It was really, truly a deserted island. This all but confirmed it. Scott figured, logically, that had been the case. Otherwise, how could he have gone to four separate corners of the area and not seen any extended landmass? Still, somewhere deep in his heart he had hoped beyond hope that somebody, ANYBODY would be there with him. Knowing he's alone now, Scott mentally began to prepare for the long haul.
"So uh... do you have a name?"
"Nope!"
The Naturesoul wasn't very talkative. Or it just didn't have a lot to talk about. Not that it wasn't eager, it definitely seemed possessed with a passion for existing, but that didn't really do much other than make it sound like a child.
"Okay. I can't call you 'The Naturesoul' every time I want to refer to you... although I guess I won't need to very often. Still. I'm gonna call you Wilson then."
"Okay!"
Name: Wilson Lvl: 2 Class: Naturesoul Wisp HP: 5/5 MP: 11/11 Str: 4 Int: 4 Dex: 5 Wil: 14 Con: 4 Mag: 10 Status: None
Scott balked a bit as Wilson's screen became visible. What the wisp lacked in physical prowess it definitely made up for in magical power and will. "So, let's see what you're capable of little wisp..."
Skill Title Rarity Description Use Mode Commune with Nature Common You are able to speak with animals as if they understood and communicated in your own language. Passive Pebblebolt Common Conjure a small stone and send it hurtling at foes. Active: 2 MP Vivify Common Restore a target creature's flesh to it's natural state. Heals Mag/3 HP Active: 4 MP
Scott whistled audibly, which Wilson attempted to match with what Scott could best describe as an eager whine. "You're packing some heat buddy."
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"I don't get that but sure! I've got heat!"
"Er... you're strong. You have good magic," Scott said with some resignation. This thing is really a child, isn't it? Scott wasn't quite sure how he felt enlisting what seemed to have the mental age of a toddler in defending him and fighting wildli- wait. Shit.
"Let's say, hypothetically speaking, there was a creature that came from outside the island and it attacked the animals on it. Would that upset you?"
"Why would it? Animals die all the time!" Wilson responded with an excitement that was beginning to come off as creepy to Scott. He needed some time to process all this, in more ways than one.
"Go ahead and relax or go play or something... but if you see any mean animals nearby can you come tell me?"
"Sure!"
That'll do for now. It was time to put together a new to-do list...
First on the list was shelter. He could wait for awhile before needing to get more food again, but it would be less than ideal if he had to continue to sleep on the shore on the ground. And not just because his back ached every time he woke up. Second on that list was assessing what the notifications were referring to about the whole average level thing. The obvious thing would be that the more hostile elements on the island have become moreso, but that wouldn't explain the violent earthquake and pillars of light, would it? Scott hoped not. That didn't stop the image of massive demons erupting from the ground to the background of hellfire streaming out from entering his mind. Thankfully, even for a foreign world, his assumptions seemed to be pretty safe for the most part. Which meant that the odds of that being the case were far from likely.
Refocusing, Scott decided the third course of action after some investigation would be getting something akin to an axe made and trying to make some more robust items. A couple ideas were in that direction, including making a barrel with the same technique he employed to make his canteen. If he managed to either make a cart or carry it to and from the spring, his number of visits would drop basically to once in a couple weeks at most. Scott mentally began to prepare to set up a lean-to, when he realized that the list needed re-ordering. What if there were even more dangerous creatures around on the ground? Or if there were killer crabs that patrolled the beaches now? Shelter would have to come after investigation... not that it could ever be 100% safe.
That seemed to be far enough ahead for him to feel satisfied with the plan, ramshackle as it was. Scott retrieved his equipment once more and prepared to set off inland.
Equipment:
Branch Canteen (41/50)
Primitive Spear
DP: 4/10
T-Shirt
Pants (Damaged)
Inventory +2
That all seemed about right. "Wilson, let's go exploring!" The green glow descended from a tree branch at the tree line where it had been chittering with/at some birds and resumed it's orbit around Scott.
----------------------------------------
Something was off. Scott definitely did not have a concrete map of the island in his head, but from what he remembered it was not this long of a walk to the spring. The environment felt unfamiliar, and knowing that it was likely more dangerous for him to be in here made him nervous. His fears were confirmed shortly after this assessment when he and Wilson came upon a large rock embedded partially in the ground, riddled with holes like a sponge. The island had changed. That explained the earthquake... and maybe the lights? Scott still wasn't sure on that front. Either way, he had walked his typical straight line and hit a new landmark. He hefted himself onto the spongy stone, and began to peek into one of the holes. Suddenly, a small giggle came from behind him. "That's not very safe! They're not playing hide and seek! Even if they were, they get mean when they lose." Scott quickly trotted backwards and eyed Wilson. "They?"
"Here, I'll go get one of them to come say hi!" Before Scott could even begin to form an objection, Wilson disappeared down one of the holes. The soft green glow of the wisp still could be seen fluttering out, even as Wilson presumably went deeper into the stone. After a tense minute of waiting, the light began to grow brighter. He braced himself with his spear as Wilson came rocketing out of the hole with one of the most ugly creatures Scott had ever seen. It was like an eel, except its skin looked like extremely rough sandpaper and it possessed what looked like hundreds of tiny pseudopods. Seeing a non-slimy creature's flesh bend and warp in that way almost caused Scott to vomit immediately, but he managed to suppress it as the creature met his gaze. It's eyes were a beady black, and it almost seemed to be sizing Scott up. Wilson began to speak, "This is a Lirepole! She was pretty upset that I woke her up, but I'm a very good talker!" The Lirepole followed this up with a quiet hiss, as it began to retreat back into the porous stone. Not once while it retracted did it stop staring straight into Scott's eyes. A shiver ran down his back, and he added another item to the to-craft list: a map. So that he could make sure to avoid this place at all costs.