I started to panic, using my arms and legs to clumsily turn myself. At first, I didn’t see her. Was she still stealthed? But then my eyes caught a glimpse of a hunched over body floating motionless a ways away from me.
Again, unfamiliar instincts flooded into my body and I swam towards her with a grace I did not know I had. Because I was now moving, my air capacity was dropping at a faster rate.
Air Capacity: 15%
Air Capacity: 14%
I knew, down deep, that I wasn’t going to make it but I couldn’t even consider the idea of ditching her. Not now. I’d already lost one friend, I wasn’t about to lose another.
My lungs screamed at me as my hands grabbed beneath her armpits.
Air Capacity: 0%
My lungs felt as though they were completely restricted and deflated. My chest heaved, trying to persuade me to inhale a mouthful of water.
Health: 72%
I pointed upwards and swam with all my might. Tahshine didn’t weigh much, but her wet clothes did. The extra weight did a number on my stamina.
Health: 40%
I opened my mouth and water rushed in. I had to force myself to close my lips. I figured when I hit 0% that my body would accept the breath of water and I would die.
The shiny surface was almost within reach. I could feel the sun begin to warm my face. My leg muscles burned and my neck was strained from looking up with such exertion. Just when air was within reach, my body slowed to half the speed as my stamina hit 0.
Health 8%
Health 6%
I kicked as hard as I could and moved my body in a worm-like fashion. I did anything I could. I even shot one hand outwards as if waiting to grab on to something or for something to grab on to me. My stamina would regenerate to 1% and I would immediately consume it with a thrashing movement.
Health 3%
My vision was fading.
Health 2%
Cool air whipped my face and I no longer had control of my body. My mind even pushed out the fact that I was carrying another person. I didn’t even have a chance to spit out the water in my mouth before my lungs took in their first gulp of air.
I started to choke and gag as water made its way inside of me.
Health: 7%
Health: 8%
I pulled Tahshine’s head out of the water but her eyes did not open. I swam towards the shore backwards with her on my chest. I was still coughing up the water I had inhaled.
My feet touched soft, gritty sand and I was relieved to finally be able to walk again. I drug her body onto the beach and laid her flat on her back.
She wasn’t breathing.
I concentrated on her stats and what I saw confused me.
Tahshine’s Health: 42%
Not sure what else to do, I tried pumping on her stomach. It wasn’t working. I then thought I’d try to breathe some life into her lips and was lowering my head to hers when her body convulsed underneath my hands. I turned her to the side where she coughed up globs of water and a bit of stomach acid.
Congratulations! You’ve put your life in jeopardy to save another player from the elements! You’ve completed the secret achievement: Life Guard. Your reputation has increased with the Ashen Kingdom.
Congratulations! You’ve earned the reputation status as Recognized in the Ashen Kingdom! NPCs will now recognize you when you walk by them.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the Hidden Quest: Stranger in Need.
Objective: Risk your life twice to save a single player. The player must not be on your friends list.
Reward: Experience, Player Title: Preserver
Congratulations! You are now known throughout the World of Drathos as Tharis the Preserver! This title will appear above your head when other players or NPCs concentrate on you.
Congratulations! You’ve acquired level 10!
All of these achievements should have been an exhilarating experience, but I couldn’t help but feel sick. What horror was Ushmoe going through while I was becoming some sort of hero? A hero because I was doing what anyone else would have done if they’d been in my place.
“How did you stabilize yourself for so long?” I asked. “I thought you were dead.”
She wiped her mouth and flipped over onto her back. She looked to be a bit delirious from lack of air.
“How did you survive underwater for so long?” I asked again, but this time more forcefully. I was losing my patience with her.
“Because I didn’t move,” she said, putting her wet palm to my face while looking into my eyes. “I knew you’d come and rescue me. I used you to save myself.”
I turned away from her and laid my back down in the warm sand. I didn’t know how to reply to such honesty. I looked up to see how far we had fallen and couldn’t believe my eyes. I could barely make out the well in which we had once been stuck. It was strange to think that Ushmoe was still in there facing a terror he had been hiding from for so long.
At that moment I made up my mind. I was going back for him.
10
Once Tahshine had caught her breath, she bolted from our position on the beach. I didn’t even bother to go after her. In fact, I was happy that she’d left. Her selfishness and her lack of care for others made me sick and I didn’t even want to look at her.
I tried private messaging Ushmoe but received no reply. I kept at it for twenty minutes but received nothing but silence. I checked my friend sheet and saw Ushmoe’s name was still there. Would it say deceased by his name if he was killed? Or would it simply disappear? Either way, I needed to get off my ass and hustle.
I stood up and brushed the sand off my pants.
A tiny crab beast scuttled its way over to me and stopped right in front of my boots.
Growing Crab Level 1
“Shoo,” I said, waving my hands at it. I didn’t want to accidentally step on it.
But it didn’t move, it just sat there and stared up at me. Its tiny claws moved aimlessly out in front of it.
“Do you want something from me?” I chuckled a bit to myself. Was I losing my mind? What had reduced me to talking to crabs?
