A faint mewing and the smell of fish roused James, but sleep pulled him back into its restless embrace. The sounds and smells were like ghosts, whispering to his weary senses, too distant to grasp but impossible to ignore.
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A distant growling reverberated through the cavern, echoing off the rough stone walls, and James shifted, sending a piercing pain through his body. The pain was like a lightning strike, sharp and overwhelming, but the heaviness of exhaustion quickly reclaimed him.
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He woke again, the dull throb of necessity driving him out of his stupor. He couldn’t move much, every muscle felt anchored, heavy as lead. He released where he lay, feeling the damp ground beneath him, and noticed the water had receded slightly from where it was before.
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In his dreams, Claire’s face filled his mind—her soft smile, her gentle touch. He longed to be home with her, to feel her warmth beside him. Her image blurred, morphing into Bell, and the longing turned into something deeper, a yearning for his mother’s comfort. The emotions ran through him, raw and aching, pulling at the core of his being.
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A blinking Status notification nudged at his consciousness, a bright pestering light that refused to be ignored. Half-awake, and too weary to care, James clicked ‘Accept’ without reading it. He just wanted sleep, and it claimed him again as soon as the prompt disappeared.
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The water was back, cold and biting at his senses. He was hungry. Too tired.
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Mewing echoed through the cavern again, fainter this time, a sound barely discernible over the drumming of his pulse in his ears. Is there a cat? he wondered, his mind hazy and struggling to focus. It was a fleeting thought before slumber pulled him under once more.
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Pain was a constant companion to James now, and he genuinely thought he might die this time. In many ways, he wished he would, just to end the torment, to spare himself the agony of each breath. But then, his father’s voice echoed in his mind—a mantra he had lived by for so long. "It’s better to exist than not to exist." That belief was the anchor that finally roused him, tethering him to life.
He lay there for a long moment, feeling his shoulder. It was tender, but not as bad as before. It actually felt good—better, anyway. He stared up at the darkness, trying to reconcile his mind to his situation, to gather his thoughts. He understood now why his father had warned him against venturing into Rifts unprepared. The danger, the uncertainty, the inevitability of being overwhelmed—all of it was true. But it was too late for those realizations now. He had no choice. He was here, and he had to survive. It was do or die.
Slowly, feeling the strain in every movement, James opened his status.
|HP:|559/615|
|MP:|465/465|
|Stamina:|278/615|
It was his stamina that suffered the most, which made sense—he felt it in his parched throat, the weakness in his limbs. Hunger and dehydration were taking their toll. With a groan, he activated his {Essence Sight}, letting the glowing threads fill his vision. He scanned his surroundings, and what he saw confused him. Items were strewn nearby—items he hadn’t left there. The trident was close, its gleaming Essence familiar, comforting in a way. Beside it lay a ring—the reward from defeating the hauntling. But then, there were other items: a blanket draped over him, soft and warm, and a lantern beside it, something akin to an old hurricane lantern—like the one he had once taken camping with Claire in those blissful early days.
Who had put these here? His mind raced, trying to make sense of it. Was it Joey? But if so, where was he now? And why would Joey have a blanket and a lantern obviously from the fight with the salamanders. These weren’t things either of them had before tumbling down the rapids. The thoughts spiraled, mingling confusion with unease. Was there someone else here, watching over him? Or perhaps something more sinister? He had no way of knowing if he was indebted to a friend or a foe. The mystery gnawed at him, leaving him both grateful and wary.
“Joey?” he called into the darkness, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. There was no response, only the dull echoes fading into silence.
He reached for the lantern, his fingers brushing something that fell from it—a quill, judging by its shape. Curious, James used his {Essence Sight} to inspect the lantern. Its essence was complex, most of it balled up at the center where light should originate, but he could see tiny Essence veins running throughout the structure, like capillaries spreading from a heart. He traced those lines, each one feeding into the lantern's core. There was a small inlet where the handle met the body, a point where essence seemed to gather before flowing through the network of channels.
James wasn’t sure how to activate it. His abilities had been more instinct than training so far. Still, he placed his hand on the inlet, willing his mana into it. He watched as the mana left his body, merging with the ambient essence that drew in through the inlet. The sudden flood of essence was blinding, a rush that overwhelmed his senses. He quickly turned off his {Essence Sight} to stop the overload.
When his normal vision returned, James blinked, adjusting to the lantern’s warm glow. It was the first time he had seen with normal sight since he had woken in this place. It illuminated the cavern in a soft, almost ethereal light. And then, a prompt flashed before his eyes:
{Active Skill Acquired}
{Accept? Y/N}
- Essence Inspect (Saffron Level One)
- Allows the use of Essence to collate data on an item and give a description based on past users' understanding of the item or similar items.
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James smiled, the faintest hint of joy in an otherwise grim situation. He accepted the skill, feeling the familiar swell of Essence around him. Unlike the initial acquisition of {Essence Sight}, this time, it wasn’t overwhelming. The mana settled into his eyes, his mind, a gentle flow rather than a torrent. It left him with a mild headache, but nothing unbearable. Passing out again would have really sucked.
The cavern’s details became clearer now, with the lantern’s light revealing the space. It was smaller than he had initially imagined, the waterline forming a curved barrier, receding about three hundred feet away in either direction. The cave was like a semi-circle, its boundaries roughly hewn and dotted with glistening patches of damp moss. On the opposite side, the entrance to the other cavern lay far to the left, a shadowed void beyond the reach of his light. The water extended beyond his sight, dark and silent. The lantern’s light behaved strangely—no matter how he turned, a narrow beam always shot into the direction of the cave where he had been attacked, as if it was pointing at something, guiding him.
