Chapter 1
I woke up, alone, on an empty, desolate island. There was heavy thunder and wind, and I squinted my eyes to try to make out what had happened. Vague memories of being in the cold, icy sea were all I could remember. Coughing out seawater, I found the strength to stand up, focusing in front of me. Realizing I was hungry, I noticed several fruits nearby. The area seemed untouched by human life, and I decided to eat some food and rest for a while, hoping to recollect my thoughts. After scavenging around, I found a pool of freshwater and cracked open some coconuts, falling asleep quickly.
I jolted awake to a loud rustling noise behind me. I froze, expecting the worst. A dark-haired figure came out, holding a small bow. I tried to hide, but he quickly saw me, pointing the bow in my direction. I put my hands up, dropping my scavenged supplies, hoping for mercy. His eyes opened wide in shock. “Telmo?” he asked. “I’ve been looking for you!”I had no idea who this man was, or how he knew my name. He asked me to follow him to his camp, and I decided to go, planning to run away later.
He said his name was Morden, and he had been with me on a trip, hunting for sea monsters. The shark we were hunting had crashed onto the ship, cracking the hull in two. I had fallen into the water, and Morden had swum off, thinking I was gone. He also mentioned another man, Tucker, who had been commanding the ship. He had been nowhere to be found while it was going down, leaving Morden alone to swim to a nearby island. By the time he was done explaining, the sun had set and the thunder had subsided a little. I stayed at the camp for some time, while Morden cooked a small rabbit he had hunted before he found me. I slept under a crude shelter, made only of a few pieces of wood.
I woke up early, and there was no trace of Morden anywhere. Deciding to explore a bit, and fueled by last night’s dinner, I ventured out a bit. He was probably out hunting again or looking for other people. My thin, ripped clothing didn’t protect me well from the cold, so I went deeper into the woods, hoping to be shielded from the harsh winds.
I went around the camp, slowly walking in bigger and bigger circles so as not to get lost. The forest we were in was very dense, and this small island didn’t seem to have much other vegetation or life. The only sound there aside from my footsteps was the gentle lapping of the water against the beach. There were no traces of the storm from the day before. I walked deeper into the trees, and noticed that the ground there was uneven. It felt as if the area had been disturbed. I grabbed a stick and started digging in the center. After a few minutes, I got down a few inches. A rotten smell made its way out of the hole I had made, and I stopped digging. Disgusted, I covered it and made a mental note to return, heading back to the camp. Morden would be back by now, and I didn’t want him to find me here alone.
Back at camp, Morden was back with a small bird and was cooking it over the campfire. Upon my arrival, he looked up and motioned for me to sit. I headed over, mouth watering at the sight of more cooked meat. Morden seemed excited, and I asked why. “I found some abandoned rowboats to the east. I could use them to get back to civilization.” It was strange that he was only thinking about himself now. Earlier he had been so glad to see me. While Morden was cooking, I decided to make a map with some of the paper he had lent me. I went around to the beach, and true to his word, to the east I could see two rowboats there, in seemingly good condition.
I wondered how two perfectly good rowboats had just conveniently appeared. I started walking along the island perimeter, taking in its beauty and mapping it along the way. After I was done, I went back to the camp to eat. I would have to leave the island with him, but first I needed to investigate the hole. It might tell me more about this place.
Chapter 2
Back in the forest, I tried looking around for clues of why the creature had been buried there. Perhaps it had been something illegal. Or maybe it was another animal’s dinner. Either way, it looked recent. I started digging again, intent on finding out what it was, but there was one problem. The animal was gone. I looked everywhere. There were tracks that looked like someone had come there recently and moved it. That meant we weren’t alone. I followed the tracks all the way to the beach, where they faded out into the open sea. I brushed away my footprints with a leaf and headed back to camp, but as I was walking, I caught a glimpse of something shiny on the ground. It was a flat, rectangular piece of metal. I put it in my pocket, hurrying back so Morden wouldn’t notice my absence.
As I arrived at camp, I saw Morden packing things up, getting ready to leave. I headed over and helped him, following his directions. We headed over to the rowboats and got in separate ones. “If you row to the east, you should be able to find a small town by the name of Timber Peaks,” he said, pointing in the direction opposite of the setting sun. “I have some business to take care of.” As he headed off, I started rowing toward the opposite direction, making sure to chart my surroundings on my map. On my way there, I saw several small ships laden with cargo and passengers. Steering towering stone spires, I reached the island just as night fell. If this really was the place Morden had asked me to go, it didn’t really seem like a town.
