Assault Page 2
[Inspect]
Name:
Medium Underwater Gold Ore Vein
Description:
This is a moderate underwater vein of the precious metal gold. With proper mining, this can produce anywhere from 10 to 1,000 tons of gold ore. There is also substantial loose gold here for capture.
Note: Underwater veins are mined differently and require special expertise.
Condition:
Rich
Risk Assessment:
N/A
Value:
Once claimed, selling or leasing the rights of this ore vein will result in substantial profit.
Claimed . . .
I do the same on the outlet from the lake and find an almost identical vein, except it is small instead of moderate. Thinking about the lodes, I use [Mana Sight], and I’m totally overwhelmed by the amount of dark blue mana everywhere.
[Do you see how beautiful it is down here with mana? Stunning.]
Quite. Do you think you can differentiate between ambient and compact water mana? . . .
[Either way, this is good practice for [Mana Sight]. But yes, I’ll keep looking until my head explodes and we need to surface to avoid the mess.]
Lovely. But we both know there is nothing in there that will cause a mess . . .
[Ouch. Your cruel words. If I wasn’t already in love . . .]
My loss, I suppose. Look to your right . . .
I did. There is so much dark blue everywhere that it is hard to see, but swimming to my right, I do find a small area of darker blue. Maybe more compact? I’m not sure how to describe it. There is just . . . more.
I swim until I am right above it and disable [Mana Sight].
It looks like a normal lake bottom in the white mana light. This could take a while, so I go up to get some air and refill mana. While there I hear Aria calling, “While you’re practicing being a fish, get us dinner. And you have a curfew of two more hours; it’s getting late.”
“Yes, dear.”
[Shit, better get my digging on.]
Yes. . .
Returning to the lakebed when my mana is full, I use [Mana Sight] to get myself back into position. My outrageously expensive enchanted shovel gets its first shot at showing its worth. Despite having to stop for air and mana, I get to the bedrock again with thirty minutes to spare on the “Aria will kill me” timer in the bottom left of my HUD. Thanks for that, Jo. Swapping out my shovel for my pick, I start banging away. The key here is finding areas of substantially different densities. Which, with [Mana Sight], is less difficult than it might be otherwise.
Unfortunately for me, no matter how expensive my shovel and pick were, a substantial amount of noise and vibration were made by all that shoveling and picking. When a larger piece of compact stone crumbles beneath a blow and the pick’s tip punches through, a glowing blue crevice is exposed, and out of it races a long deep blue streak that moves too fast for me to identify. I jerk away as fast as I can while submerged and turn to the left to attempt to follow the creature, but I’ve lost it in the surrounding deep blue of the water.
[Inventory]ing my pick and releasing [Mana Sight], I use a mana light and shine it brightly to hopefully expose my surroundings and whatever that was. It sort of works. I’m able to see the aquatic creature, but only after it slashes at my unprotected back and swims by. Great, it can hit me through my water cocoon. Wonderful news.
Warning! Host has suffered a Light Bleed (back). Host will lose 1 health per second for 5 minutes . . .
My glimpse shows me what appears to be a long thin glittering worm with a nasty set of jaws that remind me of the antlion from another adventure months ago, but in reverse as they are concave instead of convex making them look like creepy over-sized puckered lips.
I managed to get an [Inspect] off before it disappeared back into the depths.
Name:
Water/Metal/Life Mana-Engorged Slender Snipe Eel
Description:
Infused snipe eels are freshwater fish that consume fellow freshwater fish, shrimp, and crustaceans. They range in length from less than a meter to several meters. Their curved and sharp beaks contain small teeth strong enough to crush the bones and shells of their prey.
Over the last century, this creature has become engorged by the mana in the mana stone lode it made its home. Its two additional affinities give it an increased defense and regeneration.
Condition:
Angry
Risk Assessment:
High (Low out of freshwater)
Value:
All of this creature’s infused body parts would bring great value in any market. The tri-affinity mana stone in particular would result in strong competition were it auctioned.
Well, shit. I direct myself to the shoreline and push to the surface to refill my air and hopefully rebuild a little mana. While I am not that interested in underwater combat with such an effective enemy, there is no way I can leave this here if I want the submerged veins and especially that lode. And I definitely do if it has the stones I expect it to. Before I reach the surface there is another flash of color, and my left calf and right thigh both feel pain. What’s worse, my water cocoon fills with water, and the blood from my back and legs floats into the clear water. Well, that’s new.
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Light Bleed (left leg). Host will lose 1 health per second until healed . . .
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Light Bleed (right leg). Host will lose 1 health per second until healed. . .
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Light Bleed (back). Host will lose 1 health per second until healed . . .
Until healed now. Swell.
Without my cocoon, I’m screwed with the bleeds—not to mention the lack of air—so I just create a wave of water and shove downward with water magica. My body flies up but not perfectly straight since I can’t control the water against my feet as precisely as I can with my cocoon. Regrettably, no matter how fast I rise or how random my movements, the eel is faster and more agile in its home environment. I receive four more slashes and bleeds.
