Kass went directly for the chest, a feeling of giddy excitement overcoming her. This feels amazing! Now I totally understand why dad always went metal detecting. Once you find something, it makes it all worth it.

Not like I really had a choice in being here, but still, treasure makes everything better!

She bent down and brushed off the dust that piled on top of the wooden box, accumulating for who knows how many years. The wood below was smooth and looked expensive, even to her earthly eyes.

It wasn’t large, about the size of two shoe boxes stacked on top of each other. The lock was big though, almost touching the floor as it hung there, most of it covered in a light rust from age.

Kass tugged on it, thinking that maybe it was ancient enough that it would just break apart. It didn’t, instead feeling quite solid.

“I would advise you not handle a locked chest in such a manner. One that keeps valuables stored away generally likes to make sure they don’t get stolen. It is likely trapped.”

She backed her hands off the lock. “What? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“Though you are intelligent, you lack wisdom, especially in the ways of this world. Sometimes I forget that.”

“Yeah... intelligent might be a stretch too...thanks for always having my back, I really owe you.” she shook her head in thought.

“So how do we find out if it’s trapped?”

“I imagine that would be something the owner wouldn’t want you to be able to find out. It is beyond me to even begin to teach you the skills you need to find such things. Things more suited to a thief, though I do suppose you could learn them one day with your class.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll leave the chest for last, just in case… let’s see what else we can find.”

She moved over to the desk, and reached for one of the coins. She hesitated, thinking of all the deadly things that could be on them and then just shrugged. Wouldn’t ever get anywhere worrying that much. Reminds me of aunt Steph...germaphobes…

Kass picked up one of the coins on top and rubbed her thumb over it, wiping the dust away. It was silver in color, and from the weight of it, she figured it was probably solid silver and not the cheap stuff they use as a substitute in coins back home. It’s beautiful.

“How much is this worth Whisper? Do you know?” she asked curiously.

“It would be wrong to believe that these things are still the same as they were, but if I recall correctly, one silver was enough to buy a new pair of boots, or feed you for a week.

“Copper coins, which I imagine you will find as well, are worth less than a silver coin. It takes ten coppers to equal the amount of one silver, and ten silvers equal the amount of one gold coin.”

“Easy enough, that’s kind of similar to how money works back home. I wonder how much is here…”

She picked up another coin. Copper. And then another. Copper again.

“If I store these, is there a way I can see how many there are in there?”

“As far as I know, storage items do provide, in some manner, information regarding its contents to the owner. But I don’t know how you would access that. I would suggest through mental command.”

“Yet another thing I’m clueless about. Okay let’s try this.”

She focused on her smuggler’s coat in the same way she would if she were going to access it, but this time she only thought of a list or log of the items inside.

After a minute of trying, a new screen appeared in front of her.

Finsel’s Smuggling Coat

Aged Wheel of Cheese x 1 Barrel of Vacala Juice x 1 Bedroll x 1 Jeweled Bracelet x 3 Silver Ring x 7 Copper coin x 83 Flawed Emerald x 2 Flawed Ruby x 2 Flawed Topaz x 3 Galanthus Root x 12 Gold Band x 2 Golden Statuette x 3 Iburseum Ingot x 1 Map of Halkarty x 1 Nutrient Bar x 3 Pickled Eel x 2 Rough Diamond x 1 Severed Finger x 7 Silk x 6 Silver Coin x 4 Vandabeast Hide x 22 Vial of Banaaluk Mucus x 1 Waterskin (empty) x 1 Wool x 4

“Hey, there’s other stuff in here. Aged cheese, Vacala juice..., a bedroll, and…” she stopped talking and just read through the rest, pausing at a few in confusion.

Severed fingers? What? She shook her head. That waterskin will come in handy though, and nutrient bars, hmm.

Kass summoned one of the bars and it materialized in her hand. She was surprised by the weight of it. It wasn’t any bigger than the average smartphone, but it weighed at least a pound.

“Know anything about these?”

“Mhm, a common meal for those traveling on the road. Expensive, but half a bar provides a day's worth of sustenance. Most every traveler packs a few of those away.”

“Wow...that’s amazing. I think we have something like this back home in like emergency kits, but I don’t think it’s recommended to live off them.”

Kass was a little hungry, but her mouth was so dry she didn’t think she could eat it. Let’s check out the juice first. She put the bar back and summoned the barrel of the Vacala Juice. She wasn’t sure what to expect from a barrel materializing in her hands, so she spread her legs a bit and lowered into a squat with her hands extended out.

The barrel appeared on the floor in front of her. It was smaller than she thought it would be, around the size of a five gallon bucket. Oh… She just shrugged and bent down to inspect it. It looked just like a miniature version of the barrels she had seen in her life. It even had a faucet screwed into the side of it.

“Before I try this, have anything to tell me about it?”

“The juice is unknown to me.”

“Okay, well, here goes,” she pulled the waterskin from storage, planning on filling it with the juice, but then thought better of it. Don’t know what the juice is yet, and I still need this for when I find water. She put it back and instead cupped a hand in front of the faucet.

