Piper couldn’t see. She lay still for a long moment, disoriented by that fact, and clutched at her throbbing head as she sorted through a mess of half-baked memories. She blinked, but nothing happened. The dark persisted.
Slowly, she lowered hesitant fingers to feel her face.
“Ouch!”
Oh, no—her eyes were open! So why couldn’t she see?
Her heart rate quickened, along with her breathing, and she stretched one arm out in front of her to flex the fingers that she couldn’t see. And she definitely couldn’t see them. The blackness seemed to seep into her eyes, threatening to flood her mind with sheer panic.
“Help!” she cried.
Maybe someone was nearby? Maybe they would hear, and come to her aid…? Forcing herself to breathe steady, she waited, listening hard. At last—oh, at last!—she heard a sound. Like… small footsteps, maybe? They were muffled though, as if they were on the other side of something solid, and she strained to hear better. Tentative, they skittered closer, and then they stopped.
“H-hello…?” Piper said, softly.
Thump. It sounded like something had jerked in fright and dropped whatever it was holding. Abruptly the patter of footsteps started up again, much faster, and heading away.
“No, no, no—wait!”
Piper stumbled forward, but she collided with something hard and recoiled with a yelp of surprise, rubbing gingerly at the new sore spot on her forehead. Her brain seemed to swim for a few seconds, and she had to hold still until it settled again. When finally she’d composed herself, she reached out with a shaking hand and felt the unmistakable roughness of wood beneath her fingertips.
“What the…”
Carefully, she felt along the surface, trying to avoid catching splinters, and shuffled across on her knees as she progressed. Abruptly, she reached what felt like an inward corner, and swivelled in place to continue her blind exploration along another wooden wall. Again, a corner, and then another, and suddenly she realised she was inside… a box? A… crate…?
DING!
She leapt back with a startled yell—hitting the back of her head this time—as something flashed into existence beside her. One hand flew to cradle the new ache on her skull, the other to cover her eyes, the thing was so bright—
Bright…? I CAN SEE!
A delighted whoop escaped her at the revelation that she wasn’t blind, after all, and a giddy smile stretched across her lips. But her relief was short-lived—she cast her gaze about and realised that she was, definitely, inside some sort of crate. The revelation dampened her enthusiasm about regaining her sight, for she had no idea how she’d ended up here.
DING!
She jumped as the glowing thing flashed, demanding her attention. It didn’t seem quite so bright now that her eyes had adjusted, and, curious, she shuffled over to it. It was small—about the size of an open book—and was a pleasant, muted-magenta colour. It hovered vertically and put her in mind of the magical screens that sometimes appeared on street corners in the village, flashing news or announcements at the denizens of her world. But instead of elaborate images and scrolling text, this one showed only a static piece of information, and she leaned closer to see.
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New Quest: { Boxed Up }
You have awoken trapped in a crate. Get out, before you arrive at your destination.
* Objective: Escape the crate 0/1.
* Reward: { Old Knife }
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“Quest…?”
She frowned—she was a lowly farm hand from Arazia Village, hardly someone to be racing off on quests. She’d no experience, really, outside of the hippalectryon ranch she’d grown up on, and had seen very little in her seventeen years besides the rooster-ponies…
As if sensitive to her thoughts, the floating screen shimmered to show new information.
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Piper Tarro: { Base Attributes }
Ranch maid, seventeen groundyears. Formerly of Arazia.
* Rank: { Recruit }
* Abilities: { None }
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Recruit? She didn’t like the sound of that, at all. Recruit for what? And—wait a minute—formerly of Arazia…? What in the hells was that supposed to mean?
In unhappy confusion, she chewed at her lip—until a movement caught her eye. At the bottom corner of the screen, a small arrow flickered on-and-off. She touched it, and the display flashed back to her ‘quest’. Narrowing her eyes, she looked more carefully at the information on offer and noticed several small boxes—each boasting a tiny picture—lined across the top. Tentative, she reached for the one that looked like a miniature pack, and the screen changed to an empty grid pattern, three across by six down, with an outline of a person beside it. The figure had several boxes placed strategically over it, some filled with images of simple clothing. She touched the one that showed a shirt, and the picture seemed to stick to her finger—as she jolted her hand sideways in surprise, it dropped into the grid as a tiny version of itself.
Abruptly, she realised she was half-naked and yelped in consternation. Blushing furiously—she wasn’t sure why; it wasn’t like anyone could see her—she covered her torso with one arm and frantically reached for the tiny picture again with her free hand. She dragged it back and released it into the box over the figure’s chest, and suddenly the hand that covered her immodesty was clutching at rough cotton once more. Slowly, she lowered it, staring down at her re-shirted front with disbelief.
“Well. That’s weird.”
