Crude. Agricultural. An abomination of all things good in the world, were just a few of Wilson’s choice descriptions. Darren was very close to leaving the coconut behind.
A hut barely tall enough for Darren to kneel in was perched in the centre of the catamaran. There was enough space to walk around it, and it was long enough for him to lie down. It had a door and everything. Secure sleep for the win!
The only part that had Darren concerned was the lack of a sail. But this island wasn’t ripe with canvas.
Unless… he had just levelled up Shipwright to 5% Proficiency. Sometimes they sprinkled in a more substantial update at 5%. He hadn’t checked the notification yet.
<<<<>>>>
Shipwright Proficiency Increased to 5%
Your shipbuilding skills continue to grow. Build a Crude Crafting Table to gain access to new building techniques and recipes.
<<<<>>>>
Oh, how he loved a system that worked with him.
“Hey, Wilson!” he hollered.
The coconut turned to look at him from its spot by the fire where it had been levitating pine resin from the husk of… well, another coconut. Darren grimaced. Brutal.
“Wha’?” Wilson yelled back.
“Can you bring some logs down here? Gonna build a crafting table on the boat and unlock some Shipwright knowledge.”
“Yes, guv! ‘Appy to help, guv!”
Darren rolled his eyes and sighed.
A few whacks of his axe later, a crafting table came together just in front of the boat’s living quarters. Once again, building things on the boat made it far easier than normal.
A Quest Complete notification chimed, and Darren opened it.
<<<<>>>>
Quest Complete
You have successfully built a secure shelter—albeit an unorthodox one. Use the crafting table to unlock recipes to further your progress in your new world.
Reward:
-
5,000XP
-
4 Dubloons
<<<<>>>>
Darren heard a whoop from Wilson as he closed the notification. He’d have gotten 2,500 experience from that quest, which would have pushed him to level 2.
“With this powah,” Wilson said, “soon the world will be mine to conquer!” He broke into an evil laugh, arms thrown in the air as he did so.
Darren rolled his eyes and laid a hand on the new table.
<<<<>>>>
Crafting Table (Crude)
You have unlocked Crafting Table. When combined with the Shipwright skill, this table allows you to build items useful for seafaring.
<<<<>>>>
A list appeared before Darren, and he scrolled down it until he came across one that made him smile.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
<<<<>>>>
Basic Sail
The basic sail is what it says on the tin. A triangle bit of woven plant fibre that’s large enough for a small to medium boat.
Resources needed: Plant fibre [insufficient]
<<<<>>>>
He’d stashed a lot of plant fibre and vines in his inventory, so he removed them, piling them on the crafting table. He periodically checked the recipe until it finally updated.
<<<<>>>>
Basic Sail
The basic sail is what it says on the tin. A triangle bit of woven plant fibre that’s large enough for a small to medium boat.
Resources needed: Plant fibre [sufficient]
Would you like to craft Basic Sail?
Yes. No.
<<<<>>>>
With a thought, he selected yes.
The plant fibre vanished, and in its place sat a bulky, folded sail. He checked it, and it was only Shoddy quality, but still… Darren couldn’t help but grin. “Help me rig this thing, Wilson?”
With Wilson’s levitating ability, it didn’t take long to get a mast and sail installed. Though apparently his skill didn’t let him move “owned” objects, so it’d taken a bit of back and forth to work out how to allow him to move the mast, as the system had determined Darren owned it.
After quickly installing a rudder, Boaty McHouseboat was ready for its maiden voyage.
Darren glanced at the time. The whole boat had taken a little over eight hours to build. Without the constant breaks and mental fog—at least all the points he’d put into intelligence meant that even with the debuff, he was still able to think just fine—he could probably have built it in near half that. Still, it was done, and they still had several hours of daylight left.
“You ready to go, Wilson?”
The coconut stared at him and blinked once. “Now?”
Darren glanced left, then right, then back at the coconut. “Yes?”
“Ya know, for someone apparently so smar’, you missed a few fings.”
“Just spit it out, Wilson.”
“Your debuffs—which’ll take a full eight hours at dis point to clear—supplies, and findin’ a break in the reef.”
Darren tipped his head back and groaned. “Okay, fine. You go shimmy up a tree while I gather some more supplies, then sleep.”
While Wilson went off to climb a tree, Darren stashed everything he could in his inventory and raided the nearby jungle for as many berries as he could find. He didn’t feel like hunting another panther, so he was trying to keep the meat he had in reserve now.
By the time he was satisfied with his berry stash, dusk had arrived, so Darren made his way back to the camp and relit the fire. He’d sleep on the boat tonight, but was determined to enjoy a meal by the fire first.
Wilson joined him on the sand by the fire, and for a long while, they just sat, entranced by the flames that twisted and danced as they devoured their dinner of sticks and branches. Night insects buzzed, and frogs croaked, and the fire crackled. The acrid smell of smoke blended with the salty tang of the ocean.
“So,” Wilson said, “what’s your long-term plan?”
Darren stared at the fire while the sky continued to darken above them, stars waking for the night. The sounds of wildlife slowly shifted to evening, seagulls calling it quits only to be replaced by the cacophony of bats and crickets.
“Honestly?” Darren said at last. “I don’t know. I want to go home. Mostly. I don’t have a partner or any kids waiting for me, my life was consumed by this ga… world and ones like it. And I couldn’t bear the thought of having a family of my own, not after what mine did to me.” He scoffed and shook his head slowly. “But you know all about that, don’t you? Poseidon probably gave you all those memories, too.”
“’E only gave me context to your world, not specifics about you.”
Darren grunted. Good to know. He sat in silence for a minute before eventually saying, “You know the worst part? I still miss them. I wish I could see my lil sis again. We used to hang out all the time growing up. Inseparable. So I thought.” He let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping.
Wilson watched him a moment before hopping to his feet and waddling over. He placed a tiny hand on Darren’s shin and looked up at him, tiny black eyeholes somehow conveying a deep sense of sympathy. Until he spoke. “I’m hearin’ a lot of boo-hoo, and not enough taking-over-the-world from you right now.”
Darren glared down at Wilson, resisting the urge to see how far he could punt the coconut.
“Look,” Wilson continued, “way I sees it, nothin’ takes yer mind off of silly lil details like dying and being stuck in another world like conquering that world and rollin’ around in a massive pile of coins. Once we do that, I fink you’ll agree, it’s quite the therapy.” Wilson gestured at the sky, as if showing off a scene. “Jus’ picture it: you an me, standin’ at the helm of a ship-o-the-line, a fleet behind us. Ballasts of Sovereigns instead of rocks.” The coconut paused his day dreaming, a wistful smile on his face. “Coconut babes hangin’ off our arm—”
“Oooookay,” Darren said. “Imma let you finish, but… no I’m not. I’m going to sleep. If you don’t want to be a midnight snack for a monster, you can crash in the boat cabin too if you want.”
Leaving Wilson by the fire, Darren trudged down the beach to the boat and clambered on. Soon, he was sealed inside the tiny cabin, staring up at the darkness. It’d been a long time since he’d talked about anything that had happened with his family. It still tore at him far more than he was happy to admit.
Eventually, a knock at the door told him Wilson was ready to join him in the safety of the boat’s cabin.
Memories as fresh and painful as the day they happened chased Darren all the way to sleep and then haunted his dreams while the sound of monsters echoed the night outside. Hopefully the cabin was strong enough to keep creatures at bay.
That or if they did break through, they went for the coconut first so he could escape…