(A/N:
The game "Aground" is the legal property of the creative geniuses at Fancy Fish Games. I only own this fanfic plot and any OC's.)
"External Speech."
'Internal Speech/Thoughts/Commands.'
Gamer System
"ᛞᚱᚨᚲᚺᛖᚾᚴᛚᚨᚢᛖ (Drachenklaue)." - "Untranslated (Translated)."
'Telepathy.'
Name: Anthony
Level: 2
EXP: 20/50
Health: 50/50
Stamina: 200/200
Attack: 1 (Stone Axe*)
Defense: -
Mine: 1 (Stone Pick*)
Weight: 14/50
Skill Points: [10/10]
Achievements: 3
Equipment:
Dominant Hand: [Stone Axe]
Offhand: [None]
Mining: [Stone Pick]
Armor: [None] {None}
Headgear: [None] {None}
Backpack: [None] {None}
Familiar: [None]
Mary had - interestingly enough - taken the news of my System quite well - found it to be "cool" even. We had talked for a bit longer that night, better getting to know each other, before succumbing to sleep.
And the next morning, Mary came right up to me, looking slightly more excited than I considered normal for her.
"How's the digging going?"
"I haven't quite started yet-" Mary continued, not letting me finish.
"Maybe we should build a Smelter to melt down ores into bars."
New Quest!
Miner wants a Smelter to refine ores..
- Requirements -
Coal 0/15
[Accept] [Reject]
I nodded, tapping "Accept" with my right pointer finger.
"Great! Let me know when you have enough Coal!"
With that, Mary zipped back to the tunnel she'd climbed out from the previous night.
As tempted as I was to immediately dig out the scattered, shallow veins of Coal I could… see?... through the System, my mind went back to the purple opening in the ground to the east, at the foot of the mountain.
"Bob!" I called out to the man enjoying his breakfast of berries in the shelter. "I'm going to check out something I saw yesterday at the foot of the mountain, to the east. I'll be back!"
"Take care!" Bob called out from inside.
My walk through the forest didn't take long and I quickly found the violet opening in the ground again. However, before I could climb down, I heard yelling further up the mountain.
"Yah!" Squinting, I was able to make out a figure in a black hood and cloak, loosing an arrow right into the left eye of a boar charging at him from about eight meters away. The boar wasn't even able to proceed three meters closer to the figure before they shot another arrow into the beast's other eye, killing it.
"Woah." I was rather impressed at how this person had quickly and efficiently taken down the animal without getting so much as a scratch on his body.
Turning, the figure leapt over the edge and slid down the face of the mountain, stopping right in front of me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke nor moved. Then, the figure pulled back his hood, allowing me to make out his facial features. He had unkempt, light brown hair, a moustache that spanned both sides of his face and eyes that matched his hair.
"Hey, you! Did you see me take down that boar?"
"Yeah, how…" As I tried to find my voice again, the man absentmindedly sharpened the head of an arrow. "How did you do that?"
He allowed a small smile to manifest under his moustache. "Simple! A bit of proper technique is all you need."
He gestured at our general surroundings. "I'm trying to clear out this area. If you help me out I could teach you how to hunt."
[Accept Offer]
[Send Away]
As I thought the choice over, I could see the hunter was holding his breath as he awaited my answer.
'Well, he truly seems trustworthy. Plus, it WOULD be nice having someone around who knows how to handle himself!'
"Sure, why not!" His posture visibly relaxed in relief.
"You need to employ the element of surprise. Hit enemies from behind, and you'll get a critical hit."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a folding stool with a collapsible rack of handmade tools. No, not a stool, a Workbench. "Here, have a Workbench - you can use it to make weapons of your own!"
I accepted the Workbench, glad to have another useful item that would improve our odds of survival. "I prefer Bows so I don't have to get close to enemies, but if you want to use melee weapons, a Buckler will help you block attacks!"
"Why don't you craft a Bow and kill some Boars. And let me know if you need any hunting tips!"
