Dusk began to settle over the Eldergloom, and the boundary of the forest grew even more oppressive. The thick white mist slowly swallowed the ground in patches, and as the setting sun lowered, the temperature started dropping, adding to Dorian's unease. The abandoned campsite offered some protection, even if its previous occupants had long since fled for reasons unknown.
Dorian decided to start a fire for the night. Standing up, he began to gather what little dry wood he could find without venturing too close to the forest's boundary. His hands trembled from the biting cold that was seeping into him as he set about making the fire. The effort of rubbing sticks together caused his anxiety to rise, but after an hour of non-stop effort, he finally managed to get a small flame going before sunset. The warmth was a much-welcome relief, and the flickering light provided a comforting contrast to the encroaching darkness. He looked out towards the tree line, seeing nothing but the dark shapes of the trees.
He sat down by the fire, enjoying the warmth and the temporary safety it provided. Then a blue window screen appeared in front of Dorian's face. He stared in shock at the display in front of him as he read it.
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Install Complete. Welcome, Dorian Blackwood.
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Dorian Blackwood
* Age: 28
* Race: Human
* Level: 0
* Location: The Cursed Forest of Eldergloom - Safe Cleaning
* Ink Points: 5/20
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Attributes:
* Strength: 10
* Dexterity: 12
* Constitution: 11
* Intelligence: 14
* Luck: 8
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Skills
* Basic Fire Starting
* Basic Camping
* Basic Gathering
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Quest: None
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As dusk began to settle, long shadows stretched across the landscape, and the light dimmed over the surroundings. Dorian scrutinized the stats displayed before him, realizing their potential importance for his survival. Each attribute reflected a different facet of his abilities, and the notion of levelling up hinted at the possibility of enhancing these attributes. However, he was unsure how to achieve this.
"Ink Points... and these attributes... How do they work?" he mused aloud, his curiosity piqued. Just then, the screen vanished, replaced by a blue-boxed window displaying a new message:
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New Quest Available: Weeping Flower
* Description: The Weeping Flower is characterized by its pale blue petals, which droop gracefully, giving the plant its name. The stems are slender and flexible, often appearing slightly translucent in the misty forest light. The roots are long and thin, with a faint luminescence that can be seen in low light conditions, making them particularly striking in the dim environment of Eldergloom.
* Uses: Alchemy, Symbol Crafting.
* Location: Grows in shadowy glades, often near water sources.
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Accept? Yes/No
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Shaking his head, he chose the "yes" option. The quest screen window disappeared without anything else appearing before him.
Dorian refocused on the task at hand. The night was growing colder, and he needed to keep the fire alive. He added more wood to the fire, watching the flames dance and cast flickering shadows around the campsite.
Determined to stay alert, he wrapped the threadbare blanket tighter around his shoulders and continued to reread Kael Thorne's journal. The entries painted a vivid picture of a once-thriving forest now consumed by darkness and danger.
His mind was filled with the various things he had learned from the journal. From the tower to the forest gods and the mysterious illness—they all pointed to something much larger at play. Dorian felt a chill at that thought.
As he pondered his next steps, the forest around him remained eerily silent. The occasional rustle or distant howl reminded him of the lurking dangers. He clutched a rusted knife tight, one he found near the firepit earlier in the afternoon, knowing it was a meagre form of defence, but it was better than nothing.
The night wore on, and Dorian fought to stay awake. The fire's warmth and the blanket's embrace were a constant battle against his ever-growing exhaustion. He dozed off fitfully, his dreams filled with visions of a dark red tower and the glowing eyes of beasts hidden in the mist.
Just before dawn, a distant howl shattered the silence in the woods, echoing throughout the trees as it sent a chill down Dorian's spine. Causing him to wake up with a start, as he gripped the knife tighter in his hand, scanning the fainting darkness for any sign of movement, the sound of the fire crackled, its light flickering as if in response to the unseen threat.
Eventually, the first rays of morning light began to filter through the dense canopy, casting long shadows across the forest floor. The sounds of the nightlife faded, replaced by the tentative chirping of birds greeting the new day. Dorian let out a long breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding in. He had survived his first night in this weird place.
Rising stiffly from the makeshift camp, he stretched his aching muscles and prepared to set out. The journal had given him a small glimmer of hope, and he clung to it desperately. As he extinguished the fire and quickly grabbed a small stick of charcoal, then he gathered what meagre supplies he had, and with one last look at the abandoned campsite.
