Chapter 19 The Capture

Elysia turned back to Neah Bay and stepped forward, but slammed into a barrier.

Participants may not enter a dungeon for 24 hours after completion.

She scowled at the text for a moment before willing it away as she stomped down the pier in a huff. So unfair! I could’ve made hundreds of crab daggers and had months, if not years, worth of crab meat! This stupid system needs an instruction manual. Though if I had one, I wouldn’t have stumbled into either of the dungeons. I guess from now on, if I enter another dungeon, I’ll have to bring as much loot as I can with me.

From the pier, she stared at the beach, but to her surprise, not a single crab corpse remained. Did it reset? Or is it an illusion? I didn’t see the crabs on my way in either, though I wasn’t looking for them. So many unknowns.

A minute later she hopped on Umbra, trotting to the control room before dropping her backpack next to her other one by the couch. She left the cabin, untying her ropes with practiced ease.

As she untied the last rope, the sound of a boat caused her to freeze. She ducked behind her ship while peeking out at the bay entrance.

A large white boat with PNW Coastguard painted on the side in bold black font floated toward the harbor. Elysia stealthily hopped on board, sneaking into her cabin before dashing below deck, keeping watch through a window.

The boat floated past before reversing, stopping behind her boat. Her ears strained to pick up those on board. “Isn’t that the boat reported this morning in the possession of an unregistered Changed?”

There was silence for a few seconds before another voice spoke. “Yes, private, you’re right.”

“Captain, should we check it out?” Inquired the private. “The Changed may be on board.” Elysia tensed.

After a pause, the captain said, “Our mission is to find and retrieve Sargent Morrison and his wife from the dungeon.”

Elysia released a relieved sigh only to tense once again as the captain continued speaking, “However, given the nature of dungeons, it wouldn’t hurt to check the ship out before entering Neah Bay.”

Taking that as her cue to make a run for it, she dashed upstairs into the control room. Uncaring about making her presence known, she fired up the engines. Elysia slammed her yacht into reverse, ramming into the coast guard boat before shifting into drive. However, before she could pull away, several grapples latched onto her ship, stalling her momentum.

A loudspeaker boomed out commands. “Surrender yourself peacefully and you will not be hurt.”

Yeah, right, no way will I turn myself in.

Elysia grabbed two crab daggers before strutting out of the cabin, lightning brimming under the surface. Her piercing amethyst gaze scanned the desk, locking onto a twenty something man and a middle-aged man.

Before she could speak, the middle-aged man commented. “Hmm? A Lightning Infused Changed. Only level 19, but I’m sure they could train her up to the level of her peers if she puts in the work.”

Only!? I went through hell to get this far! Elysia’s anger flared, electrifying her daggers.

Her anger filled eyes flashed as she glared at the duo, catching sight of a pair of cuffs. Oh hell no! Elysia lifted her right arm to throw her dagger only for her target, the middle-aged man holding the cuffs, to leap onto her ship before moving in a blur.

She only had time to widen her eyes before a sharp pain in her stomach sent her crashing to the deck. Before she could recover, he yanked her arms behind her back as something cold encircled both wrists, securing them behind her back.

Elysia jumped to her feet as she grasped the largest thread she could from her core, ready to smite whoever manhandled her, but to her horror, the electricity absorbed into the cuffs as she collapsed to her knees, vision spinning.

-130 Charge.

Charge 10.

The middle-aged man heaved her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before depositing her on the deck of the coastguard boat. She sent a withering glare at the blurry figure of the captain, prompting him to speak in an indifferent tone. “Marvelous device, aren’t they? Some Changed wouldn’t come willingly to help serve their country, so we invented these cuffs. Don’t bother fighting them. We thoroughly tested them on Changed much more powerful than you.”

A loud sound overhead drew everyone’s attention. A turtle like creature the size of a city darkened the sky.

The captain rushed into the cabin, grasping the radio while the private stared up at the massive beast in awe.

Elysia forced her depleted body into action, springing over the railing onto Umbra before stumbling into the control room. She twisted her bound hands around to shove the throttle all the way. The tethers holding her ship strained for a second before snapping as she rocketed off toward the exit of the bay.

She awkwardly steered the steering wheel, just barely missing the shore before entering open waters. A quick glance behind her told her the coast guard ship was in pursuit but losing ground to her superior ship.

Still, she white knuckled the steering wheel for over fifteen minutes before the coastguard ship disappeared. Even after losing sight of her pursuer, she followed the coast of Vancouver Island for another half hour at full throttle before releasing a sigh of relief. She throttled the engine down to quarter speed, coasting through the water as she returned attention to her body.

She bent down, contorting her body, bringing her bound hands to her front. She stared down at the thick black rubberized shackles encircling her wrists, and a portion of her forearm removing any mobility of her wrists. A flexible eight-centimeter band anchored the shackles together, forcing her hands close.

Elysia gave them a few futile tugs, draining the last of her energy. Her muddled mind struggled to remain conscious but lost ground, collapsing onto the captain’s chair out cold.

The sun shined through the window, bathing the sleeping girl in light. She tried to turn away, but upon realizing she couldn’t, her mind snapped into focus. Her eyes sprang open as she shot to her feet, glaring down at the shackles still locked around her wrists. Now with clear vision, she inspected them for any openings, finding a keyhole on each shackle near the band connection point.