System Tip: You can set quick-use keys 1-10 (QUK) to quickly use different items in your Inventory without having to stop and open the menu.
Setting equipment to a quick-use key will swap out your current equipment of that type with the quick-use, and vice versa. (Ex: Swap Weapons or armor)
Setting a projectile to a QUK will allow you to launch it without having to equip the launcher - as long as the launcher is in your Inventory. (Ex: Bow and Arrows)
Setting a consumable to a QUK will administer the consumable without opening the Inventory. (Ex: Food and medicine)
Quest
Hunter wants you to practice using weapons.
- Requirements -
Defeat Boars 0/5
Bow 0/1
"Thanks, mister…?"
The man smiled and held out his hand. "Hunter. And yes, that is both my name and current occupation."
I shook his hand. "My name is Anthony, good to meet you, Hunter!"
I pointed back westward. "I've set up camp with a couple other survivors, Bob and Mary, back that way. You can join us there, just tell them I sent you."
Hunter looked at me. "You don't want me to show you the ropes?"
"I managed to take down a Boar myself yesterday with this Stone Axe." I held up the tool/weapon for emphasis. "Besides, I think they may need the help more than I do, and I want to check out this cave here."
He looked down at the purple tunnel, and nodded. "Okay, I'll come back looking for you if you don't show up in an hour though. Enough people have died already."
With that, Hunter set off towards the camp, and I began climbing down into the cavern.
Peering around, I was disappointed to see that it was completely empty at first glance.
"Don't tell me that this was nothing but a real-life Red Herring!"
I then saw movement. A figure in a purple hooded cloak - blending into their surroundings - turned to look up at me.
"Oh, it's been quite some time since I've seen another person!" The figure remarked. "You there, I would like to make a request, if you're interested in the arcane?"
I blinked, carefully approaching the man. "Arcane, as in magic?"
His hood bobbed in a nod, his facial features obscured in shadow - save for his yellow eyes and knowing grin. "There is more to this planet than meets the eye. I have been doing experiments, and I believe I have discovered magic!"
He held out an empty flask. "I am in need of more materials. If you come across a Wyrm, slay it and give me its Dragonblood and I will make sure you are rewarded."
New Quest!
Alchemist wants you to slay a Wyrm to gain Dragonblood.
- Requirements -
Dragonblood 0/1
[Accept] [Reject]
I nodded. "I'll admit, I'm interested." I took the flask, before holding out my free hand. "By the way, my name's Anthony."
He chuckled for a moment, before shaking my hand with a purple-gloved one. "You may call me Alexander."
I pointed at the way out. "I've set up camp with a few other survivors a short ways to the west from here, feel free to come by."
"I'll keep that in mind." He then began shooing me out. "But could you please hurry up!? My research is at a standstill until I get some Dragonblood!"
On the way back to camp, I stopped to open my Inventory, finding that I could apparently craft with the Workbench still in my Inventory.
Opening the Crafting menu for the Workbench revealed a list of tools and objects, as well as the materials needed for each.
About three-quarters of the way down the list, I found what I'd been hoping for.
Arrow
Attack: 3
Knockback: 5
Weight: 0.25
- Ingredients -
Wood 0/1
(Craft (x2))
Bow
Range: 7
+Stamina per Hit: 3
Fires Arrows
Weight: 4
- Ingredients -
Wood 0/4
Iron Bar 0/1
(Craft)
'Guess I'll have to get that Smelter built if I'm going to make a Bow!'
New Item: Coal
Weight: 5
New Item: Tree Seed
Weight: 1
New Item: Red Berries
3 Health: -5
Attack: +1 for 15s
Weight: 1
Level Up!
2 → 3
Skill Points: +14
New Item: Rust Axe
Attack: 1
Cut: 3
Knockback: 5
+Stamina per Hit: 2
Durability: 30/30
Weight: 10
New Item: Chest
Stores items.
