[Improvised Torch] = Wood (Any, 0.6-0.7m) + Bark (Any, 0.1-0.5kg) + Leaves (Dry, 0.05-0.1kg) + 2 Flint (0.5-1kg)
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The next few nights went by with relative ease as Jay prepared for his new quest.
Strangely, he was attacked by the same exact force as the night before, though the tactics differed. Rather than having the wooden owls swoop in for an immediate attack, they only kept him distracted from the edge of arrow range while the clay gorillas tried to sneak around. The verdant wolf became the monster to engage first, taking Jay right in front before all its friends joined in.
Had it not been for a +2 flint spear he’d crafted from his new monster core, he would not have gained the needed strength. The bonus level gave him extra passive armor penetration, so his enemies fell with greater ease. And should he have lost his main weapon, he still had the backup spear with the +1 core.
The extra core came from him upgrading the first. As it turned out, he did not need to infuse a +2 core over a +1 weapon to see the upgrade during “Primal Age” infusions. He only needed the core.
And Jay managed to win in the end, with only a single wound to show for it. It had cleared up well before morning.
The next night saw another spike in power, sending him two verdant wolves, a squad of gorillas, and a swarm of twenty bats made out of mud. Though he could quickly kill each, the sheer volume of so many simultaneously proved the most challenging factor. His [Thrust] was best suited for single-target enemies, not swarms of monsters. In the end, he’d been forced to switch to the stone axe to finish the rest off, only after disposing of the wolves and gorillas.
I’m getting better. The power of Natura might have been adapting to his every move, but he was doing the same to it. Now that he understood the style and tactics of his enemy, he could keep defeating it so long as he stayed ahead.
Which would continue to happen so long as he played it smart. After replacing and repairing his fur armor to full, he’d spent yesterday morning clearing the surrounding area of any level 1-5 monsters he could find. Between the duo of black boars, another Tasmanian devil, and a pair of giant seagulls, he’d managed to upgrade all his gear to +1 in strength, from his fur boots to helmet and everything in between, all the way down to his bone dart pouch, now with a better draw speed, albeit no associated skill, even with the +1. Darts apparently only qualified as “Tools” and not weapons, and those were disqualified from skills.
He’d yet to happen upon another second-tier creature, but his extra spear strength coupled with a vitality in the thirties would make it an easy fight. After removing the parasite from his system by drinking water he’d boiled first and following it with herbal tea, the loss of nutrition slowed to a trickle, and that silverback gorilla meat had buffed him like nobody’s business. More continued to sit on his drying racks, ready for use.
Now that he was at peak strength, Jay knew what had to be done.
Nestled deep in the palm trees of the lower plains, a shadow collected within the recesses of the forest. It wasn’t a natural shadow borne from an absence of light. No, this darkness sprouted up of its own accord, swirling out from the metal obelisk beneath as though spewing a noxious cloud from a corrupted cyst. The closer one drew, the more harsh the clash. Where the forest was vibrant and pure, this location was dark and dull. The sun couldn’t make a dent against its shrouded surface.
Jay grimaced as he stared at the radio tower surrounded by a field of magical black energy. Coming here had felt smarter when it was so far away. Up close, the hairs were rising on the back of his neck, and his body shivered without command, despite the sweltering heat above.
You can do this, he told himself, burying the unease. He’d never been more decked out than now, and this was the first sign of anything that resembled civilization. After being trapped by himself for so long without answers, he couldn’t afford to ignore his only point of interest.
“I’ll just be a minute,” Jay told himself. “The first sign of trouble, I’ll turn around and run away. Same as before.”
He nodded to build confidence. With a full set of +1 fur armor, he’d be able to [Dash] over a dozen times concurrently before burning out. That was more than enough to evade any threat, and even if he somehow lost his spear, he had a backup spear strapped over his shoulder.
He approached the radio tower slowly. Wires crisscrossed around a rusted metal frame, overgrown with blackened vines throughout. The antenna at the top was chipped and broken, and part of the structure’s internal foundation had collapsed on itself. Artificial shadows rolled down its corrupted form before landing on a small hill beneath. The land bent low, revealing a small metal door caked in rust.
“Whoa.” Jay noticed a similar effect to the impossible storms that plagued this land. Though the radio tower was clearly hidden under a layer of shade, if he interposed the tower between himself and the sun, the light of day still shone through as if it became transparent the moment the sun was behind. But once he made a single step to the side, the tower took shape again, in all its ominous glory.