Returning her attention to the image, she noted that the tiny sandals and loose-cut, three-quarter pants were exactly the same ones she wore, too, but the slots near the outline’s hands, head, and midriff were empty. Hat, gloves, belt, maybe? That seemed to make sense since she didn’t have any of those things. So… what were the other boxes for? Because, on either side of the figure, several more boxes sat empty. She shook her head, bemused, and then reached for the next tiny picture at the top of the screen. This one looked like a minuscule piece of parchment, half-unrolled, and when she touched it, the grid subsided, and a map took its place.
She snorted. “If you can call that a map.”
It was blacked out, for the most part, except for a small patch which looked like the edge of a body of water, and the slim crescent of what could be the start of a coastline. As she watched, a little more of the coastline appeared, very slowly, as if she were moving towards it.
Abruptly, the screen flashed back to the quest, and the edges of it pulsated with some urgency.
“Get out, before you arrive at your destination,” Piper read again—and suddenly comprehension dawned. It might be ludicrous to take instructions from a disembodied, floating board, but the coastline had definitely grown larger in the few seconds she’d been looking at it—and being locked in a crate didn’t exactly sit well with her, either.
Feeling abruptly energized, she resolved to do something about her situation. She sat down properly, leaned back to raise her feet, and delivered a great kick to the wooden panel opposite her. But the recoil sent sharp shocks up her legs, and she yelped in pain, gasping against the renewed pounding in her head. The wood hadn’t budged an inch.
Of course it wouldn’t be that easy…
Frowning, she rolled back onto her knees and shuffled forward, inspecting each board carefully by the meagre light cast from the screen. It wasn’t easy to tell in the purple-hued illumination, but she thought that the base of one corner seemed a different shade than the rest of the wood. With questing fingers, she prodded it and found that it was softer, damp to the touch. The wet spread for a little way up the planks on both sides of the join, and when she applied pressure it gave a little creak. Encouraged, she positioned herself for another experimental kick, with one foot this time—and proper aim. She connected a solid blow, and the plank splintered. Pleased, she kicked it again, and again, adjusting the point of impact each time to loosen the entire thing. When it was as loose as it would go, she turned her body so she could kick loose the plank on the other side of the corner, and, at last, the two were wide enough apart that she might be able to squeeze out.
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Laying on her side, she shimmied forward, pushing first her head, and then her shoulders, through the gap. Splinters clawed at her, tearing her shirt, drawing blood where they scratched her skin. But she gritted her teeth and persevered, forcing the gap wider, using her body as leverage. Halfway out, she stopped, turning her head as best she could to take stock of her surroundings. It was dark again—the screen having abandoned her when she started kicking down the walls—but tiny pinpricks pierced holes in the black-velvet sky above, and brightened to myriad stars as her vision adjusted. Shadows lurked all around, looming threateningly, but all seemed quiet. Satisfied that she was alone—at least for now—she continued to worm her way free.
At last, she pulled her legs through, catching one particularly tenacious splinter on the way, and stifled her hiss of pain behind pursed lips. Carefully, she gripped the sharp spine of wood that had embedded itself in her calf and, squeezing her eyes shut, gave it a decisive yank. It pulled free and she tossed it aside, breathing fast and hard in an effort to avoid crying out. She wiped at her watering eyes, and then the screen popped up beside her once more.
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Quest Complete: { Boxed Up }
* Objective Complete: Escape the crate 1/1
* { Old Knife } received
* { Old Knife } auto-equipped
Quest Complete.
* 10 { Coin } added to inventory
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“Auto-? Oh.”
She realised that her fingers were curled around a small, wooden handle, and raised the non-descript knife to see it better.
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Item: { Old Knife } [tool]
This blunt kitchen knife looks like it’s seen better days.
* Effect: Common galley utensil for chopping vegetables
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As the description suggested, it wasn’t fancy by any means; merely a short, straight blade—rather blunt, as she ran her thumb across it—that looked like it could have come from any impoverished village kitchen. Still, part of her was darkly relieved to have something to hold on to. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to use—
“Oi! Ye there! Halt!”
Piper flung her head up to squint through the dark and quailed as she saw a man much bigger than she was, making his way towards her. He was skirting other crates, some of which emitted sporadic moans, and his hand was on the hilt of his sword. He appeared to be in no rush, moving with slow arrogance—as if it was only a matter of time before he had her in his great, meaty hands.
DING!
“Seriously?”
Piper tore her eyes away from the approaching brute as the screen flashed urgently beside her.
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New Quest: { Fight or Flight }
You’ve been spotted by { Skulking Guard }! Prepare to run!
* Objective: Escape the Ship 0/1.
* Reward: { Swimming 1 }
* Bonus objective: Defeat { Skulking Guard } 0/1.