Can be used underwater.
Weight: 5
Once I finally dug up enough Coal in the Storehouse, I went to let Mary know.
"This is the stuff. I should have a Smelter up in no time!"
Achievement: Metallurgy
Build the Smelter.
New Blueprint(s):
Smelter Blueprint
Mary proudly stood in front of the stone Smelter. "The Smelter can turn raw ores into bars. It requires fuel to melt them down, but luckily there is plenty of Coal around to keep it running."
New Item: Iron Ore
Weight: 5
'Guess I need something stronger than this stone axe if I'm going to get that Dragonblood… Oww!'
An Apples was stolen from the Storehouse!
"Guys! Keep an eye out! It seems we have a thief on our hands!"
Level Up!
3 → 4
Skill Points: +14
New Item: Iron Bar
Weight: 5
New Item: Bow
New Item: Arrow
"Alright, I've got a Bow and 10 Arrows, time to go hunting!"
As I went into the forest, armed with my brand new bow, I encountered an elderly man. He wore light blue overalls, had moderately tanned skin, had greying hair growing in a messy beard and around the sides of his head, save for his bald scalp.
"Boy am I glad to see you. Here I was thinkin' I was all alone, just one old man in an empty world. I still got some life in these old bones and I reckon I could help you out. Farming's my trade, and we all need some good food to keep us going. How about we build a barn and get a Farm up and runnin'?"
New Quest!
Farmer wants you to build a Farm to grow crops.
- Requirements -
Wood 11/15
[Accept] [Reject]
"Sure, shouldn't take too long!" I held out my right hand, holding my bow and arrows in my left. "I'm Anthony!"
He shook my hand, gingerly. "M' name's Fredrick, and I'm as pleased as a piggy in the mud to meet you, youngin!"
Shortly after Fredrick introduced himself to the others, I came back with the remaining materials needed for Fredrick's Farm.
"Nice! I'll put up the barn and plant some Wheat Seeds!"
Achievement: Sharecropping
Build the Farm.
New Blueprint(s):
Farm Blueprint
Fredrick and I stood in front of the freshly erected Farm, a newly planted wheat field growing just to the east.
"Now we have a Farm! Stop by on occasion to pick up growin' crops - they will help restore your strength (+Stamina)."
Fredrick gave me a toothy smile and a pair of bread loaves. "Here - take some Bread to keep you going while it grows."
As I accepted the bread, I noticed Fredrick was looking at the trees and the occasional glint of red shining within the leaves. "Something else on your mind, Fredrick?"
He nodded, turning back to me. "There are a lot of Apples around here. With enough seeds, I could probably plant a nice Orchard!"
New Quest!
Farmer wants use Apples to plant an Orchard.
- Requirements -
Apples 3/4
[Accept] [Reject]
"Alright! I can get that in no time!"
Level Up!
4 → 5
Skill Points: +26 [64/64]
I came back from the forest several arrows lighter, but heavier with one unit of Apples and three chunks of fresh Meat.
'Alright, that should satisfy Hunter and Fredrick for now!'
"Great, with this many Apples we have enough Apple Seeds to plant an Orchard!"
System Tip: Seeds can be planted on grass tiles as long as there is enough empty space to place them.
"Let me know where you want to plant the Apple Seeds!"
I pointed towards the wheat field. "Right next to the wheat seems reasonable!"
Achievement: Apples
Add an Orchard to the Farm.
System Tip: You can also use seeds to change crops in the Barn.
"Alright! If you want to make new seeds, just let me know!"
I nodded. "Thank you, Fredrick!"
I strode up to Hunter, holding up my Bow with confidence. "I've now got a Bow and five Boar kills under my belt!"
Fredrick patted my on the back, grinning. "We'll have this area cleared of dangerous creatures in no time!"
He reached into the folds of his cloak, pulling out a simple leather Backpack. "For a job well done, let me give you my old Backpack - it might come in handy when you're out in the field."qq
Achievement: Heavy Lifter
Get the Backpack.