"Thank you, Kael," Dorian whispered, as he tucked the journal safely into his pocket.
Dorian set off, heading roughly in a northern direction towards the misty forests.
walking closer to the forest line, the memory of the blue-boxed window nagged at the back of his mind. What were these Ink Points? Why had the windows appeared in the first place, to begin with, and what caused them to appear?
Dorian went to touch his forearm until he remembered that his beloved tattoos were now gone, glancing at his now smooth and unmarked skin, Dorian felt a deep pang of loss for these tattoos. He wondered if these Ink Points somehow related to his missing tattoos, was there a possibility of getting them back?
Sighting as he put these thoughts to the side of his mind, Dorian stood before the forestry line, in front of him were the sounds of bird song and other sounds he couldn’t quite identify as of yet, but his mind was then forced on the encounter from yesterday, the beast he started to call the massive cat. How it hunted him and tried to attack him, causing him to climb a tree to hide for dear life. He shook his head, he inhaled a deep calming breath as he then tried to recall the details of the window, but it had vanished too quickly.
As he walked into the woods, Dorian began to mutter to himself, hoping to trigger another appearance of the system window.
"Ink Points," he said aloud, his voice breaking the morning quiet. Nothing happened.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Window."
"Menu."
"Character Sheet."
Suddenly, the window reappeared, displaying the same information as before. No new details were available to him, the only different thing was the quest he accepted. A little frustrated but undeterred, he continued his journey into the forest heading what he hoped was north.
He needed to find this weeping flower, he only had a basic description of the flower, he wasn’t sure why his first quest was to get this flower, but he didn’t mind.
Hours passed as Dorian navigated the dense forest. The mist seemed to follow him, clinging to the trees and obscuring his path. He kept his senses sharp, listening for any signs of danger.
As Dorian rounded a particularly dense thicket, he stumbled upon a small stream almost falling face-first into the water, “Fuck” he swore as garbed his beating chest, while standing above the water Dorian noticed how clear and cold the water looked to be.
he bent down putting his fingers into the water, feeling the coolness already numbing them, he quickly filled his metal cup, drinking some of the water. garb the journal he turned to the last page, using the charcoal he garbed, Dorian started to stretch out a somewhat makeshift map on the page.
Drinking his fill of the cold water, he stood back up and followed the stream down, while he continued his search. As the day wore on, he constantly looked over his shoulder scanning the trees around him, half-expecting another attack on him or the blue window to appear again.
Despite the lingering fear and anxiety, Dorian pressed on, driven by the need to survive. He stumbled upon patches of unfamiliar plants, but none matched the description of the Weeping Flower. The hours seemed to stretch endlessly, blending in a continuous cycle of cautious steps and vigilant glances.
He realized he needed some type of skill to help Dorian analyse things around him, the plants he was encountering seemed pretty but he didn’t know if they were poisonous or not.
While following the stream, Dorian encountered a few ruined buildings, in the middle of one of the buildings was a massive tree, stepping onto the wood of the building, a blue and white screen appeared before him, labelled "Tnterface Shop.”
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{Interface Shop}
There were three taps available to Dorian but he chose to check out the skill page only
Opening the first tap named Skills, Dorian looked at what was available. He found four skills to be of interest.
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Skills
Analyze Skill: Cost- 5 Gold Coin or 2.5 Ink Points
Herbal Knowledge skill: 2 Gold Coin or 0.50 Ink Points
Basic Herbalism: 2 gold coins or 0.50 Ink Points
Stealth: 10 Gold Coin or 5 Ink Points
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Dorian was surprised to see a currency system for skills and an option to use his Ink Points. Without hesitating, Dorian purchased the skills.
A new set of screens appeared, displaying detailed information about the skills he had acquired.
The three skills cost him 3.5 Ink Points.
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New Passive Skill Unlocked: Herbal Knowledge
* Level: Basic
* Description: It grants a better understanding of the flora in Eldergloom, including its uses in alchemy and crafting.
* Effect: Identifies various plants and herbs, understanding their properties and potential uses. Increases the success rate of gathering useful plants and preparing basic herbal remedies.
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New Passive Skill Unlocked: Basic Herbalism
* Level: Basic
* Description: Grants Dorian the knowledge to identify, gather, and use various plants and herbs found in the forest for medicinal and practical purposes.