She awkwardly rummaged through the drawer where she found a flashlight to the right of the console, finding a paper clip. After straightening the paper clip, she stuck it in her mouth, then into the right keyhole. She contorted her arm, allowing her to grasp the paperclip with her left fingers. Fifteen minutes of swearing ensued as the paperclip just missed the latch, but she refused to give up with her freedom at risk.

Finally, a click sounded, followed by the right shackle falling off her wrist. With her right hand free, she made quick work of the left shackle, unlocking it in a few minutes. She stretched her stiff wrists as she glared down at the shackles laying on the floor. They made these advanced shackles but used a basic universal handcuff lock? I’m glad they did. Otherwise, I would be screwed. If they used a multi tumbler lock, I would need to learn to live with shackled hands. After this, there is no way I would turn myself in.

As she picked up the shackles, inspecting the smooth metal insides, her mind wandered. How did they capture me so easily? I beat a massive crab and lich, yet one hit I didn’t see coming took me out. Am I really that weak? The captain said I was low leveled but how? Did they discover a way to power level or was the system active for longer than I thought? If I want to survive, I’ll need to find a way to level quick. A giant turtle won’t save me next time. After facing off with those crabs, a giant turtle loses impact, though that thing was huge. Did every animal turn massive? Maybe the shadow that attacked my ship yesterday morning was an oversized minnow.

Elysia dropped the shackles in the drawer with the flashlights before walking out to the rear deck. Her eyes landed on the two crab daggers she dropped, grabbing them before staring out at the distant shore. I’m assuming that’s Vancouver Island unless my boat changed directions overnight. Even before all of this, it was pretty sparsely populated, so I should be safe from humans up here. I wonder if every town turned into a dungeon. Could I use them to grind up levels?

Her expression hardened. More power means freedom. I can’t let someone overpower me that easily again! If I prepare before, I think I can handle a dungeon. I could take advantage of the experience boost if I can find another unconquered dungeon and hunt down every creature. Like what my sister did while grinding for levels in one game she played.

Elysia’s eyes moistened at the thought of her twin, turning toward the west on instinct. I’m sure Sereia loves this new world. She probably killed everything she could to level. I never understood how someone as friendly as her could be so bloodthirsty in games. Everyone thought I was the violent twin, but it was always her. Just because I was a loner and liked to compete in sports, that didn’t mean I liked to be violent. Though now I’ll have to channel my inner Sereia to survive out here.

With a plan forming in her mind, Elysia trotted back inside to the control room, rummaging through the stack of manuals under the couch. Like she remembered at the back of the cabinet was an atlas. She dropped onto the couch on her stomach, legs waving behind her as she flipped through the pages to find Vancouver Island. Her finger traced along the western shore, then glanced out the window. I think the nearest town would be Ucluelet. If my theory is true, it should be a dungeon, as the town is of a similar size to Neah Bay, though a bit bigger. It’s worth checking it out either way since I’m heading that way.

Elysia scanned over the shoreline several more times, memorizing what she needed to look for before closing the atlas. After staring out the window once more, finding an expansive bay to her right, she trotted toward the bathroom with a scrunched nose. She showered before wandering out to the front deck with some chocolate caramels clutched in her hands.

Sun dried her body as she laid on her back on the cushioned pad in front of the control room window, bringing up her status menu.

Status:

Name: Elysia Arashi

Race: Level 19 Lightning Touched Human.

Class: Channeler Level 19.

Charge: 167/170

Attributes:

Available Points: 31

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 15

Endurance: 15

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Proficiencies:

Novice Spear Proficiency Level 6.

Novice Throwing Knife Proficiency Level 1.

Affinities:

Lightning level 3.

Resistances:

Death Resistance Level 1.

Water Resistance Level 1.

Skill slots:

Slot 1: Electric Current +20% efficiency +10% power.

Slot 2: Static Shock +10% efficiency +20% power.

Slot 3

Slot 4

Slot 5

Bonuses:

+10% Damage to Undead.

+10% Damage to Crabs.

I have a ton of points to spend. What should I increase? I think the priority would be perception, but I can barely handle my sensitive nose as is. Should I finish nuking below deck first? I could consider it training for stinky dungeons though.

After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she spent ten points on perception, raising it to twenty. Her senses shut down for a few seconds as she expected, but when they restarted, the world exploded. She could almost taste the saltwater as her boat cut through the ocean. Distant seagulls caws reached her ears as her eyes saw the shore dozens of kilometers away.

She took a breath, relishing in the clean air and warmth of the sun on her skin as she returned her attention to her status menu. Next, she put another five in dexterity, raising it to twenty to match her perception. After waiting out the vertigo, she dropped another five in endurance, causing her breath to stall, but that passed within seconds. Her lungs expanded more than ever before as her heart pumped blood through her body with each powerful beat.

Elysia laid still for several minutes basking in the sun while chewing on chocolate caramels, flavor exploding on her tongue, before hopping to her feet. Prancing into the control room with the grace of a cat. She dug through her clothing stash, throwing on a black tank top and gray shorts, strapping her ever trusty hunting knife on her right thigh as land approached.