"Now, I believe it's about time to start winding down for the night." I pointed at the setting sun, before heading back to the Hut.
That night, as we all settled down, Fredrick spoke up, as I noticed Alexander peeking through the window, grinning when our eyes met. "Now I bet you youngin's are thinking this here's the end of the world, but I thought the same during World War 3 and yet here we all are. The way I sees it, we just got to make the best of the situation, and be glad there's food to eat and company to share."
Bob looked at Fredrick, seeming a bit afraid. "But how long will we have to live on this god-forsaken island?"
Fredrick simply shrugged. "Who knows? But as long as there's life, there's hope. Perhaps in time this island will be as good as home."
I nodded, before turning to Hunter - who was sharpening his arrowheads for the next hunt. "You're so good at this stuff. Were you a hunter before the crash?"
Hunter just shook his head, chuckling. "Heh. Never killed an animal in my life before this. I was a scientist. Lab work. Molecules."
I stared, amazed. "Wow. How'd you figure it all out then?"
He grinned. "It's amazing what you can do when you need to survive."
Hunter looked down at the bow at his side, smiling wistfully. "You change. You become someone your old self would barely recognize."
I gave a chuckle of my own, knowing just how much I'd changed since coming here. "And speaking of change…"
The next morning, I took a moment to make use of those Skill Points in my Stats Menu.
Allocate Skill Points
Max Health: [1/20] (+10|-6SP): How many hits you can take before dying.
Max Stamina: [1/20] (+50|-6SP): How many actions you can take before losing health.
Weight: [1/20] (+5|-8SP): Increases base carrying capacity.
Critical: [1/10] (+5|-6SP): Increases melee critical hit chance.
Evasion: [1/10] (+3|-6SP): Increases enemy miss chance.
Mining Speed: [0/5]
Sight: [1/3] (+1|-30SP): Reveals more tiles when moving and mining.
Attack: [0/3]
Defense: [0/3]
Cut: [0/3]
Range: [0/5]
Trapping: [0/3]
Bargaining: [0/5]
Skill Points: 2/64 (Available/Total Earned)
'Now to see what else we can get done on this island!'
New Quest!
Miner wants a Workshop to create metal tools.
- Requirements -
Wood ⅕
Iron Bar 0/5
New Item: Torch
Lights surroundings when equipped.
Durability: 500/500
Weight: 1
New Quest!
Builder wants build a Kitchen to cook food.
- Requirements -
Wood 1/10
Coal 1/10
Achievement: Wyrmslayer
Defeat a Wyrm.
New Item: Dragonblood
3Health: +100
+Stamina: +100
Weight: 2
New Quest!
Hunter wants to add Fences to the settlement.
- Requirements -
Fences 0/6
Level Up!
5 → 6
Skill Points: +26 [28/90]
Achievement: Crafting Time
Build the Workshop.
I felt proud of myself for getting so much done - and it wasn't even halfway to midday yet!
'I'll just drop off this excess wood and ore at the storehouse before I go deliver the Dragonblood.'
As I stepped inside, however, I saw someone hunched over some of our harvested Berries.
"So YOU'RE the one who's been stealing from us!" I pointed, accusingly.
The thief was caught red-handed!
All the others came running over at my shouting, and were now giving hard looks to the stranger. She was wearing a burgundy silk overcoat, a red turban over her black hair - which reached halfway past her shoulders - and looking back at us with unapologetic cyan eyes.
"It's hard enough surviving here without someone stealing our stuff!" I scolded the woman.
She shrugged. "I might have borrowed a few things. But, listen." She crossed her arms and leaned closer to us. "I'll repay you by offering my services. I have connections with many traders on other islands."
I blinked, surprised. "Traders? There are more survivors out there?"
The thief nodded, smirking. "Yup. But I'll need 5 Gold Bars to convince them to come here."
'I knew it, there was a catch!'
