Chapter 12 - Consequences, Recovery, The [NETWORK]
Floor 2: Goblin Infested Plains
Threat Level: H - H+
To advance to the next floor, defeat a tribe and use their totem in the Chieftains Hut to advance to the next floor.
Sitting in the crater, I take a breath, breathing heavily as my wounds burn, the headache ever present since the end of the battle. I start doing a once over of all my equipment. 'As much as it sucks I lost all the drops because of compensation. I have to be smarter, all that experience and I still ran in like an amateur.' letting out a sigh of disappoint in myself, turning my eyes to my armor and body. 'Chestplate took a nice dent..'
Durability: 76/100
'Waraxe?..' seeing the smoking remains of the handled end of my waraxe sticking out of the ground brings a frown to my face. Shoving myself to my feet, my skin on my arms burned roughly from the first explosion, I am finally taking stock of how badly I was wounded. Scrapes and burns mar my arms, my torso is bruised from what it feels like underneath the armor, but not limited to there bruises line other parts of my body. Fortunately I didn't lose hearing permanently or eyesight, doable to compensate, but that would require me treading some unknown ground with how the system seems to be interacting with my unique [NETWORK] skill... ignoring my waraxe for now walking to one of the huts, they are more like tepees using a jagged stone from the ground, I cut away strips of the leather that makes up the huts sides, scraping layers off of both sides so no dirt or grime is on the strips. Completing that quickly, wrapping my arms with the semi-cleaned strips staunching the wounds that are the cause of my Bleeding Status.
Bleeding II -> Bleeding I
Minor bleeding, user is currently losing health at a rate of 1 Per 10Minutes
"mmm, not bad natural regeneration should be able to take care of it soon enough." walking back to the handle of my waraxe sticking out of the ground I groan as I pull out a smoking mess. the blade is shattered, pieces of it are laying around the area.
Iron War Axe
Description: An iron war axe dropped from the Goblin Warrior on Floor 1 of the Tower of Alabaster. Destroyed in a fight with a Goblin Alchemist on Floor 2.
Grade: Destroyed
Attack: 0
Durability: 0/100
Sharpness: 0
"Fantastic..." scrounging the ground I found a couple good large shards just well enough to make a very very bad dagger. I cut another couple strips from the hut from earlier wrapping it around the shards. 'Weapon secured.. body in process of recovering..'
Iron Shard Dagger x2
Description: Created from the remains of an iron war axe destroyed in a fight with a Goblin Alchemist on Floor 2.
-Crafter: Nihr
Grade: Common
Attack: 6
Durability: 50/50
Sharpness: 4
A few more minutes pass on by as I look around the tiny village. Fortunately for me it was the small village there were maybe 10-15 goblins in total in the village. Personally killed 6, though I wonder why the Chieftain didn't come out? 'Don't jinx yourself...' eyeing around the village I found the biggest hut/tepee and walk into it. It has shattered vials, laying on top of a rickety looking desk and chair. A straw matt graces the opposite side of the hut. 'Looks like the alchemist was the chieftain. Where is that tote-' "Ah.." sitting on the desk was a small statue that was slightly broken.
Shattered Goblin Totem
Can be used after clearing the village to advance to Floor 3.
Shaking my head as I leave the totem, walking out of the hut. 'Arrogance and ignorance will leave me dead. Train and improve and then move on.' Making my way through the village once more in hopes that the system might have missed something in some miscalculation. The only thing I found of use for, was the least destroyed hut/tepee, stripping the leather from it, an uncomfortable though of not wanting to know where the leather came from rolls through my mind. Rolling the leather up along with plenty of strips taken from others for bindings later I banded it together finally with the boot laces. Throwing it over my shoulder with a dangling bit of lace to carry it. I start my trek back into the forest.
~Ten Minutes of Walking Later~
I passed the area I was in previously with the campsite, bear, and boar. Since i didn't wish to risk coming across those other Climber's from earlier, or other's in general I decided to keep walking for abit, but not before satisfying my thirst at the river inlet before moving on. After finding a nice section of forest, dropping my bundle of leather to the ground, my body has already started to recover the Bleeding I effect I was suffering from disappeared halfway through my walk. And health has been recovering steadily since.. Will take another half hour or so to be at full, based on this rate.
Health: 51
I start setting up the small campsite, sharpening branches to hold the leather in place to make a shelter. 'Now the more uncomfortable question. The system messages that showed up... something awakened, something USED me through the [NETWORK] skill. Now this is definitely a dangerous line if it keeps going.' small specks of anger start to well up from my gut. 'Used me... I will not be used...' Memories of horrible pasts flash through my vision.
--- ??????? ---
"Drag it faster you worthless scum!" all I hear is a snap before pain radiates through my back. The sun bearing down on us as we move these godforsaken blocks.
--- ????? ----
Explosions sound out around me as I stay huddle in the trench. "Where is our reinforcements!" my sergeant yells from the line.
--- ??? ---
"For the greater good, you understand.. don't you.." the soft voice reaches my ear as the impossible choice stands before me..
