Mara slumped against a large oak, heaving a heavy sigh as she tried to quell the twitching in her legs. Two days of non-stop walking had done a number on her, but she didn't have the luxury of taking it easy. Without any sort of self defense, she might as well have been walking around with an 'eat me' sign. The only thing she did have was Debug, and she'd spent all day examining plants and critters, easily more than a hundred unique notifications, yet still hadn't gotten it to level or anything.

Yet the real issue was the big three, food, water, and shelter; the longer she was without them, the faster her chances of survival plummeted. Regardless of a possible revival, death by starvation or dehydration wasn't a pretty or quick way to go, nor did she want to spend endless lifetimes dying of attrition in a forest dungeon. Luckily, her luck seemed to be turning around. The one lead she had been following had turned out to be two, the pair of them sitting cozy in the heart of the valley beneath her.

The first, and more obvious of the lot, was the meandering line of crystal rushing down the far slope. Its distant sounds of thirst-quenching refreshness were unmistakable, and it had completely diverted her original trajectory to detour into its valley. At the time it was a tentative gamble, the possibility of getting lost just for some water was quite high, but it seemed to prove fortuitous if the subtle grin of relief on Mara's face said anything about the second.

Deep in the valley was a stone fabrication that looked completely out of place, plopped at the crook of the sharpest bend in the mountain stream as if it were the cause of the water's local diversion. She'd call the stone thing a building but most didn't look like a horizontal obelisk sunk halfway into the ground. The triangular wedge was still over an hour's walk away, so the finer details were a bit hazy, but it was large enough to justify further inspection. Plus, the stream ran right by it so she was practically in the neighborhood. Wouldn't want to be rude or anything. Sure, it could easily be a natural protrusion, or the lair of something nasty, but there was a non-zero chance that she might have refuge for the night and Mara was -all- about that. Soon enough she'd have fresh water, a decent rinse, and a night not spent in a tree, what more could a girl lost in the woods ask for? She chuckled at the dichotomy, A guide? A proper toilet? A book on magic exploitation? The list goes on, I mean really now.

Smirking to herself as she hopped down the slope, Mara slid and skidded across the loose gravel and debris until she reached the gentler dirt slope of the valley below. Ow. Ow. Rocks in flip flops. Ow. The building had slipped out of sight behind the canopy as she got distracted, the bulk of the woods in the area quickly obscuring the rest. Skidding to a stop, Mara immediately wiped her feet on some tufts of grass while she picked the lingering debris from her poor flip-flops. At least they're holding up. Glancing ahead, Mara noticed the trees were growing in extremely irregular patches, flipping between overly-dense and nearly non-existent. It was an unnatural growth, Mara could tell that much at least, pushing her way through the brambles. The splotchy pattern of near-impassable trees interspersed by erratic undergrowth made the journey a slog but she'd manage. Multiple times she'd reached a dead end capped by a wall of dense trees, forcing her to either push ahead and scrape her way through or backtrack for a while and attempt to navigate around. Even then, the latter could end up being a huge waste of time, leading her back to brute force her way through anyways.

Grueling didn't cover it, and her pace was abysmal. It was some three hours later when Mara finally emerged at the bank of the small river, nearly collapsing out of relief before the thought of stones in her knees rectified the thought. Shaking her head, Mara paused to check the shorelines for any predators lurking in the shadows.

...Equally deserted huh? Scanning the lengths and opposite bank, Mara confirmed her suspicions that had been building since she entered the valley. This section of the forest seemed to deter the wildlife, both critters and creatures, as if they knew something about the area she didn't. She had to admit, it was a little more than unnerving, but a good night's rest would be worth it, that's what she kept telling herself.

Still, the immediate area was safe and the sun was still out, so scooping some water to drink, Mara sipped and waited for a good few minutes. Antsy and impatient, she waited for the 'You've been poisoned' notification, but to her mixed relief, it never arrived. Well, that doesn't rule out long-term poison, and it's only been a few minutes... But neither is there a guarantee I'd even get notified like that without a skill or something. Hmmm... Fuck-it, Yolo. Laughing at her own half-baked prudence, and the inevitable lack of results it yielded, Mara ditched her hoodie and quickly jumped in to rinse off the two days worth of grime she'd accumulated on her skin and get rid of the junk trapped in her hair. She -needed- this, poison water be damned.

She wasn't in it for long, and once the stream had taken on the attributes of a mud cloud, Mara hopped out and got changed as quickly as she could. Regardless of how drenched she still was, her dry clothes were an appreciable and worthy sacrifice in contrast to the freezing mountain stream. So. Cold. But it was worth it; a cold rinse was better than none at all, and she was already feeling a bit less groggy. And certainly less 'ick'. Gulping a few more handfuls of clean water from upstream, Mara set her sights on the second of the big three, shelter; or, more accurately, her friendly neighborhood obelisk. The structure itself was down the river's bank a good ways away, but at this distance it was undeniably a fabricated construct. Or a -really- good mimic. The sloped sides were smooth and barren, the base equally as flat, but it was what was on the base that gave her hope.

