Can you not go first? I mean, you are wearing-", I tried one last time.
"She must close the door. Now go, hurry!" There didn't seem to be anything approaching us then; the jungle was relatively peaceful and noisy. But the Secretary's eyes were beginning to roll madly and she was jumping up and down. It was if staying in one place unnerved her, wound her up until she was ready to explode.
Because I wasn't interested in seeing that, I took the plunge and headed down. There were pegs embedded into the walls of the tunnel, which let me go down easily. Far more easy than climbing down a tree at any rate.
I was still getting my bearings as the darkness swallowed me when the Secretary, probably at the end of her frayed rope, leaped down. She managed to slam the door shut on her way past before latching onto some pegs only a few rows above mine.
I glanced up. Complete darkness. I tried to stop my heart from pounding.
When my feet reached the ground, I immediately fumbled for the lamp. It's light was a blessing, letting me see, but only for the first moment.
Close. The walls were too close. They were made of decaying concrete and rusted steel, a maze of artificial lines in an Island that had none. They pressed around me, barely holding back the tons of dirt and earth from smashing in and crushing us. The walls were too close, I could barely stretch my arms out, what if I got trapped down here or lost-
My increasingly frantic breathing was cut off when something touched my shoulder. I whirled around and pointed both the lantern and my machete.
The Secretary looked at me curiously, the lantern's light somehow not reflecting in her yellow eyes. They looked like they were glowing in the dark. She seemed calmer now, more in control. Not sane, certainly, but more stable.
"Are you sick?" She asked, more curiosity than concern in her voice.
I stifled a laugh. "Not...physically." I responded. Best to leave my mental traumas alone.
She nodded and tapped her own head absentmindedly. "She is sick too."
Well, knowing you have a problem is the first step to fixing it. "What are you going to show me."
The same head tilt, the same look of confusion. "She has shown you already."
"These tunnels?" I asked, disbelievingly. "That's it? Where do they lead to?"
"The Island," She responded simply.
With her, it always takes me a few seconds to figure out what she's saying. Then it clicks. "You mean these are tunnels that go throughout the Island? Everywhere?"
She flinched for a moment, eyes darting nervously. "Not...Not everywhere. Some. Most. But not everywhere."
She pointed down the dark tunnel we were standing in. The darkness seemed to swallow it up. "Go straight without turning."
"What's there?"
"Your home." She said, as it wasn't one of the more ominous things she had said today. She reached into her pack and handed me a wrench similar to the one she opened the door with. Now that I look at it, it's less a wrench and more of a handle, probably specifically made for attaching to the door.
I was still ruminating over the possibilities, when she suddenly turned to leave, heading deeper into the tunnel network.
"Hold on, is that it?" I called.
She turned around and stopped. The same tenseness I saw uptop was back, her entire body beginning to wind up. So, more stable but not entirely then.
"Yes." She muttered, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "She has repaid her debt."
I scratched my head. "I don't even know who you are, you understand? It's not exactly-"
"Dora." Came the quick reply. "Th-Th-Dora."
Her voice stammered on some syllables for a moment, before reasserting herself. Her flightiness was increasing. I probably could only ask one more question before she fled into the dark, where I couldn't follow.
[] What happened to you?
[] What is this place?
[] What else is down here?
[] Nothing. Stay quiet for now.
[] Write-in
For now, this has little purpose. You only know of two exit points, one close to Tio territory, another near your hollow. The travel time shaved via using the tunnels for that is minimal.
But as you explore more of the island, sometimes entire days can be spent in travel. The tunnels help; they can drastically cut down on travel time to let you reach destinations within hours instead. However, you need to explore the system to find the appropriate exit. Also, like with Boost, you suffer mental damage spending too long down here because of your claustrophobia. Guess where that came from.
Word of warning; the tunnels work on a level system. Exit points near each other are close to the surface. But if you want to reach the other side of the island or bypass the mountains, you will need to head deeper.
But as you explore more of the island, sometimes entire days can be spent in travel. The tunnels help; they can drastically cut down on travel time to let you reach destinations within hours instead. However, you need to explore the system to find the appropriate exit. Also, like with Boost, you suffer mental damage spending too long down here because of your claustrophobia. Guess where that came from.
Word of warning; the tunnels work on a level system. Exit points near each other are close to the surface. But if you want to reach the other side of the island or bypass the mountains, you will need to head deeper.
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