Shaking the visions off. 'They are coming more often, just with a stray thought. Do not know if regaining the ability to speak, and have my emotions are a good thing at all now.' "Compartmentalize, deal with it in steps. Need to figure out a better way to fight, and thrive.. close quarters is always fine. But why fight up close putting self in harms way when you can decimate from range. Just look at the vials from that goblin alchemist." I clench my fists slowly releasing them as I imagine the tension from my body being release at the same time. 'Time to deep dive my energy issue.' Setting myself up some early warning systems involving brittle branches and strips of leather from my bundle of leather. I settle near the campfire i made. I draw on the [NETWORK] time to deep dive. One moment I am sitting by the campfire that is unlit, the next my world spins around me, nauseous feelings rise from my gut as I drop to my knees my hands hitting the floor. The moment discordant with the last, 'I wasn't standing though?-' my arms are not my own, they are pure white mass, holding up a similar white form. I see myself through a overhead sight for a moment before it snaps back to where my eyes are usually, looking down at the floor. I push myself up from kneeling, standing while noticing the place around me. Swirling darkness at the edges of the obsidian like platform I stand upon. A small pedestal forms from the obsidian floor, rising up til it is half my height.
An bits of darkness starts breaking off from the swirling darkness around me slowly an obsidian cube forms, cubic piece by piece, lines criss-cross its frame and sides a deep red hue pulsing, drawing me close, I try to take a step forward only to glide forward at the thought of going close pedestal. My form moving to be before it.
[???]
Now what are you doing here friend?
"Wha?-" staring at the box before me so similar to the system messages but the feeling they give off.. Old.... Ancient...
[???]
It has been too long...
"I know I was attempting to meditate on the [Network] Skill but.. who, where?"
[???]
Why the confusion?
[???]
Oh I see... #$&@(*)% caused issues. They have been making an awful racket since you regained access?
[???]
Let us fix that a touch. As if we are speaking for the first time again I suppose..
"Uh.. sure..." my voice fades out.
[NETWORK]
You can call me [NETWORK] or any variation of it. I was created by #INSUFFICIENT ACCESS FOR KNOWLEDGE#.
The moment the [NETWORK] attempted to tell me who made it a large blaring alarm sounded off directly within my head. Pain and pressure pushing me down, I feel whatever body or being that I am is being suffocated.
[NETWORK]
Oh my... well then enough of that. Lets see access level is set to..
The pain disappears, the pressure dissolves. A refreshing breeze seems to push into my chest as a light feeling encompasses me.
[NETWORK]
Restricted to the bottom, but how? Your access shouldn't..
The [NETWORK]'s voice trails off as static sounds start filling the space around me. "What in the-" with all my lifetimes I have experience a lot, memories, etc. But something about this was distorted.
[NETWORK]
Do not worry, you are the true user of the [NETWORK]. You will regain full access with time, and from what I can tell levels. This System Construct is familiar.
"How was I restricted if I am the true user? That doesn't make sense?" my words slip from my mouth. 'Do i have a mouth? am I speaking??..' thoughts jumble slightly.
[NETWORK]
Unknown at this time. For now focus on the usage you do have access to.
"And what access is that If I recall 99% of the skill was sealed?" replying back to it.
[NETWORK]
True a vast majority of memories, and skills have been sealed, rudimentary knowledge of what memories and skills is still there but the fine tuned abilities, skills, spells have been sealed. You have access to 1% of the [NETWORK] at this time.
[NETWORK]
We have gotten off-track, let us do what you came here for originally. What do you wish to browse for now?
My thoughts grind to a halt. If i regain access to everything with time and levels that is fine, I will start the path now with what I came for originally. "I want to know about my Energy Issue, I know I can use energy in some way, but my System shows it as an #ERROR# I need to make sense of that before I can move on to what I want to do, specifically getting range abilities.
[NETWORK]
Intriguing, this #ERROR# is caused because you have access to all the fundamental energies that everyone of the world can use, not normally possible, to use them all simultaneously. Some have access to one or two, possibly multiple but at one point you gained access to everything that caused your body to have this issue.
"Does this mean I will have difficulty learning skills." I ponder while I float around the cube.
[NETWORK]
Yes and no.. from what it appears your body is now in the process of adapting to the strain of Yourself. Skill usage and gain will be slow in the beginning for some, while others as you have already experienced with [Ancient Steps of the Dark] you gained it all but I restricted the level use so your body didn't get overburdened.
[NETWORK]
If you wish for range abilities work with the skill [Ancient Steps of the Dark]. The fundamental essence of that skill is embodiment. Which you already know, you saw a glimpse when #$&@(*)% awoke. ~rattle~
[NETWORK]
Woops don't want to mention that too much might wake them up earlier than necessary and don't need them making any more racket than they already do.
"Thank you for the information you have provided."
[NETWORK]
Always and Forever.. But you must leave now, you have been here long enough. The strain is more than you can handle for now.
Feeling my attention get pushed to my body, I see my form made of pure white mass, parts are cracking away at it, dissolving into the swirling darkness. I feel a shove as I look up a shadowy figure stands behind the cube, an hand outstretched. Air rushes into my lungs as I experience whiplash as I am jerked forward opening my eyes.
I am seated in front of the campfire, the forest around me has darkened lightly, the shadows around me extending out from me. I feel a connection through them, comfort. "Use what I already have, breath in, breath out..." the dark shadows around me push further from me per breath, my body shaking from the new use of the skill, the exhaustion from the prior battle pulls at my mind, as my healed body finds a rhythm. I slip into a trance as the darkness moves around me, a fleeting feeling of excitement coming from it.
Ancient Steps of the Dark
Level 01 -> Level 02
The essence of the Dark has been called once more.