But the little thing responded in a creative way. It used its body to scoot itself across the sand in order to make words.
I thought you might never ask! I need your help, Tharis the Preserver.
“Okay, and how can I be of service to your crabliness?” I chuckled again. I was going crazy.
I’m a growing crab, you see, and I can’t quite grow if I don’t have a big enough shell! Can you fetch one for me?
You have been offered a Quest! For the Shell of It.
Objective: Hunt down a Big Poppa Crab and retrieve its shell.
Reward: Experience
I accepted the quest with a nod of my head. The tiny crab bowed to me before burying itself into the sand.
The water rushed up to my feet and I took in a big whiff of air before taking in my surroundings. A mixture of smells filled my nostrils. I could distinctly make out the scent of fresh, running water and something sweet which I guessed to be some sort of exotic fruit.
The waterfall was even louder here where it finally made landfall. I allowed my gaze to follow it upwards and saw that its exit came from another pipe just below the village of Ashvell. I wondered how hard it must have been for the architects to design an entire town on top of a flowing river.
Behind me was a forest of tall trees with thick trunks that didn’t start to shrink until around thirty or forty feet up. Heavy, green vines flowed up the trunks of the trees and even extended to other trees making a sort of botanical web. I wondered what would have happened if I’d fallen into their soft-looking embrace rather than into the cold one of the lagoon.
The beach that I was on was covered in turtles and crabs that lived in perfect harmony. The smaller crabs would hitch rides on top of the bigger turtles, laying on their backs to warm their softer bellies in the sun. None of these crabs looked big enough to be my target.
I stood on my
achy legs and squinted up at the sky once more. Ushmoe was up there. Dead most likely or wishing that he was.
If I was going to save him, I was going to have to level up from my pitiful Level 10.
It wasn’t hard to find the designated crab for the quest. He had to have been five times larger than all the other crabs.
Big Poppa Crab Level 11
His shell was cracked in several spots and held a dark orange hue. Its beady, black eyes rested on two external membranes that moved slowly from left to right as it monitored its surroundings. Out in front of its body were two thick claws with what looked to be serrated edges on the inside.
I made sure to do a stats check before rushing into battle.
Health: 100%
Stamina: 100%
If the stats were perfect then why did I feel so exhausted? Why did my feet and legs still hurt from my plunge into the lagoon? I’d never felt this way before when my stats had been at 100%.
I took a step forward. I looked down at my legs with astonishment. Quickly, I decided to take a step to the right… and I did! Nothing told me to do it and nothing told me not to do it! No controlling force stopped me from making my decision to move to the right.
Was I truly now on my own? Had I severed the tie to whatever creator that had control over me?
“Who am I?” I asked out loud, waiting for the world to pause and malfunction.
But nothing happened.
“Who am I? Why was I created? Am I my own person? Do I control my own fate? My own destiny?” If anything was going to disrupt this world that was going to do the trick.
But still, all things moved along like everything was normal. No scenery was outlined in numbers and none of the creatures paused and I wasn’t transported to some nearby random location.
I was now in control.
The jubilation inside of me masked the pain in my legs and I rushed at the Big Poppa Crab yelling at the top of my lungs in excitement. The big crab turned itself around and tried to run away from me.
I leapt onto its back, equipped my hammer and started to beat on its outer shell.
My strike ability had no effect on it but my pierce ability was successful in ignoring its armor. Too bad I would have to wait for its cooldown to use it again.
Big Poppa Crab Health: 80%
It shook me off with a wild rocking of its body. I fell off and landed on my back with the crab right on top of me. I tried to cast my block ability but had totally forgotten about having to have equipped a shield before it could be used.
One of the claws gripped around my arm and pinched. A pain like I have never felt vibrated up my arm, sending signals of panic to my brain.
I yelled at the top of my lungs, having never felt such an awful sensation in my short life.
You’ve been clamped by the Big Poppa Crab.
Health: 75%
The claw released my arm. I grabbed the hammer with my left hand, fury blurring my vision red, and I struck at its eye. The black eyeball popped under the force of my hammer strike, sending a gush of purple blood back onto its face. This time, it cried out.
You have half-blinded the Big Poppa Crab.
Big Poppa Crab Health: 55%
It backed away from me but I didn’t let it escape. I was on it like a madman, swinging at its face, trying to pop the other eye. I didn’t hit the eyeball but I was successful in smacking the membrane it was attached to. The membrane wrapped around the head of my hammer and I ripped it right out of its head.
You’ve successfully blinded the Big Poppa Crab!
I brought back my hammer and peeled off the slimy membrane. It moved on its own in my hand making me queasy.
The Big Poppa Crab was screeching now, sending its claws in random directions and snapping loudly.
Big Poppa Crab Health: 20%
I snuck around behind it, barely evading an oncoming claw. With a battle cry, I jumped onto its back one final time. The claws came towards me but snapped aimlessly in front of my face. They couldn’t reach me.
I bent over low and started to go to work on the crab’s inner face. My pierce ability was refreshed and that was all it took. I grabbed the hammer with both hands and, with all my might, I gave it one last smack!