She turned the lever and a blue liquid slowly poured out. It was thicker than she thought it would be, not to mention the odd color. She let it fill her palm and then stopped the flow. She brought her hand up to her face carefully, trying not to spill, and then sniffed the blue juice.

“Huh,” it didn’t have much of a smell at all, as far as she could tell. Just a light hint of what reminded her of the smell of stone at the beginning of a rainstorm. Please please please be good… Kass took a breath, and then sipped a bit of the juice from her palm.

Instantly her eyes lit up. Flavor sparked through her mouth, different than anything she had ever tasted before. It danced and changed, bringing in new sensations. It didn’t stop there, however, and when she swallowed it, she could feel energy pumping into her body that soothed and dampened her pain.

Kass immediately took another sip, finishing what she had cupped in her hands. She savored it, relishing in the feeling that overtook her. She found herself pouring more and downing another handful, and then another.

She noticed a window appear in the corner of her vision.

Buff Gained: Energized*, +1 to all stats - Duration: 6 hours

*Energized: Increased Health and Stamina Regeneration by 30%, Decreases Stamina loss by 10%

Her actual thirst was satiated but she still wanted more, craved more. After yet another handful she forced herself to stop, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

“Woah. What is this stuff? I feel...amazing!” It was the truth, her whole body felt refreshed and full of energy and in a lot less pain. Does this... She put a hand to the burnt skin on her face, but only felt soft, tender skin instead of dry and cracked like it had been before. ...It healed me. She looked to her resource bars.

Health

185/360

Stamina

331/420

Mana

512/590

“I...definitely need to save as much of that as I can... I can’t believe that just happened...from juice!” She smiled, more than happy with her discovery. “Thank you Finsel, whoever you are…”

Kass replaced the barrel and pulled out a nutrient bar. She tried biting into it but immediately found that to be impossible, and settled with gnawing at a corner. She took another look at the list of things stored, and decided she’d ask about the rest of the things later.

Instead, she refocused on the stacked and dusty coins. Having an idea, she clamped down on the nutrient bar with her teeth to hold it and then grabbed a handful of coins and dumped them into the inside pocket of her coat.

She looked back at the list and was pleased to see eight more copper coins and three silvers had been added to the other amounts. This coat is so useful!

She grabbed the rest of the coins in her hand and slid them into the pocket. All in all she added thirty coppers, nine silvers, and two gold coins to her stash of wealth. She had no idea how to measure how much that really was, but it felt like a lot.

Finished with the coins, Kass picked up one of the dusty pages on the desk and was startled when it broke apart, falling into pieces. Not wanting to destroy another one, she resorted to reading them without touching them. Although she could read most of what was written, they still didn’t make any sense to her.

Some had the same sentence written over and over again, others had charts made entirely of symbols. The few paragraphs that didn’t repeat themselves talked about all sorts of things, from blood to grinding garlic. To her, it seemed the thoughts were scattered, written at the same time but by someone whose mind jumped from topic to topic rapidly.

When she finished browsing over them, instead of trying to move them, she decided to just store the pages away, hoping that the displacement wouldn’t cause them to turn to dust. She sucked them into the coat one by one, content when they appeared on the list, neatly stacked.

Thirty one pages later, Kass uncovered a leather bound book that had been hidden from sight. She gingerly lifted it from the table and cracked it open to a bookmarked page near the middle. A key fell out from among the pages and clattered to the table.

It can’t be that easy, can it? Guess I’ll find out soon. Let’s see what this says first.

She looked back to the page and read the words that were scrawled onto it.

‘Day 178

The decline in foodstuffs has worried the council. Though the villagers are, as of yet, unaware, they fear panic will soon spread.

None of the scouts that were sent to the surface have returned, its conditions still unknown. Another group volunteered today. Amros and Deren to lead it. It is a risk to send two of our strongest, but I see it as necessary. We must find a way to reach the surface.

Emelia, of family Wolrend, has fallen ill. It is still too early to discern her symptoms, other than intense sweating and, as she described, pain under her skin. The others seem healthy enough, bar their hunger.

May Taliah bless us that we may escape this place.’

Kass lowered the book, and blinked a few times. All of them were people at one point...you knew that K. Then they turned into monsters at some point, and tried to kill you. She nodded to herself, knowing she was right. This world was just a lot different than back home, but she’d already made up her mind long ago that she was going to survive, and to survive in this world she would have to adapt.

She lifted the book back up and flipped the page.

‘Day 191

Emelia passed away this morning, succumbing to the symptoms of the infection. Eight more have contracted the disease this week, totaling thirteen.

Most are still in the early stages, not yet showing signs of the oozing pustules. Altur believes he has found a concoction to reduce the severity of the illness and has been given access to any resource in order to continue his research.

Still no word from Amros or Deren after nearly a fortnight. I am confident they are alive, yet it seems something must be slowing their journey.

We can only hope and wait.’

“Some sort of disease spread amongst them. Sounds awful…” Not wanting to read through all of the entries right now, Kass skipped to the last one in the journal. The handwriting on the page seemed rushed, and some of it at the bottom was smeared and unreadable.

