Now that the adrenaline had settled Starling reflected back on what had just happened. Not only had that been another person, clearly someone from Starling’s world, but they had been attacked by something. That hole in the world that vaguely looked like a humanoid.
I don’t think I would have been able to see it without my [Environmental Awareness] being so high. I don’t think that man, Jeff, would have seen it at all.
The implications made Starling uncomfortable to think about. If creatures like that were roaming around, and you needed Intermediate skills just to see them…
The other… survivors? Taken? Saved? What do I call them? Well, people I guess. The other people are at risk. I can’t fight those things, but I can see them, barely.
While they were mulling this all over in their head, they broke back out of the treeline onto the fern covered hillside. Ahead was their small camp, shaded beneath the three red-resin trees that grew next to the spring and the strange stones. Seeing their safe nest was a comfort.
I don’t want to invite people back here, this needs to be my safe place, but if I could find a way to warn them - maybe protect them somehow.
As they reached the edge of their camp they felt a different heat on the back of their neck and turned, just as the light around them changed subtly. The purple sun was rising over the edge of the mountains that ringed this large valley. The site of the purple sun rising reminded them of the river, the Crab and the Tree-phalants.
And then there are the more physical threats. I think I need to look into some sort of defense.
Starling’s memory handily supplied an image of the camp-site they had found the day before, trampled by Tree-phalants.
Once I am certain I won’t be returning to a pile of tinder, I can start properly looking for a food source.
Starling’s stomach gave a gurgle of protest, but Starling was set on their priorities now, and they wanted to get this done before they went back to looking for food. There were too many unknowns, too many threats, for them to feel safe leaving the site, or sleeping there again without doing something to make it a little more protected.
My only real indication of hostile creatures is those tree-crabs. They seem to ambush from tree-tops, and grow quite large, but they are also pretty clumsy on the land. Until I know more, I should probably just focus on protecting against them.
Starling had arrived back at the camp-site by this point. Their shelter was as they left it, tucked up near the overhanging trees. The little spring burbled pleasantly, running around the small square of clean stone that sat in the center of this space. There was also the pile of wood that Starling had found here, and they went over to it, still thinking about the tree-crabs.
I hadn’t really thought about it a lot, but when I dealt with that crab… I used my building powers. I wonder if I could replicate that stake, the System sort of did the work for me as I fell.
In their mind, Starling visualised the stake that had impaled the crab, trying to work out what had happened. Abruptly, a system message appeared in their view.
[Previous Construction Library Accessed]
[Please Select Template for Construction]
There was a very short list of buildings before Starling, overlaid on their view. A stake, a small lean-to and the altered tree in the clearing that Starling had woken up in. The lean-to was highlighted in red, with a symbol that Starling knew instinctively stood for ‘Insufficient Resources’, the tree however, had a different symbol marking it as unavailable, one that Starling couldn’t understand. It was hard to look at, and seemed to shift whenever they focused. The stake, however, was green and they were able to select it.
[Defensive Structure has been Selected]
[Resource Requirements: Wood x1]
[Nearby Resources: Wood x27]
Starling could now see the outline of the stake in front of them, it seemed to be attached to their hand without them touching, moving their hand let them move the outline of the stake and they could turn their wrist to change its angle and rotation. By clenching their fist, Starling was able to set the outline in place in the world - locking it from further movement in a satisfying way.
[Building Template Established: Supply Required Resources]
Is… is it really this simple?
Starling turned and walked away from the Stake outline sticking out of the ground. They stepped over to the pile of wood and grabbed the first stick they could find.
There is no way this stick is going to fill that whole outline…
Starling disregarded the notification they received for picking up the stick and approached the stake. As they got closer they could feel the same magnetic pull from the outline on the piece of wood that they had felt at other times since coming here.
Starling pushed the stick towards the outline, and when it touched it, there was a snap and the stick flew from their hands and suddenly filled the outline of the stake. One second it was just a see-through image in the air and then… It was a full stake made from a treated log, tip sharp and bark scraped away, sitting at an angle facing out into the world. Starling tried to let out a little whoop of glee, but realised they were suddenly out of breath and sank to their knees in the ferns.
[Inferior quality building material used to create Defensive Structure]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
[Foundation Aspect Activating: ████ currently locked. Defaulting to Stamina]
[Foundation Aspect Active: Stamina in use to increase material quality to Good]
[Warning: Insufficient Total Stamina to boost to higher quality]
[Warning: Building Material used for construction is below Superior Quality. Material does not Resonate. Stamina drain incurred to maintain structure!]
Wait, that was a lot to take in, what's going on here?
Starling opened their status window and had a look at the stamina section.
[Stamina: Detail View]
[Current Stamina: Very Low]
[Effects Active:]
* Standard Recovery: 1/minute
* Permanent Shelter Site: 5/minute
* Structure Maintenance Drain:
* 1 Defensive Structure of less than Superior Quality (Standard Quality: -0.25/minute)
[Note: Superior or higher quality materials required for optimal Foundation Aspect Resonance]
[Note: Current material quality prevents full aspect manifestation]
So the camp boosts my Stamina recovery while I am here? No wonder I feel so refreshed. It looks like I can keep a pretty good defensive perimeter maintained with the low quality materials I have left while I stay here, but if I leave it’s only going to be four. If I set up too many stakes and then leave I might find myself struggling to move or even get back. I can’t risk that. I need to go now, find some food and then come back here.
