Chapter XII

Cash awoke with the sound of scratching coming from outside. Bolting upright, Cash listened for a second longer before shaking Opie awake.

"Opie... Wake up. There's something outside trying to get in." Cash whispered. 

Opie tilted his head to the side to listen for the scratching sound and sniffed at the air. 

"That smell is familiar. I've chased this scent hundreds of times before." Opie was getting excited; his tail was slapping against the ground in anticipation. 

"Can you tell what it is?" Cash asked. 

"Kinda smells like rabbit." Opie started salivating. 

"Huh. Let's check it out." Cash sent back. 

The duo approached the stone door slowly, trying to not make any sounds. They arrived on one side of the doorway where Cash started counting down from three. At zero, Cash rolled the stone away from the door. 

Whatever was on the other side let out a high-pitched squeal before Opie pounced through the now open-door frame. Cash stepped out into the light next and looked down at his companion shaking something in his mouth rapidly. 

"Opie hold it down, let me see what it is." Cash said. 

Opie stopped shaking so fast and pinned the creature down with his snout. Cash casted Identify. 

Horned Jackalope (LVL. 2) 

Looking closely at the creature that Opie had caught around the neck, Cash could see long furry ears that led to a thin but wiry body. The Horned Jackalope had long feet with tiny claws but instead of another set of paws on its arms, it had furry, digitized, tiny fingers that resembled a baby's hands. On top of its head was one long, spiraling horn. Cash looked at the creature for a long moment before deciding that their current needs outweighed his want to try to domesticate the animal. They weren't yet in a place to be merciful. They weren't powerful enough and their longevity wasn't guaranteed. Making up his mind, Cash said, "Kill it Opie." 

Opie responded immediately by clamping his jaws tight around its neck and twisting hard once. Cash could hear the audible snap as the creature's neck was broken instantly. Cash removed it from Opie's mouth and held it up before him while saying "Loot." As the beast disappeared into motes of light, several items fell to the ground. 

You've Looted Horned Jackalope (LVL. 2) 

You receive: 

Horned Jackalope Pelt 

Horned Jackalope Meat x3 

Horned Jackalope Horn 

Cash collected the loot and moved it back inside to the cellar. He needed to figure out a way to do cold storage but knew that it was currently out of reach. 

"What should we do today buddy?" Cash asked Opie. 

"Let's explore the mushroom cave for right now." Opie said back. 

"Sounds reasonable to me. Let me throw some stuff on the fire to keep it burning and then we... Oh fuck. The fire!" Cash exclaimed. Turning in place he looked at the firepit they'd made last night. Running over to it, he fell to his knees and groaned at the cold ash that was left. 

"Dammit! I completely forgot to keep it going!" Cash said. 

"No more cooked meat?" Opie worriedly asked. 

"I'm sorry bud. We're gonna have to figure out another way to get fire. Let's get started on exploring, we'll figure something out." Cash said. 

Standing up, Cash brushed himself off and walked back to their home to roll the stone back in the doorway. With their home as secure as it could be, they headed towards the center of the cavern. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the fire last night. It was essential to their survival and now they'd have to waste more energy on finding another source of fire. Shaking his head at the additional risk he'd added to their situation, Cash knew he had to make up for it in some way today. 

Cash never felt like he had the time or opportunity to stop and really inspect their surroundings. He had suddenly found himself in the middle of this fantasy-esque, neon colored cave and heard Opie yelping and immediately responded. The events afterward until now had just revolved around their need to survive. Now that they had a sense of security with their new home and supply of food, he felt like he could look around and appreciate things. Stopping before the base of a particular large mushroom he casted Identify. 

Glowing Agaricus Cap: Evaluate for more information 

The Identify obviously didn't return very much useful information but at least he knew what to call these things; not that he'd stop calling them mushrooms. They continued into the mushroom forest stopping at random points to Identify their surroundings. Cash was in the middle of inspecting a dense bush with purple fruit and long dangerous looking thorns when Opie barked behind him. Opie was looking at the base of a mushroom stalk that was growing at an odd angle. The mushroom looked like those palm trees that were forced to grow in a certain direction because of the wind. Cash approached Opie and using another nickname, asked "What'd you find Opes?" 

Right as he finished his question and arrived at Opie's side he saw what Opie was looking at. 

It was a small chest wedged underneath the mushroom and almost entirely submerged beneath the moss. 

"Holy shit. Is that a treasure chest?" Cash asked. 

Opie yipped in response and together they began to dig the chest out. Opie used his paws like he was digging in the sand while Cash removed the carpet of moss to try to see how deep it was. He had to use his pickaxe a little bit to remove some of the dirt before the chest could be pulled out. After the chest was free, Cash picked it up and set it down next to the hole. He inspected the chest in front of him now that he could see it clearly. The chest was made of a dark wood with iron bands covering the corners and across the lid. The wood itself looked wet and decayed but had somehow still maintained its integrity. On the front below the lid was a space for a keyhole. Cash used Identify on the chest before opening it. 

Treasure Chest (Uncommon) 

"Lady Luck help me out this one time, please. Don't be locked. Don't be locked..." Cash repeated as he slowly eased the lid of the chest back. To his utter surprise, it was open. Cash pushed the lid back all the way before staring at Opie. 

"Let's look at the same time." Cash said. 

Cash counted down from three and at the same time they stuck their heads over the lip of the chest. At the bottom of the chest were three items. The first item that caught Cash's eye was something he immediately recognized. 

"That's flint and steel! Thank you system! I'll never curse you again!" Cash called out. He pulled the item out and identified it. 

You receive: Flint and Steel (Common) 

Cash quickly stuffed the tool in his pocket before looking back into the chest. Opie was in the middle of pulling out an old worn leather bag with his teeth. 

"Whatcha got buddy, let me see." Cash removed it from Opie's mouth and cast Identify again. 

You receive: Worn Bag of Holding (Uncommon) 

"No way." 

"This isn't what I think it is right?" Cash slowly asked as he stared at the old bag. He flipped open the cover of the bag and stared into the black abyss of the interior. It was a void that seemed to have no bottom. 

 "It's a spatial bag..." Cash thought. The bag was exactly like some of the games he played. He knew that the bag would hold more than what it seemed but without having a better Identify skill he had no way to determine just how much unless he started stuffing it full of random things. 

"This is huge Opie. We needed this so bad. We'll be able to carry around whatever we need or find now." Cash said. 

Opie wagged his tail in response and licked Cash's face. 

"Room for more food." Opie said to him. 

"Yeah exactly, room for more food." Cash laughed back. 

The last item in the chest was a faded looking book. At one point in time, it must've looked grand with golden etchings adorning its face but now it looked like it was barely holding together at the seams. Cash picked it up and used Identify again. 

You receive: Spell Tome: Magelight (Common) 

"Oh shit. Did we just figure out a way to get spells?" Cash said. 

"Should I open it?" Cash turned and asked Opie. 

"Go ahead but remember my generosity." Opie sent back. 

Cash was still too shocked to respond to Opie and immediately opened the spell tome. As Cash's eyes landed on the first page, the unfamiliar language written there began to glow gold before lifting off the page. The words hovered in the air before him before he started feeling a searing light penetrate his eyes. 

"AGGHHH, Fuck! My eyes!" Cash screamed as he dropped the spell tome and reached for his face. As soon as the pain came, it dissipated like it had never happened and Cash was rewarded with a new screen appearing before him. 

You've learned a new spell: Magelight (Common)