* Reward: 10 { Coin }
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Piper didn’t have time to ponder her new quest (and bonus quest, apparently), for the man was almost upon her. The screen vanished as he swiped at her with one large hand, and she ducked with a yelp at the last second. She ran, and the big man drew his sword, leaping after her with surprising dexterity. Piper dashed between the crates, skirting a massive mountain of cargo tied down beneath a canvas sail, and tripped over a guy line she didn’t see in the shadows. She crashed into a pile of smaller boxes, knocking loose several containers full of what sounded like pots and pans—to judge by the thunderous clanging—and, cursing, leapt up to continue her flight. But she jerked to a halt, her sore leg snapping back behind her and dropping her with a hefty thud that knocked the wind out of her. She rolled over with a groan to find her foot caught in the tail end of the trailing rope, and the man slowed to a predatory walk.
“Teach ye to be running from me, lass,” he smirked.
He advanced, and Piper desperately held her small knife out in front of her—as if she had a hope of defending herself—but he didn’t make it three more steps. The teetering tower of cargo, made unsteady by the loosening of the guy line she’d tripped over, creaked in warning and toppled just as he passed it. With a resounding crash, it hit the deck, burying the man beneath weighty crates before he could throw himself clear. One arm and half a shoulder stuck out from beneath the debris, and as Piper watched in horror, his fingers twitched, and then fell still. The screen flashed into existence again beside her, making her flinch violently in surprise.
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* { Skulking Guard } defeated
Quest: { Fight or Flight }
* Bonus objective complete: Defeat { Skulking Guard } 1/1
* 10 { Coin } added to inventory
* Primary quest objective still available
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Piper hardly noticed what it said—she was too busy staring at the unmoving arm. Every nerve in her body seemed to burn with the adrenalin surging through her, and she leaned forward to extricate her trapped foot. Once it was free, she crawled hesitantly towards the appendage, painfully alert for any sign of movement. As she drew near, the screen flashed suddenly next to her, setting her heart back to thundering.
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* Loot { Skulking Guard }?
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“Will you stop doing that?” she said crossly, turning to it. “Huh? Loot…? Isn’t that, like… stealing?”
There was no response, only the question awaiting her decision.
“Um… yes, I guess?”
The arm twitched at her feet, sending her reeling backwards on a fresh surge of fright. It fell still once more, but she stared at it accusingly for a long moment, until the flashing screen drew her attention back. New information was on display.
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* { Tattered Cotton Gloves } received
* { Tattered Cotton Gloves } auto-equipped
* { Andothyst Salve } added to inventory
* 5 { Coin } added to inventory
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Intrigued, she reached for the little pack icon to open the inventory—and paused as she caught sight of the fingerless glove now covering her palm. She lifted the other hand and tightened both to fists, testing the flexibility of her new acquisitions. The faded cotton moved easily enough, clearly worn in by somebody else’s hands.
“Tattered, indeed.”
Her interest in the gloves waned, and she turned back to the screen and opened the inventory. First, she noted that the box over the tiny figure’s hand now had a picture of a pair of gloves. Second, she realised that the small knife occupied the lowest box beside the right arm. Third—and most interestingly—the grid now boasted a single item in one of the previously empty slots.
Andothyst Salve. She knew exactly what that was, even though she’d never been able to afford any of the stuff in her… previous life…? Deciding not to question the strange means of its acquisition, she reached for the picture of the small jar, and as she touched it, it materialised into solidity in her hand.
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Item: { Andothyst Salve }
Topical healing balm (consumable, healing)
* Effect: Rapid healing of superficial injuries
* Uses remaining: 3/3
----------------------------------------
“Awesome.”
She unlatched the top, scooped out some of the firm green gel inside, and slathered it onto the jagged splinter cut on her leg. The astringent (but not unpleasant) fumes made her a little heady as the wound tingled, and she sighed as a pleasant warmth spread around the affected area and smoothed the cut into non-existence.
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* Used: { Andothyst Salve }
* Uses remaining: 2/3
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Dropping the salve back into her inventory, she gingerly flexed her calf muscle and found that it was in near-perfect shape. Which was good—because she probably wasn’t done running yet.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, than a shout from somewhere further along the deck echoed, and then another, and another. Other guards had come to investigate the clamour raised by toppled cargo and spilled boxes, and Piper ducked behind a broken crate, cursing under her breath. In silence, the screen popped up close by, reminding her of her current objective.
“Get off the ship, right,” she nodded sharply, trying for courage. “Reward swimming one—I hope that means what I think it means because I sure as hells never learned to swim. Okay, right, here we go!”
She leapt up, raced straight for the gunwale, and plunged headfirst over the railings before she could change her mind. High above the splash, voices cussed in consternation, craning over the side to peer into the night. In the quiet dark below, small bubbles shimmered to the surface of the sea, and the screen hovered for a long moment. It glowed mutely, oscillating a slow arc as if searching for something.
At last, it flashed.
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Quest Complete: { Fight or Flight }
* Objective Complete: Escape the Ship 1/1.
* Reward: { Swimming 1 }
* Quest Complete.
* 10 { Coin } added to inventory
* Gained NEW ABILITY { Swimming 1 }
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And Piper burst to the surface, spluttering.