I army crawled my way deeper into the tunnel. Claustrophobia took over in the dark hole but the imposing rock surrounding me exerted less pressure than the gang leader had. I was sure they would see through me in a heartbeat but the risk had been worth it. They were dangerous, but they were also the best candidates for shield-bearers and I’d rather have them on my side than at my back.

As I crawled, I encountered more and more discarded shells. I had to slow down to avoid making noise or cutting myself. I didn’t know this place was here when I approached the gang, but after my Eye for Detail picked up the shells I remembered the strange currents on the other side of the island. Besides impressing the peons, it was worth looking for a back door.

It wasn’t long before the passage widened and I pulled myself to a sitting position, taking care not to fall into the water just yet. Judging from the way the clinking shells and the lapping water echoed, I was in a cave. Feeling around didn’t reveal any other entrances so I took a shield out of my inventory, propped it against the entrance and draped a roughspun shirt over it. Then I took out my lantern.

The yellow flame guttered for a moment and then strengthened to reveal the cramped space. It was just high enough for me to sit and there was a two-foot-wide shelf for me to perch on. The ground was littered with shell fragments but more importantly, there were brown lines on the walls marking the changing tide. That and the small surges welling up from the depths every twenty or so seconds convinced me that there had to be a way out. The strange currents I had seen were the result of an underwater cave network. I watched the water level drain slightly only to rebound when a wave forced more water into the caves.

My numb hand made its way to my mouth and I sucked on it absently while hyping myself up for the next step. That mana slap was more effective than expected but damn did it hurt. At least it wasn’t the sort of thing I could do repeatedly. It was easy enough to redirect the mana in a Sage’s Cloak but forcing it through my underdeveloped mana channels would have taken close to half-a-minute. I reformed the cloak in the vain hope that it would keep me warm, then I slid feet-first into the black water.

My heavy inventory pulled me down through the inky water like diving weights. The lantern above the surface didn’t even illuminate three feet underwater so I had to resort to feeling around again. The walls were coated with the crusty growths that used to keep mussels in place.

Without the normal exertion of swimming my new diving skills let me stay underwater for a surprising length of time. Eventually, I felt a current and it led me to a small break in the wall. Resurfacing for air was as easy as toggling on my Buoyancy ability and pulling myself back up towards the faint glimmer of lantern-light. I needed a fresh lungful of air and a little more convincing before diving into the unknown.

“Okay, what’s it gonna be? Send unarmed, shoeless, malnourished people against unknown defenses, or do a little recon and sabotage, saving lives in the process? It’s Hero Time!” With a deep breath, I switched off Buoyancy and sank back into the dark.

Preserving my air supply by moving as calmly and smoothly as possible, I wriggled through the crevice. Barnacles scraped me the whole way but I fit! It was darker than I thought was possible on this side so I kept one hand on the opening while feeling around for another tell-tale current. As I was reaching I found something soft and slippery.

A searing flash of pain jolted up my arm and I felt my Sage’s Cloak crackle momentarily before it was torn apart. The soft something was wrapping itself around my hand now and I instinctively tried to push it away. My reward was another even worse jolt of pain. This time I couldn’t hold back a scream.

“Blaaargh!” escaped my mouth along with too many precious bubbles.

I finally remembered all my weapons and slashed at the whatever it was with a Lion’s Bane Dagger. My hand was instantly released and I swam in the opposite direction hard, only to run headfirst into a wall. The scream had cost me too much air and I lost my bearings during the brief struggle. Looking around frantically I activated Eye for Detail and made out a faint glimmer.

Putting all my hope in the ability, I made for the light. It was a damn shell half! I almost succumbed to panic but then the shell moved! My frantic motions nearly covered it up but there was another current here! Without thinking I squeezed through the entrance and saw the silvery, hammered-metal glinting of moonlight on water. I kicked and pulled at the water, willing the surface and it's life-giving air to come closer. My lungs ached and my muscles weakened but I flat out refused to drown here. The fire burning up my lungs contrasted with the icy water around me but I hardly noticed, focused as I was on the retreating light of the surface. It wasn't until my feet touched the bottom that I realized my mistake. I bent my legs, activated Buoyancy, and jumped with everything I had. Streamlined let me cut through the water and I rocketed upwards.

I breathed in greedily the moment my face broke the surface only to choke on a wave that broke over my head a second later. It pushed me up against a cliff and I held on for dear life as I hacked and coughed until the next wave came and did it’s best to scrape me off of the island. My Calloused Hands ability came through and I just barely managed to pull myself up to safety. Two outcroppings of stone hid me from view while I slowly gathered my wits.

When I came back to myself I held perfectly still, listening for any alarms. There weren’t any that I could hear. Nothing to do about it now anyway. There was no way I was going back through those caves without anything to show for it. Before getting started, I examined my injured hand.

Slick blood coated my forearm from wrist to elbow. I frantically wiped it away looking for the bite marks only to find a clean two-inch slice. With embarrassment, I realized that the cut was a result of my blind flailing. For whatever reason, the cut waited for me to notice it before it started to sting. I quickly took out my antidote, bandages, and more spare clothes. After wiping away most of the remaining saltwater and blood, I sprinkled the antidote over the wound and bound it as tightly as I could with one hand. The adhesive properties of the bandages helped and I was reassured that I had done it correctly when I gained my first new skill in a while.