Was this an illusion? It reminded him of how pages magically spawned in the Guide whenever more entries were uncovered. He threw a rock to test his theory. A dull thump reverberated where the stone struck the metal, ringing for several seconds before fading away. Well, guess not.
He approached the metal door cautiously. Rust had perverted what had once been black into a solid maroon, only visible through cracks along its frame. There were no hinges to be seen, but a single handle sat in the middle.
He closed in and knocked.
Nothing happened.
He knocked again, louder than before.
Nothing.
Jay stroked his chin. Maybe this place was abandoned? He tugged on the worn handle. The door opened with a screech, revealing a wall made of shadows.
“Hello!?” Jay called out.
Only his own voice echoed in answer. Well, that and the Guide. It buzzed the second he leaned inside.
Congratulations! You have uncovered your first Cairn, Expatriate. These dazzling crypts contain special resources that will aid you in your fight against Natura, but only if you’re willing to face the dangers within. Prepare well!
So a dungeon. Just great. He squinted through the dark, but it exuded an unnatural strength that eyes could not pierce.
Crafting time. Jay consulted the Guide again and gathered the materials he needed.
This was one of the simpler crafts, requiring mostly wood and flint. He drew his stone axe and quickly hacked apart a small elm, choosing thick green wood to maximize burn time. Bark came next in waves, peeled strategically around the top of the wood. The leaves were put in last to use as basic kindling. With a couple smacks of flint against itself, a fire quickly enveloped the improvised torch.
He grinned once complete. To think how hard it had been to light his first campfire only a few days ago.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Jay returned to the cairn, once again studying its design. Though the torch burned hot, the flame seemed to dim down the moment he passed the dungeon’s menacing aura. He could see the effect happen in real-time. The fire reflected against the tropical forest floor where the sun shone down, but reduced in brightness once he stepped over the threshold of the shadows. He waved it around the rim of the metal door. Stone steps dipped deeper underground, out of view. The torch failed to penetrate more than ten feet away.
Magical darkness… What fun. Now, his one dinky torch no longer felt like enough. Jay placed it on the side of the door, a bright bulwark against the unknown that lay beyond.
Crafting time wasn’t over yet. For the next half-hour, Jay went about more prep work, hacking up more trees and bark to get additional torches ready. He didn’t allow himself to be satisfied until he’d made ten more, with half in his leather backpack, while the other half was tied together with vines like an improvised bandoleer.
No recipe could be found in the Guide for this trick, but Jay was starting to understand that not every problem in this world needed to be solved by his magic book.
His first torch was on the cusp of burning out as he approached again. He set it aside and used its dying fire to light another, then tossed the dimmer one deep inside. The light held strong before colliding with the stone staircase. It whisked out on collision, leaving nothing but the veil of black.
Again, Jay considered turning around and calling it a day. Again, he knew that he couldn’t. Not when he’d happened upon a dungeon filled with precious loot.
His foot hovered over the first step though. Jay eyeballed the ominous metal door warily, a thought suddenly occurring. What if this dungeon was protected by a spooky demon door that’d shut the second he got inside? He considered the prospect, doubled back, grabbed some rocks, and wedged them beneath the door’s frame. Even after pulling with all his might, the metal door did not budge.
With his confidence raised a beat, he held his torch in front and stepped inside.
Silence enveloped him the moment he got onto the stairs, the ambient sounds of wind and fauna dissipating into a vacuous void. Only his feet thumped against the stone steps, echoing out occasionally. Jay checked behind for progress as he moved down the stairs, and the light of the torch still held firm. Despite being weaker than normal, his firelight could still be seen from far away. Like the sun piercing through the storm, the shadow only dimmed whatever was inside, rather than preventing light from passing through like normal.
Jay reached the bottom of the stairs, perhaps a hundred yards away. A hallway stretched in front, bare stone walls with vines running through. He placed his current torch against the edge and lit another. The flames licked the shadows beyond, even as a fog grew in the back of his mind.
Slowly, carefully, Jay moved down the hall, his head on a swivel for all that might be the least bit threatening. Nothing could be heard or seen through the shadows, even as the hallway began to tilt away.
Nothing he could see, anyway.
Mosaics also began to appear in some spots, with an alien script he’d never seen before. Jay held the torch close to make some out, but time had worn most of them beyond recognition. The best he could uncover were humanoid, eyeless creatures with mouths like open tunnels filled with sharpened teeth, and a giant flower below a red sun with petals sprouting fingers.
