(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: 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]
We all sat around the fire, safe and warm for the night inside the simple hut - with the exception of Alexander, who seemed content to peek in through the window and not-so-subtly study me with fascination.
"So Trista," I brought our newest arrival/thief to attention as she looked up from a hand drawn map. "Care to tell us what you know of other survivors? You know, just to make amends for stealing?"
She shook her head, exasperated, before spreading the map out on the ground, pointing to several areas circled in red. "Most of us were scattered across different islands," Trista then moved her hand to point at one of the larger areas on the map with the words 'Sunset Haven' scrawled next to it. "But some of the islands have more survivors and even some working technology. Take Sunset Haven for example. On an island westward over the ocean, it's where the main ship crashed, so of course the vast majority is set up there, and they even have electricity!"
She picked the map back up to resume whatever she had been doing. "I've even heard rumors of an island with a nearly intact ship."
That got my attention. 'Probably not the Colony Ship, but something else that would have accompanied it… The Fighter Escort, maybe?' "Could it still fly?"
Trista looked back up to see everyone paying rapt attention to her and shrugged. "As I said, all I've heard are rumors. But even if it could, it'd be certain death. Best to stay on this planet, they don't seem to care about us here."
New Item Discovered!
Material: Quartz
I grinned, which admittedly would look somewhat creepy in the light of my flickering torch. Mining with the Iron Pick was almost twice as fast as it had been with the stone one! Already I'd gone deep enough to find a new resource in the expanding network of tunnels.
"I wonder how soon it'll be until I find-" Some golden chunks entered the edge of my 'Sight' and incited me to redouble the speed of my swings.
New Item Discovered!
Material: Gold Ore
"GOLD!" I grinned even wider, before I realized that the bar in the corner of my vision was almost filled entirely with yellow, which meant I was nearing my weight capacity.
'Time to head back up and store this ore!'
New Item Discovered!
Placeable: Fence
Hunter wants to add Fences to the settlement.
- Requirements -
Fences 6/6 (*)
Requirements Met! Ready to turn in!
I showed Hunter the six bundles of wood and bindings for fencing.
"Great!" He nodded under his hood. "Boars can't get through fences, so this should help keep them out of the main camp!"
I heard him mumble something else under his breath as he began setting up a fence by the farmhouse. "What was that last part?"
He turned to me. "I saw some other things out in the woods at night. Mostly spiders about the size of the local rats, but I caught a glimpse of something black - and fast - last night."
He looked toward the woods, staring as though the creature might be looking back at him. "I was sure I was in the clear, then it just… appeared right out of thin air! My reflexes saved me some scratches and I shot an arrow, but whatever it was just vanished as quickly as it had appeared."
He resumed his work on the fences. "So here's hoping that these fences will also keep those shadowy hunters out, too."
Back in the tunnels, my search for gold had taken me past the soil and right into stone.
Achievement: Rockslayer!
Defeat a Golem
… As well as a new kind of foe. I'd been idly breaking through a chunk of stone, only for it to move forward on two bulky legs and try to crush me with two arms as thick as my head.
Fortunately, the Golem's strength cost its agility. With a quick strategy of dashing behind it and firing an arrow at its backside, I was able to defeat it with only minor cost to my HP.
New Item Discovered!
Material: Diamond
… And the new gemstone wasn't a bad reward, either!
Level Up!
7 → 8
Skill Points: +45 [47/154]
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: [2/3] (+1|-60SP): 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: 47/154 (Available/Total Earned)
I decided to save up to fully expand Sight.
New Item Discovered!
Material: Gold Bar
"Hey, Trista!" I called out to her on the beach, holding up five golden ingots with a smirk. "Get ready to honor your end of the deal!"
She accepted the bars, looking over them and feeling their weight, likely making sure I wasn't trying to trick her.
Trista tucked the bars in her coat, before turning to me with a satisfied look. "Perfect! I feel this is the beginning of many lucrative trades between us.
Trista pulled out her map, tracing what I surmised to be existing trade routes. "With these bars, they'll KNOW that this island is worth stopping by!"
Achievement: A Good Trade!
Build the Market
The next morning, Trista pulled us all out of the hut to show us three market stands that certainly hadn't been there the night before!
"Take this Coin Purse." I quickly caught the silken pouch in my hands as Trista tossed it to me with a grin. "You'll need it to store coins for buying and selling."
Trista pointed toward the middle stall, made of stone and displaying various tools and armor. "I recommend buying a Super Pack as soon as you can, they're a real life-saver!"
I gave her an impressed look, eliciting a scoff from her. "What, of course I made good on our deal! Breaking a deal is bad for business, you know!"
I rolled my eyes, only to notice Bob staring at the goods from the Food Vendor.
"You know what I'm craving? Some Cheese. Nothing is quite as delicious."
He looked back toward our primitive outdoor cooking station with a calculating look. "I could upgrade the Kitchen to make Cheese and other recipes for 5 Wood and 5 Steel Bars."
New Quest!
Builder wants the Kitchen to make Cheese.
- Requirements -
Wood 13/5
Steel Bar 0/5
I nodded. 'At least I'll always have something to work on, with this Quest System.'
New Quest!
Miner wants to set up a Minecart to make mining easier.
- Requirements -
Minecart 0/1
Rail 0/12
New Quest!
Farmer wants to add a Pen to house livestock.
