Jack stared in amazement at the paragraph underneath the sketch of his group. The words were surprisingly already in English without his Ancient Knowledge skill evolution having to translate it. The writing could almost be considered calligraphy with how fancy it was.

A Dungeon was successfully raided today. The party, shown above, is going through the spoils of their efforts. Among the bounty of the dungeon was a myriad of items, but most valuable would be the humble-looking book called the adventurer’s almanac. The journal of a long-forgotten hero transformed into the ultimate tool for an adventurer in unknown lands.

It almost read like a news article to him. Further down the page, there was another paragraph.

The Adventurer’s Almanac in new hands.

While the decision of who will ultimately own the almanac has yet to be made, the lucky group has gotten a glimpse of its amazing power. The adventure logs of the late Darshana Ward (That is Da-R-sh-anna for those of you wondering) would be a treasure in itself, but the real magic lies in the last three pages. More on this later.

Jack smiled. Finally, something magical came with actual instructions. There were four more paragraphs, so he happily continued.

The Page of Interest.

The Page of Interest as you may have guessed is the first of the three magical pages. It reports on local events, the most prominent right now would be the discovery of this book, of course. Usually, the first two pages update at dawn, but since this was the first time it had ever been opened (once becoming a magic Item of course) it updated at that time. *The Adventurer’s Almanac strives to be as accurate as possible, but in rare cases, unforeseen circumstances could cause false information to be reported. The Adventurer’s Almanac can not be held liable for injuries, death, accidentally running into your ex, or any other unfortunate result of using the information provided.*

The Page of Knowledge.

If you have not yet already, please glance at the second page.

Jack quickly opened to the second page. The page was filled with small drawings of plants and animals, there was even a drawing of a paw print labeled grey wolf. A couple of the plants were labeled edible, and some said possible medicinal uses. Before going back to finish the paragraph, he shared what he had learned about the book so far.

“Very useful, even more so if it functions inside of a dungeon. Safely scouting out potential enemies at your level would be extremely beneficial.” Kai then motioned for him to continue reading.

The Page of Knowledge.

If you have not yet already, please glance at the second page. The Page of Knowledge gives an overview of the local flora and fauna. The information provided is far from a scholarly compendium on each of the organisms; the information is more like a field guide. With a few exceptions, the uses of the plants and animals will be basic knowledge. The Page of Knowledge benefits from any skill or information the keeper of the Adventurer’s Almanac currently has that also applies to the information provided. Yes, that does mean the longer you keep the Adventurer’s Almanac around, the more it will be able to help you.

The Page of Awareness.

The third and final magical page of the Adventurer’s Almanac is the easiest to explain. The page contains a growing and dynamic map of where the keeper has been. Additional maps and information can be added though, the accuracy of outside sources is not guaranteed.

A final word about the Adventurer’s Almanac.

If you want to keep one of the first two pages longer than a single day, they can be saved to one of the numerous blank pages. All you have to do is place a hand on the page and follow the prompt. Be aware; switching the keeper of The Adventurer’s Almanac will reset all saved pages, including The Page of Awareness. Take care of the Adventurer’s Almanac and treat it like the valuable treasure it is.

Jack summarized the rest of the text to the group. “Well, it certainly sounds cool. I am really interested in seeing how the map works. It said outside sources can be incorporated, so does that include directions given?”

Opening the third page, Jack saw a rough overhead sketch of their immediate surroundings. It also included the dome that was the entrance to the dungeon, it was labeled The Bloodied Woodlands Level: 15.

“Kai, how do I get to the herd from here?” As Kai finished explaining the direction and distance of the herd’s current position, a thin box appeared across the page with words inside.

New point of interest added.

With all of his experience of the system’s notifications, Jack immediately pressed the box with his finger. The box expanded and the words inside changed.

Points of interest:

The Bloodied Woodlands, Dungeon.

Kai’s Herd.

When he pressed Kai’s herd, the box disappeared, and the sketch began to shrink until it was just a tiny circle near the bottom of the page. Near the top of the page, another circle appeared labeled Kai’s Herd.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be getting lost again anytime soon if I end up keeping this one.” Thinking of the page like a touch screen, Jack placed two fingers near the circle of their current location, then spread them apart. Just like he hoped, the sketch zoomed in a little on the area they were in.

“I think we are both in agreement that the item would be of best use in your hands. I would like to claim the Ring of Marital Aid as my own. Ava and I have been discussing it, and the ring would allow us to travel much further away from the herd without worry. We would give the other half to the Summum so that they can call us when needed.”

“That deal sounds good to me. I don’t really have someone else to give the ring to, so it doesn’t make sense for me to have it.” Jack smiled and extended his hand to shake on it. Kai looked at Jack’s hand in confusion for a moment, then it looked like something clicked in his mind. Reaching out with his scaly hand, he shook Jack’s, sealing the deal.

Putting the book away, Jack was about to pull out the next item when Kai announced the dungeon was about to collapse.