Starling hovered uncertainty, a part of them really wanted to stay, methodically set up defenses and then come up with a plan to harvest superior resources to rebuild their defenses. They needed food, and a regular supply, or they wouldn’t be coming back at all. At least this way they knew they could build the defences when they returned.
“Perfection is the enemy of Survival. You know this. Good Enough sometimes has to do.”
Walt’s voice, another lecture, a hard memory. They hadn’t slept one night in training because they had been obsessed with finding better wood. They found out later Walt had been through the area and removed all the best candidates to force all of the recruits to use whatever they could find instead. It was one of Starling’s worst performances, after being top of the class for so much else.
“Alright” Starling said aloud, hardening their resolve. They put the wood aside for now, channeled [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] and headed out of the camp.
Food first, defense later. You cannot let yourself get bogged down in the wrong priorities. Be more flexible.
[Focus Check Initiated: 15 (+3 from past experiences)]
[Wisdom Check Against Focus Lock: 8 (-2 Compromised)]
[Memory Trigger: Training Experience]
[Focus Lock: Broken!]
[Note: Survival training provides resistance to excessive Focus]
[Ability Score Increased: Wisdom 8 → 9]
[Note: Continued growth requires balancing preparation with action]
[Status: Some Psychological Barriers Weakened]
Starling made quick progress back into the woods, heading away from the area they previously encountered Jeff and his friends, not wanting to accidentally stumble on anyone just now. The skills synergy was heady, showing so much information. Starling looked for signs of a smaller prey animal, something that shouldn’t be too dangerous if they stumbled into it and that might lead them to edible plants.
Small doesn’t mean safe, a boar can kill very easily, and if there are giant tree crabs I bet the prey animals here have some interesting ways to defend themselves.
Starling inspected the tracks of the animal trails around them, looking for something that didn’t leave too deep an impression and also didn’t have large claws in its tracks. After a few minutes of study and continual Stamina drain Starling settled on a set of tracks and followed them, hoping their intuition was correct.
They followed the path through the forest for some time, the purple sun rising through the sky and the yellow one falling. It was easy enough to track the time and the progress, for one thing they always knew the direction of their camp and roughly how far away it was thanks to their [Foundation Aspect] and anytime they wanted to check the terrain they just had to activate [Natural Climbing] get on top of a tree and scan the horizon.
They saw smaller tree-crabs in the branches, but no sign of anything like the large one from the river. There was a denser section of the woods near the water that held larger and clearly older trees, that might be their domain.
Staying away from them for now, I don’t want to risk another crab battle.
Eventually, Starling pushed through a particularly thick stand of ferns and almost fell into a hole in the ground. They caught themselves and luckily didn’t make too much noise. Before them was a tunnel, leading into the underground through the roots of several trees. It was nearly a meter tall, big enough for Starling to enter if they wanted to.
Also ahead of them, looking around suspiciously for the source of the noise Starling had made almost falling in, was a strange creature, and clearly the creator of the hole. Starling had picked these tracks to follow because the owner had a set of what seemed like four paws, each with small claws and didn’t leave a deep depression, hinting at a small light herbivore that could climb.
Instead they had found a large squat creature with short reddish fur, it did indeed have four lower legs, each with a paw as thought, but it also had two large powerful upper arms with digging claws, which it used to carry most of its weight as it walked. The tracks Starling had assumed where this creature's predator, as they moved with the smaller footprints, were actually it's as well!
What a bizarre thing, it’s head reminds me of a capybara with that thick square-ish snout and those small ears. Its eyes must be underdeveloped, or it would have seen me as I pushed through the ferns. I think it’s focussed on hearing and smell.
Starling wasn’t sure what to do, and was about to call the whole expedition a failure when another of the creatures lumbered out of the tunnel, carrying something that looked a lot like an armful of potatoes, albeit deep red.
So they are diggers, this is a burrow? But then why are they bringing food out of it? What if it’s like an excavation? They seem adapted to dig underground, but their fur and the way the first one is standing watch makes me think this isn’t where they live, and it’s maybe not safe. Still, if there is something like a potato here I *need* it.
Thoughts of mashed potatoes run through Starlings mind, making them suddenly desperately hungry.
I don’t think these things are a threat, they are slow and methodical.
Starling watches the laden one come up out of the tunnel.
Kind of like a more animated sloth, they place those digging arms very carefully, almost like two walking sticks and lift their lower body up so it can walk on their smaller legs to the next long arm. So weird.
The two creatures move away together, taking their tubers into the forest. Now that Starling has identified them, they are pretty sure they can follow them using their tracking skills.
The tunnel called to Starling, again that voice urged them to prepare and be cautious, but the thought of food had them giddy and they wanted to at least see if there was anything to grab before it got too dark to see.
It’s just like caving, don’t do anything stupid and don't disturb the earth.
With a grunt of effort Starling jumped down from the edge of the tunnel into its mouth and started to carefully head inside, crouched over and moving softly.