About halfway there, at a narrow spot in the stream, Mara opted to attempt to ford it. The current was stronger than she'd been expecting, and she was secretly thankful her now mostly-dry shorts were -short- enough to continue to stay dry. Trudging up the other side, Mara approached the base of the obelisk, to what could only be described as an entryway. It was a square ingress leading to a pair of stone slabs, with the unmistakable signs of a runic circle humming with a purple glow in its chiseled grooves.

"...Figures." Looking straight up, Mara squinted at the depreciating wobble of the distant sun threatening her with less than an hour of daylight and safety. If she couldn't get through the door, she'd have to find another tree to camp in for the night, and fuuuuck that.

Tearing her gaze back down to the runes, Mara played the one ace up her sleeve, silently casting her only real skill, Debug, in the hopes it would give her the leverage she needed to brute force the lock. It hadn't leveled up all day, but she needed -something- here, 'level none' would have to do. She waited with what seemed like agonizing milliseconds, until she finally heard the notification chime in her head. However she started as she received not just one, but two, and her eyes turned into saucer plates as she read and re-read their contents.

<<

Skill Advanced: Debug I

Debug a target with restricted functionality.

[?/?] --[[ err: undef const ]]

>>

<<

Hatch Latch XXIV

Produced By K.G. Runesmiths (Y.4376)

Summary: A magic sigil dedicated to constraining the movement of a target.

Analysis: Runes indicate a high chance of a manual trigger.

>>

"Y-YES!" It was a booster shot of information, not only had her best skill just leveled, it was the first of many levels. What an advancement though, error diagnosis and analysis? 'Restricted' functionality blows 'limited' right out of the water. What was that, some two-hundred uses? Maybe the quality or difficulty impacts the experience?

Despite her enthusiasm for the skill, the contents were equally as exciting. She now knew what the rune did, who made it, and possibly how to deactivate it. A wealth of knowledge from a single skill. I can see it now, Mara Ordinavi, magic-safecracker extraordinaire. Smirking ever so slightly at the thought of a lifetime of rich and luxurious thiefdom, Mara double checked the prompts for any remaining tidbits.

She had to admit the actual names and dates were more than a mote useless without context, but it was interesting trivia regardless. but the name caught her attention, causing her to re-read it. 'K.G. Runesmiths', more like 'Cagey Runesmiths' LOL. Snickering at her somewhat immature sense of humor, Mara ran her hands through her hair as she eyed the runic circle, seeking whatever 'trigger' she was supposed to be looking for.

A few minutes passed without success before Mara stepped back in frustration. She'd been running her hands all over it and now her fingers were sufficiently buffeted by the hard stone grooves. ...If it's not tactile, maybe it's a passphrase? The thought gave her pause as she double-checked her surroundings for prying eyes. "...Ahh whatever. I'm going to look like a dunce but I'd kick myself later for not even trying... 'Open Sesame.' ... 'Friend.' ... 'Access.' ... '12345?' ... Uhh, 'Jeff?' ... Or, err, maybe 'Swordfish?' ..."

Mara stared as the door remained unperturbed by her proclamations, finally heaving a heavy sigh after waiting several minutes without a response. Fine. Magic doors demand magic answers... Mara plopped herself down and pondered. Pondered what she knew about runes in general, what she knew about this one in particular, and what she could possibly do to reveal said aforementioned 'trigger'.

It took her a good few minutes until her thoughtful roots bore fruit, her eyes nearly glowing as the determined sheen returned to them. If I can feel a hum like the platform that got me here, maybe... She quickly stood back up, pressing her hands against the runes- Yeah, okay, runic circles have a feel to them... Maybe I just need some time to focus and I could map out the magic flow. It's a gamble, I don't have a lot of time to spare, but there's bound to be a clue in there somewhere. I mean, if Debug could suss out the possibility, there's got to be more for me to work with here than what I can feel at the surface level. Mara knew she was no runesmith, but neither was she helpless. Right, so, tracking the flow and process of elimination, between them it's just a matter of time before I pin you down... I hope.

It was tedious work, Mara would make no arguments against that, sliding her hands back and forth across the abrasive stone, tracing the channels of power she felt oscillating through the sigil. It took patience to pin down a location and its rate, carefully mapping bit by bit as she circled the perimeter. There were a multitude of strands underpinning the runes, each of which wove its own way through the depths of the runic maze, touching upon many an engraving before branching and merging with others in an intricate pretzel of convoluted magic.

Without a capable instrument, most would find Mara's current task near-impossible. But to Mara? It was eerily familiar to digesting a large code base she was planning on implementing in one of her projects. She was practically born for this. A fresh pot of coffee, maybe an energizing tea if she were feeling adventurous, and she'd be practically content to sit here all day. Sure, It was definitely a lot to keep track of, but Mara thrived on that kind of information-excess, she wasn't going to stop. Repeating the process again and again, she knew she was close. She was on to something. But time was finite and it was becoming exceedingly obvious with each passing second that this was a powerful magic construct designed to deter exactly what she was trying to do.