“So do we have to back up or something?” Jack asked.

“No.”

Jack wanted to ask another question but stopped when he saw what was happening. The long tunnel that led deeper into the dungeon Imploded. The walls, roof, and floor all collapsed into the center of the tunnel, blocking the entrance with a mass of dirt and vines.

Around the entire dome, a hexagonal grid-like barrier appeared. The barrier was difficult to look at, almost like it was in two locations at once. It reminded him of a time he was watching a 3D movie and took off his glasses just to see what the movie looked like without them.

A crack suddenly appeared on one of the hexagons and it quickly spider-webbed, spreading to the entire barrier. Once it looked like every hexagon was cracked, the entire thing broke apart into millions of shards. The shards seemed to float in the air for a second before he heard a loud noise that sounded like someone taking in a deep breath and all the shards shot inwards, passing harmlessly through the dome.

Then nothing.

Jack threw his hands in the air. “That was it? The dome is still there, though? I thought it would fall apart, at least. I mean the weird barrier thing was interesting and all, I can kinda guess that means the actual space inside collapsed, but what about the outside? Could we dig into it and find everything all squished together? Did the monsters we leave in there die? I just have so many questions!” Jack took a deep breath after his rapid release of questions.

Kai just shook his head. “Digging into would just reveal more dirt and branches, maybe some stone. As to the rest, I don’t know. It just is that way.”

“Ugh. Ok. Hopefully, someone in the herd knows.” Trying to take his mind off his questions about dungeons, he grabbed the next item out of his bag.

The Dryad’s Key An intricate key naturally grown by a Dryad. The original purpose of the key is unknown but its new purpose is simple to unlock.

Unlock target. Key is consumed upon use.

Jack rolled his eyes, “Great a consumable, hopefully, it will come in handy, eventually.”

Next out of the bag was a smaller leather bag pulled closed by a cord laced into the leather. It reminded him of one of those fancy dice bags some people would spend a crazy amount on for role-playing games.

The Dice of Need Sometimes adventuring gets boring, it’s not all Tombs and Trolls all the time. One such adventurer would play games to pass the time with these dice and a little imagination anything was possible. Though in their greatest time of need their trusty dice were of no help in overcoming their obstacles. Sometimes imagination isn’t enough, sometimes you need a little magic.

This bag contains the Dice of Need. Each die has a different effect.

A new D6 will appear in the bag every 6 days.

Reaching in Jack pulled out a set of dice. One four-sided die, three six-sided, one eight-sided, two ten-sided, one twelve-sided, and one twenty-sided.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of finding a set of role-playing dice not only five-thousand years in the future but also as the loot from a dungeon. It would definitely be a funny story to tell.

If only he had someone to tell it to.

Pushing past the wave of sadness, he inspected each die.

First was the four-sided die.

Die of Recovery Roll to summon an item of recovery.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Die will reappear in its bag four days after being rolled.

If the die is not rolled within seven days of leaving the bag, it will reappear in the bag.

So something like cold medicine or a health potion?

All three six-sided dice said the same thing.

Die of Plenty Roll to summon a meal.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Food is always welcome. Based off of what the text of the bag, it seems like the D6’s will just build-up since a new one is made every six days.

The eight-sided die.

Die of Assistance Roll to summon a beast to help you.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Die will reappear in its bag eight days after being rolled.

If the die is not rolled within seven days of leaving the bag, it will reappear in the bag.

The dice just kept getting better. Where does the beast come from, though? Are they just made of magic? How long do they last? Much to test later.

The two ten-sided dice both said the same thing.

Dice of Risk Gamble for a temporary boost to an attribute.

Pick an unlocked attribute and choose how many points you’d like to gamble for, then roll one die. The matching die will roll automatically, win if your number is higher.

Win: gain a boost to your attribute for five days.

Loss: lose gambled attribute for five days.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Die will reappear in its bag ten days after being rolled.

If the die is not rolled within seven days of leaving the bag, it will reappear in the bag.

So basically wager an attribute and on a win gain a boost to it for five days. Seems like, in the right situation where you aren’t pressed for time, you could just keep trying over and over again for a massive boost. All you’d have to do is retreat if you lose the gamble. Lots of testing for the Dice of Risk.

The twelve-sided die.

Die of Sanctuary Roll to summon a shelter for thirty hours.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Die will reappear in its bag twelve days after being rolled.

If the die is not rolled within seven days of leaving the bag, it will reappear in the bag.

The dice seemed like they were getting stronger as the sides increased, but the Die of Sanctuary seemed to be a bit of a step down from the Dice of Risk. Maybe he just wasn’t seeing what was so great about a shelter.

Finally, the one he was most looking forward to identifying. The twenty-sided die.

Die of Dire Need Roll to summon an item to help with your situation.

Die will disappear after it is rolled.

Die will reappear in its bag twenty days after being rolled.

If the die is not rolled within seven days of leaving the bag, it will reappear in the bag.

“Huh, I wonder what kind of items it can summon?”