"You're going to charge us when you were just caught stealing?!"
The woman shrugged, apathetic. "That was that. This is business. My offer is 5 Gold Bars to add this island to the trade route."
[Accept Offer] [Send Away]
I glared at her for several seconds, weighing the risks and benefits of her proposition, before I sighed. "Fine. If there are other survivors out there, trading with them could get us off this island."
"BUT…" I held up a finger. "If we find that you continue to steal from us, I'll personally give you the boot, thief!"
"My name is Trista." She glared at me.
"Well, Trista, if this had been under less… red-handed circumstances, I would've said it was nice to meet you." I sighed. "Bottom line: Don't steal from us and you may stay."
Achievement: Bon Appetit
Build the Kitchen.
New Item: Iron Pick
Mine: 2
+Stamina per Hit: 3
Durability: 500/500
Weight: 10
Level Up!
6 → 7
Skill Points: +30 [58/120]
Sight: [⅔] (+1|-45SP): Reveals more tiles when moving and mining.
Skill Points: 13/120
"I'm back!" I announced my arrival whilst holding up a vial filled with a red-and-blue fluid - Dragonblood. "And I have your Dragonblood!"
In a flash, Alexander snatched the vial from my hand, closely scrutinizing it from every angle with excitement. "I knew it! This is the secret! I must set up a laboratory immediately!"
Achievement: Experiments
Build the Laboratory.
I stared at the shelf and its assortment of various vials and beakers. 'How did he get this set up so fast?! And where was he hiding all this equipment?!'
"Your reward?" Alexander snapped me out from my thoughts. "Bring materials to my lab and I will mix up a magic potion for you."
System Tip: Self-Use Potions tend to fall into two distinct categories - Temporary-Boosts and Permanent-Enhancements.
Temporary-Boost Potions will improve certain stats for a limited time (e.g. Attack and Defence), but can be reapplied as long as you have more of it on hand.
Permanent-Enhancement Potions will permanently boost certain stats (e.g. Speed, Endurance, Max Health, Max Stamina), but the effects can only stack up to a certain point.
I nodded, then turned to leave.
"Wait." Alexander grabbed my arm, pointing at the rusted husk of an axe I was carrying. "Let me see that Rusty Axe."
I handed it over to the cloaked alchemist, who proceeded to turn it this way and that, carefully scrutinizing it from every angle, before subtly trembling ever so slightly. "... It's tough to spot with all the rust, but I recognize those symbols!"
He carefully passed the apparent artifact back to me. "There is some ancient magic here, but it is worn out. If you bring me the right magical ingredient, perhaps I can repair it…"
I blinked. "Okay. One, I guess it only makes sense, as it's obviously very old and humanity just barely came here to this planet, for this rusted axe to be more than meets the eye. Two, I'm still quite new to this 'magic is real' scene, so could you perhaps give me some idea of what I should look for?"
He shook his head. "Nay, the symbols are too rusted for me to make out the finer details. My best suggestion is that you bring back anything with potential magical properties to see if it resonates."
I sighed. "Well, hopefully this 'System' will let me know if I find it, then."
Alexander froze. "... 'System?'"
I sighed. "I may need to start carrying around a notebook with a written explanation, because constantly re-telling this story is beginning to get tedious."
Name: Anthony
Level: 7
EXP: 485/643
Health: 60/60
Stamina: 250/250
Attack: 1 (Stone Axe*)
Defense: -
Mine: 1 (Stone Pick*)
Weight: 74/105
Skill Points: [13/120]
Achievements: 11
Equipment:
Dominant Hand: [Stone Axe]
Offhand: [None]
Mining: [Stone Pick]
Armor: [None] {None}
Headgear: [None] {None}
Backpack: [Backpack] {None}
Familiar: [None]
(A/N: Whew! I've survived! The whole COVID-19 pandemic certaintly threw a wrench in the works of the world, eh?
See you in the Games!
-poaling12