It had gotten to 'dusk' a while ago, and though she didn't want to admit it, the paranoia was getting to her. At this point she was barely able to stop herself from checking over her shoulder every few minutes, getting more and more anxious as the sun really started to 'set'. After the umpteenth time, she caught herself, slapping her cheeks to refocus, but the thoughts of her nightly pursuers plagued her attention with a frustrating tenacity. Come on brain, I'm dead if they come for me, regardless of distance. I really don't have time for- "Wait-" A lightning bolt of inspiration had struck her, "Where -does- the magic 'come' from?"

Turning back to the runic circle, Mara probed again and again, her efforts now more direct and focussed. Utilizing what she knew so far, she quickly pinned the most prominent clusters of magic, then the least prominent. Then, tracing the lines between them, she separated them from the underlying currents within, while isolating them from the overt and distracting rivers of magic above. Carefully tracing her imaginary line for each through the air, she plotted a map of them in a rough 'visual' layout, overlaying the circle's faint purple glow. With each stroke Mara felt it, more and more goosebumps rising on the nape of her neck until the last line traced a full shiver down her spine.

She could see it now. The answer. The one rune to ruin them all. Her lines had formed it, a twin of which lay amongst the least notable runes in one of the outer rings. Sneaky bugger, I must have missed you before... Some kind of perception filter? Gingerly pressing two fingers against the rune, Mara felt a small spark jump between her digits like pop rocks on her tongue. Subsequently, a great crack cried out like distant thunder, heralding the deep rumblings of rock against rock as the doors separated before her. She was ecstatic, Mara's glee at her success only ever so slightly dwarfed by the soft indicator chiming in her ears with a friendly notification.

<<

Skill Acquired: Trace

Trace active mana circulations.

>>

'Trace'? Debug was already suspicious, but this? Another computer related skill? Are these derived or tailored to the individual? I mean, I suppose with magic anything could be possible, but to make custom skills? That implies a sentience to the system right? Or maybe this is some weird soul-powered shenanigans? "Blegh. Ignorance in magic. It's almost a sin. Where's the user manual when you need it?"

Waiting for the doors to shudder to a complete stop, Mara dismissed her newfound skill prompt as the area returned to its usual, slightly unnatural, calm. Inside turned out to be a short stone corridor with a single blue orb recessed into the ceiling, casting a dim cyan across a second door on the opposite wall. An airlock? Stepping within, ready to jump back at the first sign of danger, Mara nearly left her flip flops behind when a notification went off.

< You've left the Lost Wilds Dungeon! >

"Wait- what!? Bloody hell, I thought- Okay, whew." Mara caught her breath, The obelisk isn't part of it then? Well, I guess it's not 'wild' per-se, and neither was my landing rock, so fair enough? I wonder why it doesn't have a name but the forest does... Did my pedestal have a name? She pondered for a moment, taking the moment to collect herself. Outside of the system's well-timed intrusion, nothing had immediately triggered her inevitable doom. She still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but a near uncanny lone growl rumbled in from the distance, as if on cue.

Quickly spinning around to see the fading light, she knew her time was nearly up, she'd be fox puree soon enough. Checking for an easy 'close' rune on the exterior door, Mara found that it had recessed completely to leave her with only one option, the other door. So pivoting back to her remaining obstacle, Mara threw herself at it with renewed desperation.

The debug for the second rune was near-identical to the first, differing only by an additional year in the description. The trace however... Trace was a boon, a wonderful, colorful, boon. Mara couldn't deny the results. As soon as she cast it, the hidden current she spent so much time pinning down earlier had immediately sprung to life upon the surface, illuminating it with far more complexity and nuance than her brutish first attempt had even hinted at.

It was beautiful to look at, but there was also something familiar about it. Something the two runes had shared, besides their near identical construction. Seeing the refined version compared to the results built by her intuitive feel, she could sense there was something about them that gave her pause, but she had no time to dawdle. With another growl, her nightly pursuit intruded upon her thoughts to emphasise that their growling was only a few miles out now, multiplying the pressure that already rested upon her shoulders as she pushed Trace to expedite its work.

Her skill was nowhere near instant, but it was leagues faster than her feeble attempts, and far more thorough. It was like watching an artist at work, streaking color across the rune to highlight significance and interest as it crawled along the circumference. One of these standouts of color and light was an orange trio of runes that were undoubtedly linked, a dense cluster orbiting the deepest pocket of mana, while a pair of bright blue ones were positioned along opposite edges, like the hands of a clock spread apart. The blue duo seemed more like a trigger, a pair to press, versus the trio's mechanism, judging by placement alone it would likely do something to the magic within, a dead-lock perhaps? It was a wealth of information, but Trace didn't stop there. It was faint, but Mara was pretty sure she felt or saw a haze of blue spanning between the doors– Undoubtedly a link between but Trace's blues are basically invisible because the interior designers here were obsessed with blue lighting, I guess it doesn't pick the color.

So, maybe an airlock? I guess there's really only one way to find out... Picking the pair over the trio, Mara mimed the hands of a clock like she was a television antenna. Left fingers at the ten position, right toes at the four, head pressed against the door as she braced for the pop rocks she felt last time. She didn't get pop rocks.