He shuddered at the sight and kept moving. This was fine. This was all perfectly okay.
Step by step, one foot in front of the other, Jay delved deeper into the dungeon. Whenever he got too far from his last torch, he’d light another and keep moving.
The cairn walls changed the deeper he marched. Rather than vines sprouting through blank cave walls, electronic wires flowed down. He clipped a piece free with his bone knife, but for what might have been the first time since arriving here, no new entry was created within the Guide.
Somehow, that was even less reassuring. Or more. He wasn’t quite sure which!
Man, this place was starting to get to him. His head felt weirder the deeper he went inside.
The path split apart. A dull hum resonated from one side, while the other had wisps of silk falling from the ceiling. Jay waved the torch in front, but the darkness was as thick here as elsewhere.
But then he heard something respond from the veil of black. Just at the cusp of hearing, a soft skittering bounded against the stone floor, as if hundreds of feet wriggled at once. He waved the torch instinctively in front, and the skittering went from loud to quiet before disappearing completely.
Nope, Jay thought. Fully, one hundred percent, not going down there! That hallway was the bad hallway. He would choose everywhere else before taking that route, including the exit.
Jay placed a torch at the rim of the path, then quickly lit another, keeping the entry well-lit. If whatever lived down there was afraid of light, he’d make sure to hightail it out of here before the torches burned out.
With the hall sufficiently warded, Jay turned on his heels, ignited another torch, and went down the other path, being sure to check behind for any signs of threats. The silk-covered hallway disappeared around a bend.
Jay continued, shield now raised as he moved further into the cairn. There were more splits in the tunnels, but he only ever selected the least threatening option. Somewhere along the way, thunder began to echo behind.
Another wrinkle. Now, he’d have to walk into a storm on the way out. Can’t enjoy sunny days without a few rainy ones, he supposed. Maybe he’d run through it naked to test his stamina!
Jay reached the last set of torches before it became clear it was time to turn back. He’d yet to find any of these “special resources,” but the voices in the walls kept muttering back. Though nothing physical had confronted him, he knew that they were watching. Whispering. Planning. The dungeon mobs knew how best to fuck with him, and they were biding their time to strike! Yes, it’s time to turn back.
But then his eyes fell into another room, and he forgot all else.
Six giant computer screens flashed with static above a set of dusty keyboards. More cables sprang free, running along their length.
As Jay closed in, he chuckled with glee. What was this strange feeling again?
He’d felt it before…
Alien runic symbols ran along their length, rather than the English letters he was used to seeing on Earth. A puzzle in a dungeon! Dials poked free from various mechanical equipment, just as old and broken as all else, with the same runes running alongside.
What kind of FPS could these rigs run? Would they let him stream again if he asked!?
He caught sight of a container in the corner of the room. Another mystery! Though the rim was as old and cracked as all else, it stood out by being made of cobalt-colored plastic against a blackened backdrop. Light leaked out from within. Was this treasure!?
He opened the container, and his jaw dropped.
There were all sorts of modern amenities within… Bottled water, cotton clothing, a flashlight, flares, rifle rounds, first aid bandages, a metal knife… And beneath that, the source of light. Another sphere was buried within, shaped like the monster core, but with a golden, incandescent hue that pulsated of his own accord. So beautiful!
Jay quickly shoved everything into his leather backpack. The Guide practically leapt from its pouch from all the aggressive buzzing. But reading the entries could wait. He’d have all the time in the world once he got out of here.
Maybe he’d write a guide for the Guide first. Yeah, a guide to let the Guide guide him through the Guide’s guide. A real tongue-twister, but if he was going to end up pro, the viewers would love it!
A low growl spilled into the computer room. Jay shuddered without command, an overwhelming aura suddenly appearing.
Out of the veil of black, a creature stepped into view. A pair of hooves stepped into the light of the fire, with a thick, horned plating at the base. Smooth bronze-colored muscles bulged out from limbs the size of tree trunks, breaking only for a cloth loincloth that covered its waist. One clawed hand gripped a heavy club while the other merely curled into a fist. Red eyes glared into his own, sunken into the visage that resembled a bull, horns aimed forth to kill.
“Vül kahl d’rahk!” the minotaur shouted, its hoarse voice deep and booming. “Kahl vrah mül!” It followed with a roar.
“…What?” Jay squeaked, hoping the translation would go through.
Why did he have the feeling that this was about to get ugly?