‘Day 242

Alone. All of them, gone. Altur was here, but the stress... He began yelling, and weeping. Something had to be done. So I helped him. He doesn’t weep anymore.

The tests are working. I have felt the power entering them. I know that this is my calling. My purpose. The reason I am the last.

I will bring them back. All of them. And we will be together again. Reunited.

A tunn__. Disc______ ___ing c__struc___ of our sacred and fin__ resting place. I com___ded my villagers to ____r it, for w_ ___ not leaving. The vill___ Anders__ne ___ pla___ wit____ _he wall to protect us, and ____ it shall r__ain. The alta_ __aws from its power a__ _ __om it. The two s__ close to__her. I go no_ __ m_ __st, my ___k finally complete.’

The last bit seemed to have been written some time later, and the book must have been closed before the ink dried. She struggled to read what it said. A tunnel? “I think they found a tunnel somewhere down here, but then they did something to it because they didn’t want to leave…” Hmm…

“Do you know what an Andersane? Andersco...Ander...-”

“Anderstone. Yes, a powerful artifact that draws ambient power from its surroundings and stores it. They are used to strengthen stationary wards and defensive shields, like those of a town or city, and to keep them running for extended periods of time. They are rare, and expensive, generally only the wealthiest of people or cities own them.

“Their draw on the energy of the world is generally slow, and requires one to fill it manually using mana slivers or power crystals in order to keep it running under heavy use. Just another expense that only the rich can afford. If there is one here, we should look for it.”

“If we found it, could I use it to make my barrier stronger? That counts as a shield, right?”

“I...do not know, I have not heard of that ever being tried. The cost alone…” Whisper trailed off, leaving it at that. Kass just shrugged. Anything to make me stronger at this point, money doesn’t mean anything when you’re stuck underground by yourself forever.

“Well it sounds like they do have one here, at least I think. It says it was placed, in the wall, to protect them. I think they put it wherever the tunnel was found.”

“That would make sense.”

“The alta...altar? draws from its power...the two close together. I think it’s by the altar, if I’m reading this right...it’s hard to make out what these splotches are supposed to be.”

I go now to my rest, my... work finally complete. She finished the last sentence in her head. Yeah nice work ya did there...killed everybody off and brought them back as undead…you know what, I’m glad I killed you.

Kass closed the book and stored it, then clapped her hands together, “alright! I think that’s everything,” she double checked to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, even checking under the bed. But, other than the empty inkwells, the chest, and the key, she didn’t see anything.

Chest time.

She lifted the key from the table and moved back in front of the wooden chest. “If I have the key, will the trap still go off?”

“It might. It might not.”

“So what you’re saying is you have no idea?”

“Indeed.”

“Ha, I guess we’ll just have to find out. Or… well... I guess I could store the chest until we find someone that can check?” She thought about it for a second. “No, I don’t think that’s the best option, it could have something I might need inside. Besides, I haven’t seen a single non undead person since I arrived here. Who knows how long it would take to find someone to open this for us, let alone someone we could trust…”

She made up her mind. It might be stupid, but she thought the possible rewards might be worth the risk. Her health was steadily coming back, already at two hundred and two, and she doubted the necromancer would have trapped the chest, especially since all of the undead villagers were under his control.

She kept reminding herself that she had no idea though, and it was better to be aware and wary of the possible dangers. Just because she had survived this far didn’t mean that a well placed trap in a chest couldn’t kill her in a second. Alright, enough waiting, just do it already.

She moved to the side of the chest and cast barrier, just in case. She made sure the door was still open if she needed to quickly make an escape, and, seeing that it was, inserted the key into the lock. It clicked as she turned the key, and she jumped slightly, but nothing else happened. Another small twist later and the lock fell open and Kass removed it, storing both the key and the lock. Might come in handy later.

She slowly opened the box until the lid rested fully on its hinges. No traps activated and she let out her breath.

Kass took a look inside, and then reached an arm in, pulling out the first item.

Book of Astral Walking - Requires Necromancy

Huh, I wonder if I can still learn it. She stored it for now and moved onto the next item, another book.

Book of Shadow Bolt - Requires Necromancy

Shadow bolt, a ranged spell? I could really use something like that. “Are skill books like this common?”

“Skill books of lower level spells are common, though they are expensive. Each level of rarity increases the price of the book. Though it becomes harder and harder to find such books, since those that have rare and powerful skills are few, and most don’t want to share their secrets. These individuals either keep their knowledge hidden away, or choose to train apprentices instead.”

“So how does a skill book work? Do I have to study everything written and take some sort of mental exam?”

“No, the methods and techniques of each skill are bound with mana inside the book. These will be transferred over to you almost instantaneously should you meet the requirements of the mana signature.”

“Wait, really? That’s incredible, but...what’s the point of the book then?”

“It is but the medium between master and student, though actual words and runes are written within. Each of them is tied to a strand of mana that feeds the information into the reader.”

“Huh,” she looked at the book in her hand and shrugged. Worth a try, right? She focused on the book as she opened it to the first page. The runes that circled the page started to glow, dimly at first, then brightened, one by one.

Do you wish to learn the skill Shadow Bolt?