What sucks the most here is that I cannot heal myself without releasing the water mana, which I will drown without. So bleed to death or drown. Not loving my options here. Finally, I disgorge myself from the lakewater and launch into the air. I release the water magica, immediately taking a deep breath and send life magica throughout my body.
Just as I make contact with the water again, I receive the messages I was hoping for.
Submerged Light Bleed (left leg) has been successfully removed. Health loss will cease . . .
Submerged Light Bleed (right leg) has been successfully removed. Health loss will cease . . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
I was aiming to heal before submerging again and using an air bubble to float on top, but again, I can’t use two different affinities of magica at the same time, so I’m back to being a wet target for the fucking eel. I’m treading water with my head above and a light below the water highlighting the area and hopefully the glossy eel.
I see a flash and shove water mana from behind me, and I am launched forward. The blue metallic streak that flies by where I was misses me and continues on its way. This isn’t working. There is no way I can take it on underwater. I’m proven right a moment later when I feel stabbing pain from my right calf and then increased pain as I am pulled downward by the impaled leg.
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Moderate Bleed (left leg). Host will lose 3 health per second until healed . . .
The eel stabbed its sharp beak through my lower leg and is dragging me down. The pain causes my instincts to take over, and I release a shock of lightning outside of my skin. The entire area around me flashes purple as electricity exits my body and flows into the surrounding water. This causes two rather painful things to occur simultaneously. The first is the body of the eel begins shaking and shuddering and then pulls free, which tears open my leg wounds
many times worse than it was.
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Heavy Bleed (left leg). Host will lose 8 health per second until healed . . .
The second not-so-great outcome of my electric stupidity is that the lightning comes back into me from the water and begins to burn my skin and causes my muscles to clench. While submerged. With no air.
Warning! Host has suffered Moderate Burns. Host will suffer extreme pain and sensitivity in the skin for the next 72 hours . . .
Warning! Host has suffered Moderate Electric Shock. Host has lost body control for 15 seconds . . .
Shit, shit, shit. Lightning has become such a staple of my toolbox I allowed—even encouraged—it to become a habit and muscle memory. Generally this is okay. But underwater? Not so much. I’m just really glad my mouth is clenched shut thanks to the stab, so water did not flood my mouth and likely my lungs.
Both the eel and I shake off the electric shock at the same time. I begin pushing straight up with water magica like before, but the eel is clearly fed up with the game we’re playing and charges after me.
In a blink, it swims next to me and stabs its massive and deadly beak towards my torso. I shift just in time, and instead of impaling the center of my chest, the spread jaws stab into and through my right shoulder.
Warning! Host has suffered a Submerged Heavy Bleed (chest). Host will lose 10 health per second until healed . . .
After that, it wraps its glistening metallic body around me and squeezes. My sensitive burned skin causes me to push air out of my clenched teeth in bubbles. I slam downwards with most of my remaining mana into a huge push of water magica. The pressure of the water against my head as we are thrust through it nearly forces me into unconsciousness until we suddenly break the surface and fly through the air.
Warning! Host has 10% remaining mana . . .
I wrap my arms around the eel while it wraps tighter around me. I take a breath as the expected splash of reentering the lake doesn’t happen. Instead, we slam into the hard grassy lakeshore. The head of the eel strikes first, which drives its beak even deeper into my shoulder.
Warning! Host has 10% remaining health . . .
“Vic!” I vaguely hear Aria’s distant voice through the pain and blurriness from loss of health and blood.
Aria? I’m on land? I’m on land! I cough out, “Stay back!” with some blood while grabbing the eel by the head and thrusting my thumbs into its creepy white eyes. The creature begins thrashing and squeezing harder, pushing the air out of my lungs and making it impossible to expand my diaphragm. I send what’s left of my mana into my hands, and flames form on the ends of my thumbs.
Warning! Host has 5% remaining mana . . .
It silently thrashes even more and its sharp metallic rub against my sensitive skin and I scream in a mix of pain, frustration, and rage. Die you fucking worm!
Warning! Host has 5% remaining health . . .
The creature’s convulsions slow and then stop, but I don’t release the fire magica until a moment later I finally receive the alert I’ve been waiting for.
You have killed a Water/Metal/Life Mana-Engorged Slender Snipe Eel. You absorb 4,825.09 mana essence . . .
I fall back, my arms flopping onto the grass and the world fading around me.
Aria’s on her way, Vic. Hang in there . . .
I don’t even have the ability to think a reply when muffled sounds I can’t make sense of seem to come from close by. A blurry picture of a blonde head appears in front of my eyes and then disappears as a few seconds later I am released from the pain and exhaustion, and darkness takes me.