Congratulations! You’ve successfully slain the Big Poppa Crab!
The meat of the thing disappeared and the empty shell with me on top of it fell onto the beach.
A tiny crab head poked itself out of the sand. When it was satisfied that the coast was clear, it pulled itself out and scuttled towards me.
“This will make a fine new shell!” it wrote, raising both claws in jubilation.
“Don’t you think it’s a little big?” I asked it.
The tiny crab peered up at me and I couldn’t read its face.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the quest: For the Shell of It.
You’ve earned: Experience
Congratulations! You’ve acquired Level 11!
Your class now has the proficiency to equip Mail Armor.
Mail armor would, for sure, come in handy when I finally faced Toxhin. All that was left was to actually find some.
I watched as the little crab pulled itself out of its smaller shell. It was a tiny, pink, gelatinous thing, really. It then made its way slowly into the bigger shell where it laid down and looked up at me with its dead, black eyes.
“See,” I said. “A little too big for yo-”
The little crab’s body grew double its size, then triple its size until it completely filled its new shell.
“Oh… I should have known.”
Growing Crab Level 1 turned to Big Poppa Crab Level 11. The color of its status was green meaning that I could no longer gain any experience or loot if I attacked and killed it. This also meant that this beast was no threat to me.
“Good for you,” I said to it, patting it on the shell.
It bowed to me and scuttled away. Where the shell had once lain was a floating loot bag. I grabbed it before it could disappear.
You’ve obtained:
Hard Shell Shield
Required Level: 10
My heart beat a little faster from excitement. I’d long ago sold my shield made of bark. It had quickly become useless to me and only took up space in my bag.
I equipped the shell shield. My hand was fitted behind two leather straps connected to a decently-sized chunk of crab shell. The face of it was the same dark orange coloring and the outer rim was covered in little, tan spikes. This was, by far, the coolest looking item I had in my possession. However, I still looked like a transient.
A notice popped into my vision, startling me a bit.
Warning: You are starving. Your health will slowly diminish until either you eat or die.
Wow, that was a harsh statement. My stomach growled loud enough for me to hear over the roaring waterfall. My hunger was stronger than it had ever been. This reminded me of the intense pain I had felt when the crab had pinched me with its claws. Never before had I felt such an intense amount of pain, pain that made me want to tear up. Pain that jumbled my thoughts and sent stars through my vision. Now that all of the pain had subsided with the regeneration of my health bar, all I could think of was food. I wished I was back in the Inn with Ushmoe eating a loaf of hot, buttered bread.
My stomach growled again.
11
Health: 65%
I checked my bag with the hope that I would find something to eat, but there was nothing. I hadn’t prepared for this. How was I supposed to have known I would face Toxhin in the square? I wished I would have thought about grabbing a loaf of green bread from a vendor before plunging myself into the Haunted Well.
And so I started my search for food. The tiny crabs that walked along the yellow beach looked to be too small to drop any sort of meat. Plus, I had no logs or fire starter to cook it.
Behind me were the trees with the green vines. I walked to the edge of the forest to get a better look.
A-HA!
&n
bsp; At the very tip top of each tree was a square edible-looking thing. I concentrated and targeted one of them.
Box Fruit
Fruit! That would work wonders for my hunger. But how to get up there?
I walked off the beach and to the bottom of one of the trees. I placed a hand on its rough bark and slid my hand up and down it. It looked much taller now that I was at its roots looking up. There were no limbs to grab on to at this level and my only choice was to hug it and clamber up.
As soon as my feet left the ground, my stamina started to drop. I made it halfway up before my stamina was at a dangerous level. But I had reached the first layer of green vines. I latched on to the closest strand and pulled myself up.
I sat there kicking my feet. I was really high up and I forced myself not to look down. Just thinking about it made my palms clam up again. I guess heights were not my thing.
The vines rumbled beneath my buttocks, sending a flurry of winged beasts from their nests and into the air.
I looked around to see where the commotion was coming from. A face in the side of the tree gave me a start and I slipped off the vine.
The same gut wrenching feeling of falling lasted for only a second before a thin limb whipped around my ankle leaving me suspended upside down. I was then hoisted up like I weighed nothing and came face to face with the tree.
Grandfather Tree Sage Level 5
“Hello, mighty Warrior,” it bellowed at me with its bark lips. Its wooden eyes moved up and down as it studied me. “That was one impressive climb! I am so sorry I gave you a fright.”
“Ugh, it’s okay,” I stammered. “Thanks for catching me at least.”
The Grandfather Tree Sage smiled at me. “As you say, it was the least I could do.”
There was silence as I did not know exactly how to respond to that. Blood was rushing to my face and so I asked, “Do you think you could set me back down?”
“Oh! Of course! Please excuse this old tree’s manners. I haven’t had a visitor in ages.”
It put me back down on the vines. My stomach growled once again.
“You’re hungry,” it said to me. “You must eat!”
The Lionheart_a LitRPG Novel Page 6