Congratulations! You have learned the Medical Skill

First Aid lv1

+1% chance to staunch bleeding

+5% rate of healing

Only time would tell how effective Angie’s antidote would be. There wasn’t anything else I could do about it so I turned my concentration back to the job at hand. I poked my head up and scanned the island. A waning moon provided surreal lighting. Darkness still dominated the landscape but the white-wash of breaking waves stood out as a ghostly outline of the island. The terrain of the island was harder to make out but I wouldn’t be tripping over every rock at least. I was on the tower side. The dancing orange glow of fire came from the peak of the tower, the pen, and the guardhouse. I started with the tower seeing as it was the closest.

Before I got started I changed into my set of work clothes. Their brown dye darkened in color when the clothes absorbed the sea-water still clinging to my skin. My courtier’s set might blend in better but I wasn’t willing to ruin the fine clothes for that marginal advantage. Keeping low to reduce my profile against the broken terrain, I crept up the hill towards the tower. I didn’t spot any patrols or sentries on the way but I wasn’t pleased to find the door barred. The light at the tower’s peak indicated some kind of night-watch and I settled into a deep shadow for a long wait.

The fresh-baked bread I indulged in during the wait was fluffy and glorious. Sitting on the down-wind end of the island meant I finally didn’t have to worry about the smell causing problems. I was even starting to warm up when a flare of light caught my attention. Someone had opened the guard-house door. I watched impatiently as flickering pools of light made their way towards the pen and the tower respectively.

A few long minutes later one of the torch-bearing guards approached the tower. Something about the tense situation made me need to pee really bad. With the torch lighting his way, the guard should have compromised night vision but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I retreated around the base of the tower, breaking our line of sight.

I tried my best not to squirm or piss myself as I waited with bated breath. Eventually, I heard the guard bang on the door with his cudgel.

“Hurry up! It’s cold as a witch's teat out here!” He called.

A minute passed in silence before he banged louder and shouted.

“You better not be sleeping up there! Hurry the fuck up!”

Another minute after that, a heavy thud sounded from the tower and the door swung open on creaking hinges. The guards supposedly changed places and I heard the door close again followed by the unmistakable sound of a timber dropping into place, securing the door. I crept around the base of the tower and watched the torchlight retreat until the guardhouse door opened and closed once more.

It was time I made my way towards the guardhouse. It glowed from every shuttered window and crack between the timbers. The chimney was like a spotlight, smoke poured into the sky while being illuminated from below.

While the tower-guard should be watching the water, I didn’t want to put myself between him and a light-source so when I got back to the narrows I removed my clothes and slipped back into the water. It was a pain dealing with the waves but no one was going to spot me against the constantly moving inky waters. It also gave me an opportunity to relieve my bladder quietly. The moment of warmth was welcome but the water felt even colder afterward.

Once I made it to the north end of the island I pulled myself out of the water and replaced my sodden work clothes. The ground here was flatter and easier to navigate, but it was also more exposed. My feet were completely numb by this point so I took extra care in watching where I stepped, only taking one step forward every five seconds or so. My balance and concentration nearly went out the window when another prompt appeared.

Congratulations! You have learned the Stealth Skill

Sneak lv1

-1% noise made while sneaking

+2% hearing acuity while sneaking

There was definitely something to be said for branching out and trying new things. Getting on the Sea Cow was great for training some of my skills, but it was seriously limiting. I was a little put out when I didn’t get partial invisibility or bonus sneak attack damage like most games led me to expect but I’d take any help I could get.

When I finally got to the guardhouse and put an ear to one of the cracks all I heard was snoring. When none of the guards responded to a trumpeting fart I decided it was safe enough. There was a little shed attached to the North-Western corner of the guardhouse. Hoping to find the food stores, I inched the door open, stopping every time it squeaked. There was nothing but a pile of firewood so I re-latched the door. I wasn’t about to try the guardhouse's front door. It would easy enough to kill a guard in their sleep, but killing all of them without waking anyone up was a stretch. I wasn’t about to leave without doing anything though.

Activating Weather Eye let me spot the largest draft in the wall. Peeking through the crack didn’t yield any useful information but this was my best bet so I took a pinch of my powdered Sea Lion Venom and held it in front of the crack. The wind helpfully pulled it into the cabin. I repeated this process until my stores were depleted.

Now all I had to do was make it back into the pen without being noticed. I wasn’t looking forward to navigating those underwater caves again, especially with an unknown monster waiting in the dark. As if the universe was taking pity on me, yet another welcome prompt appeared.

Congratulations! You have vanquished

Lightning Eel lv4

+18 exp

Congratulations! You have learned the Weapon skill

Knives lv1

+2% attack speed

+1% chance to cause bleeding

Well all fucking right! Score one for poison! Learning that my attacker was a Lightning Eel made a few things fall into place. The reaction of my Sage’s Cloak to the first attack, the lack of any visible wounds… It all added up to a creature with a magical attack, Lightning in this case.

At least one less monster populated the caves now, but there could be more. Should I just start the break-out tonight? It might help to attack the pen-guards from an unexpected side.

No, The poison I just sent into the cabin would take some time to have an effect, besides. I told the gang to be ready tomorrow. With resignation, I headed back to the dark waters, and whatever they hid.