James felt an odd sense of safety in the space he was in, a bubble of light amidst the consuming dark. But the fact that someone or something had left these items for him made him uneasy. Who could have left these things for him, and why? He offered a silent thanks to whoever had helped him, though his gratitude was tempered by wariness. Were they watching him even now? Had they been following him all this time? He couldn't shake the feeling of being observed, and it made the cavern, despite the light, feel cold and unsettling. Still, he hoped Joey was safe too. Maybe Joey had found someone—someone who could help them both.
Curious, he activated the new skill, {Essence Inspect}, accepting the flow of information into his mind. It felt more natural now, less of a burden. He was starting to acclimate to the sensation.
He turned his attention to the trident first. He poured his mana into the ability, waiting as it slowly fed in, and then the prompt appeared.
- Trident of Homing (Ashen)
- Requires {Trident Proficiency} to use.
- A relic of an ancient group of sea pirates, the unerring accuracy of Captain Riley led to the essence of him pouring into this weapon over time, allowing the user to have minor corrections made in stance and accuracy when throwing the trident or thrusting with it.
- Minor Self-Repair
- Upgradable
- "Once ye land lubbers come on my sea, my trident will make ye flee" - Captain Riley in his address to the Adventurer Guild asking him to quit his pirating days.
He felt a strange sense of camaraderie with the trident, as if it carried with it the spirit of its former owner, that reckless, daring sea captain. But there was more to inspect. He picked up the lantern next.
- Lantern of Guiding (Saffron)
- A magical lantern that contains guiding properties. Once activated, it provides a bright light capable of illuminating the path forward. A beam of light, when active, always points toward a source of interest or danger.
- Infused with guiding essence, it is said to have been used by scouts in ancient times to navigate treacherous dungeons.
- Consumes a small amount of mana to maintain light. The beam consumes additional mana based on distance.
- "The light shows the way, but it takes courage to follow." - Part of the Creed in the Guild of Explorers
The light had indeed been pointing, guiding him. Toward what, he still didn’t know, but he hoped it would be something that could help him get out of this place. He picked up the signet ring.
- Signet Ring of Shielding (Ashen)
- Requires {Basic Defense Mastery} to use effectively.
- A protective ring that provides the wearer with a minor shielding ability. The shield activates automatically when the user is struck, reducing incoming damage by a small percentage.
- A relic rumored to have belonged to a minor noble who survived countless assassination attempts. The ring became attuned to the will to survive.
- Absorbs a small amount of mana over time to maintain readiness.
- "Only the cautious live to tell their tale." - Baron Holden shortly before he was assassinated.
He slipped the ring onto his finger, feeling a slight tingling sensation as it adjusted to his mana. Each item had a story, a purpose, and now it seemed they were part of his story too. He was thankful to add them to his repertoire.
Next, he turned his attention to the quill.
- Quill of Endless Ink (Ashen)
- Requires {Mana Channeling} to use.
- A quill that never runs out of ink, fueled by the user's mana. Once imbued, it writes on its own, recording events, thoughts, or anything else the user desires without needing any physical ink.
- A favored tool of scholars and chroniclers, this quill ensures that crucial details are always captured, even in dire circumstances.
- The quill is lightly attuned to memory, allowing it to record what the user perceives, making it ideal for adventurers and researchers.
- "The battle lays waste to all around us and while the generals words are fleeting, with this quill, they endure!" - Scribe Randolf's last words he wrote before he died from a stray artillery bomb in the battle for North Edmonson.
And finally, the blanket.
- Small Baby Blanket of Nourishing Comfort (Ashen)
- A small enchanted blanket, originally intended for infants, but powerful enough to aid anyone in need of comfort. It provides warmth regardless of the surrounding temperature.
- Infused with nurturing essence, it helps speed up natural healing by a significant amount while resting, and gives the user a sense of profound comfort.
- The blanket carries a warmth akin to a loved one's embrace, said to calm restless spirits and offer solace in the direst moments.
- "Wrapped in comfort, there is strength for tomorrow; rest now little one."- A mothers words to her child asleep in her arms.
James held the blanket close for a moment, feeling the warmth spread through his body, easing the tension in his muscles. With each item inspected, James felt a growing sense of readiness, but also curiosity. Who would have gone through the trouble of giving him these lifelines? A chill ran down his spine at the thought. He wasn’t alone, but the question remained—why was he being helped? Was he part of some larger plan, or were there others in this cave just as desperate as him?
He took a deep breath and sat back, the lantern’s light bathing the cavern in a soft glow. James saw his stamina steadily rising and his Mana not far behind. forgetting that he had one more item on him, James took off the helmet he was wearing and inspected it as well.
- Helmet of Confusion (Ashen)
- A helmet worn by a reckless warrior who used a pot and some leather scraps to create a "Helmet"
- Provide a small amount of resistance from head injuries.
- small resistance to mind altering affects while wearing it.
- "Guh I don't know, why don't you ask them?" - A confused soldier wearing this helmet being asked by the enemy who he was.
Well the ridiculousness that he and Joey felt from the helmet really did make sense now and it brought a smile to his lips thinking about the dumb guy who made this. The pangs of loss resonated in him as he thought about how Joey would laugh at this.