Chapter 3
My eyes open to a sky full of stars and a familiar blonde head’s weight on my chest. Our sleeping bag is open and draped on us like a blanket. I feel the grass on my back and legs. And butt. Apparently, Aria felt the need to strip me. Of course, I keep all my clothes in my [Inventory] so she had no way to dress me even if she wanted to. Which I doubt she did, given she is also naked. We should keep some extra clothes in Grace’s storage in the future.
[Hey, Jo.]
Good evening, Vic. How was your nap? . . .
That tone did not sound as honestly pleasant as the words might make it appear. It was more, “I’m validating you’re are alive so I can kill you.”
[Is Aria okay? How much healing did I need?]
A lot. She had to conduct three separate healing sessions separated by mana recovery breaks to get you up back to full health. That was as close as you’ve come to death by another creature so far . . .
[Poor Aria. My hand is rubbing her bare back. She must be exhausted. I’m actually still tired myself, which is unusual. I mostly wake up immediately and without any fatigue.]
I broke the rules a little and sent the body of the eel into your [Inventory] without your permission. I’m sorry, but Aria could not get it off without cutting herself, and I did not know what else to do . . .
My weary mind can barely process that, but I manage to respond.
[You did the right thing.]
I recommend you try to fall back asleep if that is the case. Your body would not be tired if you did not need sleep . . .
The longer I speak with Jo, the more tired I become so I kiss Aria’s blonde head and close my eyes to stars and moon.
***
I awake again fully alert to Aria stirring in my arms.
I say softly, “Hey, you.”
She lifts her head and blearily looks at me. “You okay? How do you feel?”
“Thanks to you, I’m great. Jo tells me you were amazing. Even though I didn’t see it, I believe her.”
She smiles softly at me and sounds more awake when she asks, “What happened?”
“A giant eel attacked me.”
Her eyes flash, and she says, “I know that by the fact that one impaled your shoulder and was wrapped around you when I saw you trying to fly with it. I asked Jo, but she said I shouldn’t depend on her to tell what happens to you because it is a privacy thing.”
“Oh. Well, this time I was mining for a crevice at the bottom of the lake and . . .” The story is much less dramatic the way I tell it. I don’t lie—I never lie to Aria. But I tell her a very military version of the story. Almost like I am reporting an AAR to my superiors. She doesn’t ask a single question, and when I complete the story with, “All I remember after that is your face over me and then I blacked out,” she just nods.
Then she asks a question in an innocent tone, “So do you think fighting a battle underwater against a creature with metal and life mutations without any experience or equipment was a good idea?” The last few words definitely have some bite to them. Uh-oh.
“Umm. Maybe not?” I wince at my response.
She’s obviously right. It was stupid. Sure, after I recognized my disadvantage, I was trying to escape to recover and make a better plan. But it didn’t work out that way and definitely shouldn’t have gotten as close as it did. I should have left the water immediately when I found it was faster than me and could puncture my cocoon. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
She “hmphs” but puts her head back down on my chest. I don’t want to bring up my suspicions of what’s down there until after checking to avoid giving false hope.
“So, umm. Want me to catch you some breakfast?”
***
It took some convincing but Aria eventually recognized I needed to go back underwater. I think she was genuinely too scared to let me go back in there at first. That being said, I told her all the threats were long gone and that I would check in through Jo regularly. She acquiesced with that agreement.
And thus I am making my way back to the crevice I had just created before being so rudely interrupted. The crevice is dark so I drop a mana light crystal in, and as it falls, I see a gigantic cavern covered in glowing blue crystals interspersed with an occasional silver, brown, and gold.
[Inspect]
Name:
Unknown Size Water/Metal/Earth/Life Mana Stone Lode
Description:
This is an unknown-sized lode of mana stones. This is a quad affinity lode with the overwhelming majority being water mana stones. Less than 10% of the total lode also contains metal, earth, and life affinity stones.
Further excavation is required to determine stone density and value.
Note: Underwater lodes require special expertise to successfully mine.
Condition:
Unknown
Risk Assessment:
N/A
Value:
Once claimed, selling or leasing the rights of this lode will result in overwhelming profit.
Claimed . . .
[I was right, life stones! Aria can use those. And, of course, you know we need metal. Fucking amazing.]
After another cursory search does not reveal anything else of interest, I head back up and report in to my clearly nervous elf. I tell her all about the lode that includes life stones. Her smile is huge when I promise them all to her. She tells me I can save or sell some, but I refuse. In fact, I absolutely put my foot down on the topic. Life stones are hers, end of discussion. Which reminds me.
[Separate out the eel’s mana stone, please.]
Done . . .
Aria is ready to go, but I insist on staying one more day. I remind her we originally came out for my first family vacation ever and thus claim trauma from the orcs ruining my vacation and needing another day of joy and pleasure with my love to make it through. After laughing her ass off at me, she relents and agrees to one more day. She also reminds me that, while I no longer have to eat and err . . . pee and stuff, she does.