Written across a thin piece of animal hide, esoteric symbols glowed a dull red. Fractals and other mind-boggling geometric shapes writhed and changed across the surface. I traced my fingers across the shapes awed by what I saw, feeling an electric sensation playing across their tips. A smile rose to my face unbidden as a voice whispered and a new notification flashed across my inner vision.

Learn the spell Identify? -Yes/No

“Yes!” I shouted with joy, the inner child and gamer within me feeling a rush of accomplishment.

Another presence made itself felt with images of moldy tomes in a forgotten library, an explorer holding a torch searching the dark ruins of a long-lost civilization, and a wise sage pouring over a veritable mountain of scrolls.

“I am ‘Identify.’ Call and the mysteries of this world you will know,” an echo of a scholarly voice whispered, the sound slowly fading into nothing in the recesses of my mind.

The esoteric symbols stopped moving, their glow faded as the scroll began to crumble into dust.

You have learned Identify (lvl.1)

Finally, a success in this inscrutable new world. I dared not cast this new spell just yet, as memories of my previous experience still haunted me. To play it safe, I decided to wait until I had full Mana."

Giving myself a mental pat on the back, I began humming the victory tune from my favorite game. Still, my night was far from over, for I needed to explore my surroundings more.

Walking behind the altar, I saw a sight that brought relief to my weary soul. At the foot of the hill, I saw a small pond glistening silver. ‘Water,’ I thought as I licked dry and parched lips, before I noticed small shapes moving around the shore of the midnight pool.

I clutched both halves of the broken spear to my chest as I cautiously moved down the hill at a half-crouch. My heart was beating in my chest as I stopped perhaps forty paces before the pond. There, I saw dark fish-like shapes about half a meter high and two meters long with high crested dorsal fins.

On the far side, some were swimming lazily in the pond, while others basked in the moon’s glow, making odd yet undeniably musical gurgling mating calls. The creatures reminded me of mudskippers that I once saw in a nature documentary.

So alien was the scene in front of me that I took pause. As quietly and as silently as I could, I lowered myself to the ground. Crawling along the soft moist grass I edged ever closer to the pond. Thirst drove my actions, a maddening thing that demanded haste, but I mastered it as I slowly made for the water’s edge. I quested forwards on hands and knees, my fingers sampling earth and grass before they found fine-grained sand and finally water.

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Resisting the all-conquering thirst for a moment more, I peered at my reflection in the water, hazy in the moonlight. Wild frazzled short hair framed a gaunt clean-shaven face. It was hard to see, yet everything felt even more real than my old world. It was as if everything was set to a higher resolution. Gingerly I touched my face, and a small wave disturbed my crystalline reflection.

Snapping out from my reverie, I cupped my hands and drank from the silvery water. Slurping quickly, uncaring of the world, sweet, blessed relief entered me as I slaked my thirst. I continued to drink heavily as another small wave lapped against the shore of the pond, this time one not of my own making.

A few paces away from me two googly eyes on thick stalks rose up from the water. Bubbles formed where its mouth was just under the surface before a ball of water shot with great speed toward me. I flinched and ducked down to the ground, making myself as small as possible as the solid ball of liquid passed over me. A moment later I heard its splash as it landed somewhere behind me. Adrenaline flooded my system, and my fingers gripped my scavenged weapons.

This close to the creature I felt an equal mixture of sudden surprise, wonder, and fear, which was soon overridden by another scathing hot emotion. Perhaps it was the constant agony that I had been suffering, or possibly the frustration against an uncaring universe, but at that moment I felt a rage I had never felt before. Hot anger boiled within me screaming for an outlet as I scrambled to my feet and launched myself at the oversized fish.

My eyes rapidly scanned over the piscine form, the size of a large wolfdog, looking for places to attack. I loudly splashed into the waters, breaking the serene tranquility of the night as I struck, stabbing with the half-spear in my left and swinging the broken haft like a club with my right. As I engaged the strange creature, I noticed new bubbles had formed again just below the surface.

A part of me registered the surprise drawn infinitesimally slowly on the fish’s face as my twin blows hit it with a force filled with all my desperation. The fish creature made a gurgling scream as it reactively launched another ball at my midsection. At this range, the creature could not miss, and it felt like a cricket ball had impacted against my chest. The pain only spurred my frenzy to greater heights as I repeatedly stabbed and clobbered the creature with both halves of my scavenged spear. A dark purplish film stained the roiling waters, and I gave a last savage twist with the spearhead as the creature turned tail to flee.

Panting heavily, I noticed more of the foul creatures entering the pond and swimming toward me with considerable speed. Drawing rapid panicked breaths, I ran with desperation giving speed to my flight from the water. My robe was a cold, sodden, and heavy thing that impeded my escape.

I heard splashes on the ground to my left and right, before one of the water balls clipped me on the left shoulder, almost making me drop the half-spear. Doubling my pace as I struggled up the hill, I spared a glance at my Status with my inner eye. My Stamina was around half, and my Health stood at just under two-thirds. It would have to be enough, and a frantic final dash led me to hide behind the tree.

Taking a deep breath, my heart was hammering in my chest as I peered down at the ugly fish creatures below.

The monsters moved slowly on land, and for that, I gave a silent thanks. They seemed to have stopped near the bottom of the hill, a scant few meters from the shore. Panting, I continued to look at them, willing them to withdraw. After what seemed like an eternity, but what could have been mere minutes, they turned back as one towards the pond and slipped once into the silvery waters.

I cried, breathing a long sigh of relief before new notifications flashed before me, bringing a sly grimace to my lips.

You have slain ??? 10 experience gained.

You have gained 1 Dexterity.

You have gained 1 Strength.

You have learned Stealth (lvl.1)

It seemed that today I did get the one that got away.