* Effect: Increases the success rate of finding useful plants, improves the effectiveness of homemade remedies, and allows for the creation of basic herbal concoctions to aid in healing and survival.
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New Skill Unlocked: Analyze
* Level: Basic Provides the names and basic properties of plants, creatures, and items.
* Description: The "Analyze" skill allows the user to examine his surroundings, objects, creatures, and other elements within the environment to gain detailed information about them.
* Usage: Activating the skill might bring up a detailed description window with relevant information.
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A stream of information beamed into Dorian's mind, providing details on how to use the Analyze skill.
Dorian's eyes widened. "Analyze," he said, focusing on a nearby plant. Instantly, the blue window shifted to display information about the plant:
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Plant: Mourning Fern
* Description: A dark green fern with fronds that curl inward. Found in shadowy areas of the forest, often near decaying matter.
* Uses: Minor healing properties when brewed into a tea. Can also be used in basic alchemical recipes.
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Dorian marvelled at the newfound knowledge. This skill was a game-changer. Encouraged, he continued through the forest, using his new analysis skill on every plant he encountered. Most were mundane weeds to flowers that weren’t growing, but he learned what he could and their properties and potential uses.
An hour passed as he methodically searched, each use of Analyse bringing him closer to understanding some of the flora of the Eldergloom. But as he rounded a bend in the path, he caught sight of a shadowy glade ahead of him, the glade seemed to be partially concealed by a thick curtain of mist. His heart quickened; this could be the place he had been searching for. Dorian moved carefully, each step deliberate, as he approached the glade. The air was cooler than normal from outside, but the sound of trickling water reached his ears, indicating a nearby source of water.
Entering the glade, Dorian's eyes widened. The sight was both eerie and beautiful. The ground was covered in a carpet of pale blue petals, and among them stood the Weeping Flowers. Their stems were slender and slightly translucent, and their roots glowed faintly in the dim light. He knelt, gently touching the petals. They were soft and cold to the touch, and as he picked a few, he noticed the luminescent roots.
Information on how to handle the flower entered his mind from his other skill. Dorian was about to harvest the flower but paused, remembering he didn't have any type of proper storage methods. Sighing, he quickly jotted down the location on the makeshift map in Kael Thorne's journal, marking the area for the flowers.
Finishing up Dorian, stood back up and left the misty glade, by midday, he stumbled upon another clearing, but in the centre of it stood a large, ancient tree with strange markings carved into its bark. Curious, he used to “Analyse” again.
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Ancient Tree of the Forest Gods
* Description: This ancient tree is one of the oldest in Eldergloom. Legend has it that a forest god intertwined its life with this tree, imbuing it with sacred energy. The bark is etched with runes of unknown origin, believed to be protective symbols used by the forest gods.
* Properties: The tree's sap has potent healing properties. The bark, when ground into powder, can be used in various alchemical concoctions.
* Uses: Healing, Alchemy, Crafting
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Dorian noticed something off with the tree, he carefully approached it and then started to examine the markings that seemed to have been carved into the bark. Then Dorian noticed something else was odd: ink-like sap was dripping down the runes. The sap smelled foul, with a small hint of something else.
Dorian used his skill to Analyse the inky sap that was still seeping down the bark, the smell started to make his head swim.
Then his analyse skill screen flashed a bright red, it blinked in warning, and additional information was displayed in front of his eyes about the sap.
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Warning: Corrupted Item
Description: The sap from this ancient tree has been corrupted, likely by a malevolent force within Eldergloom. While it retains some of its original properties, it is now tainted and potentially dangerous.
Properties:
* Healing Potential: Diminished but still present.
* Toxicity: High risk of adverse effects.
* Crafting: Possible, but requires purification.
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Dorian frowned, weighing his options. He needed this ingredient, but using it in its current state could be risky. After a few moments of contemplation, he decided to jot down the location on the makeshift map in Kael Thorne's journal, marking the clearing and the tree. He also quickly sketched the mystical runes etched into the tree bark.
"I'll have to find a way to purify this," he muttered to himself, glancing at the marked location on his map.
With the area noted Dorian turned and headed back into the forest, continuing his search for the water rose petals.
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Without Noticing, a pair of yellow eyes glared at Dorian's back, her eyes watching him enter the forest.
She smiled sickly, her feline tongue licking her maw, she couldn't wait to start the hunt again