- Requirements -
Pig 0/2
Wood 13/8
I looked at the new Quests with a grin as I made my way to Alexander's cave. 'Let's see if Alexander has anything for me to do - I'm feeling rather interested in learning more about magic!'
I had barely bent down to lower myself in, however, when the purple-clad Alchemist had popped out, startling me and making me fall backwards.
"I need more Dragonblood! Bring me 2 live Wyrms and we'll have an endless supply of Dragonblood to experiment with!"
New Quest!
Alchemist wants to experiment on Wyrms.
- Requirements -
Wyrm 0/2
I nodded. "Alright, I'll see if I can't buy some nets at the Market to trap some live Wyrms."
As he vanished into the ground, I realized that it was already night.
'Let's see if I can't find that 'Shadow' Hunter mentioned a while back!' I paid rapt attention all around me, having an advantage in literal 360 degree vision thanks to the System.
All was absolutely silent.
No birds chirping.
No rats squeaking.
No boars snorting.
Nothing…
…
I turned and raced back to camp. 'On second thought, I'm going to hold off on this particular hunt until I have more decent means of protection like armor or at least a shield!'
Level Up!
8 → 9
Skill Points: +38 [85/192]
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: [3/3] (MAX): Reveals more tiles when moving and mining.
Attack: [0/3]
Defense: [0/3]
Cut: [0/3]
Range: [0/5]
Trapping: [0/3]
Bargaining: [1/5] (-20 SP)
Skill Points: 5/192 (Available/Total Earned)
Confirming the SP Allocation, I looked down into the tunnel, holding up the new lantern that would replace the dying torch.
'I've plenty of arrows and I bought five nets for 200 coins, so I should be ready to catch any Wyrms I'm lucky enough to find while mining!'
I'd asked Hunter for some trapping tips, so I understood that I had a better chance of trapping a creature if it was weakened first.
'How hard could it b-'
I cut off that thought before it finished. I was a real-life video game character, and magic existed on this planet, so who knew what could happen if I tempted Murphy's Law?
(Meanwhile, in a certain VRMMORPG in another universe…)
Murphy sneezed, his wings giving a minor flutter.
"I feel like someone inadvertently and unintentionally either made a joke at my expense, or is talking about me…"
(A/N: I'm just going to skip ahead to the next difference between the story and the official game, if you want it back to how I was doing it before, let me know and I can add in the gameplay filler in between this point and back then, okay?)
I gazed upon the cavern in awe. Or rather, at the large, red, winged reptile that looked to be sleeping in the center of the cave.
'An Adult Dragon!'
As though he'd heard my thoughts, Alexander appeared right next to me in a sphere of purple light.
'Magic-based Teleportation! Fascinating!'
"Ah, an Adult Dragon!" He waved his hand in a coordinated pattern - strands of purple light flowing from the hand to around our ears. "Let's see what she has to say - I can translate for you with a simple spell."
The Dragon appeared to have noticed our presence and was raising its head to look down at us. Its expression was… bored? Annoyed? Wary?
"Who are you, to awaken me from my slumber?"
I blinked. Her voice was undoubtedly feminine, but still powerful - almost like a knight from medieval times might sound. (A/N: Ironic, right?)
Alexander simply bowed his head in respect, responding without missing a beat. "I am a seeker of truth and magic." He looked back up to meet her bright yellow eyes. "Tell me - why are there so few dragons left in this world?"
The dragon gave a hushed growl. "Because the old ones left. They too were seekers of truth and magic. And they betrayed my kind."
Alexander did not miss the opportunity provided in those words. "Then perhaps we can help you! All we ask for in return is knowledge."
She huffed, a small wisp of smoke escaping her jaws. "You think you can help? Then prove it. If you can hatch and bring me 5 Baby Dragons, then we will talk. Otherwise, begone!"
New Quest!
Hatch Baby Dragons to win the Adult Dragon to your side.
- Requirements -
Baby Dragon 2/5
I nodded, grinning. 'Good thing I caught all those Wyrms, then!'
That evening, I returned to the Dragon's Lair, five newly hatched Baby Dragons either clinging to various parts of me and my equipment, or chasing their siblings in the air just above and around my head.
Alexander, of course, was already waiting for me in front of the dragon.
A quick spell later, and the Adult Dragon opened her eyes, which then widened for a split moment at the sight of all the Baby Dragons surrounding me.
"You have done it?" She watched as the infants took notice of her, leaving me and climbing all over her instead. "Perhaps there is yet hope for my race."
Alexander smiled, eager. "Excellent! So, you'll tell us the secrets of magic?"
The Adult Dragon stiffened, then let out a deep breath - her mood dropping. "Unfortunately, I do not know the secrets you seek." She bowed her head. "The old ones created us, and they built this lair to raise us."
She stopped, as though remembering something, and craned her head around to look at the ocean outside. "However, answers may lie on the islands to the east."
She nudged the five Baby Dragons to a nook in the side of the lair, where they curled up and fell asleep in a huddle. "Return to this lair when you are ready, and I will fly you there."
I smiled and bowed. "Thank you… " I looked up at her, inquisitive.
"Also, may I know your name, if you have one?"
Her head nodded. "I have, and you may. The name I was given by my parents is Flamma."
(A/N: Okay, going to keep this one short so I can get to the next chapter already!
Everyone stay healthy and I'll…
See you in the Game(s)!
-poaling12