I got off my boat and took in my surroundings. It was a small, wooden man-made island, nestled in the center of the spires. The only boats I could see were longboats and rowboats like mine, as well as a small, deserted sailboat. Looking around, I noticed that there weren’t any people in sight, except for an elderly woman hiding under a ramp toward the town square. As I approached her, I heard screams in the distance, as well as the sound of people running across the planks. “Go hide!” the lady whispered as I got near. “The Jaw Pirates are attacking!” Instead of hiding, I went further ahead, looking for signs of these pirates. I needed to save these people. Morden had given me a dagger before we left; I could do something. I went toward the sound of the pirates and took out the dagger.
I spotted the first pirate attacking a house, trying to break open the door. They were wearing leather armor, using iron cutlasses to try to get inside. I threw my dagger toward him, but missed, hitting the door instead and diverting the pirate’s attention. As he turned around, I tried to run around and hide, but more had arrived, blocking my path. I realized that I had no way of escaping, and no weapon. The only way I could fend them all off at once was to try to use my magic. As I held up my hands in front of me, the pirates looked confused. Suddenly, a blue, transparent circle appeared in front of my hands, bearing the symbol of a lightning bolt. As I charged it up, the pirates got close enough to attack me, yelling and brandishing their weapons menacingly. I released all my energy, and a concentrated bolt of lightning flew out of the circle, shocking him.
As he fell to the ground, paralyzed, the other pirates looked at him and ran away. I chased after them, sending small spheres of lightning onto their backs. Their armor protected them, only being charred. They got onboard the sailboat and headed off. I continued firing at them, stopping only once they disappeared from sight. As I headed back toward the town square, I noticed people coming out of their houses, looking at the damage. It seemed that I had come right when the attack started, and thankfully there had been no casualties. Many people came to thank me for my help, giving me money and food. I heard someone calling to me from a small tavern nearby and headed over. It was the same old lady who had been hiding under the ramp. I went inside, and found her with a warm cup of coffee and some food. She thanked me for saving them and gave me a free room for the night, explaining that the Mayor had been out hunting and would return tomorrow. She said he would like to meet me. With all that rowing, and then fighting the pirates, my body was drained. I decided to rest for the night, willing to meet the Mayor in the morning.
Chapter 3
I awoke to the smell of coffee, and changed into the new clothes I had received yesterday. Before heading down, I hid Morden’s dagger in my back pocket and left everything else at the tavern. There was a chilly breeze outside, but thankfully my new clothes I had received were thick, protecting me from the cold. I walked around, taking in my surroundings. The town was deeply connected with the spires, and the waters were shallow. There was practically no greenery, everything bland and tasteless. The spire in the center of the town, the tallest, was made entirely of wood and surrounded by wooden platforms and steps. They seemed to lead all the way to the top, where a complex system of pulleys and cranes were moving around. There were pathways connecting the spires to each other, allowing the people to move about freely. The town had multiple levels, each connected by a system of confusing staircases and ladders. I went to the tallest spire, intending to ask about the Mayor.
“What do you need?” the guard asked. I explained that the Mayor had wanted to talk to me, and that I was the one who had helped the town during the pirate attack yesterday. He opened the door and brought me in. I was led through a large central lobby to a tiny room made of wood, and the guard left. What was this room for? What was I supposed to do? Slowly it started going up. I noticed that there were a few small windows showing into the machinery. There was a large water wheel between two spires, which seemed to be powering a very complicated movement of pulleys. It stopped, and I got out. I walked toward a short hallway, noticing the exquisite paintings in the hall.
The door at the end was open, so I supposed that was where I was supposed to go. Inside, it was another enormous room, although not as big as the lobby. The back wall was filled with books, and there were a few tables littered with paper around the central desk. However, it looked less like an office and more like a showroom, with the exquisite decorations and carpet that muffled the sound of my footsteps.
And in the center of it all, the mayor. He was broad shouldered, gray hairs just beginning to come in. Behind him, a map of the island was carefully labeled, showing that the spires near the town were actually hollowed out. The complicated networks expanded, some even going under the sea.
“I built this place some years ago. ” His deep voice rumbled through the room, “it started as a lone house, a platform. Over time, others like me came, built their own settlements. And as time went on, a community developed, and what was once a singular building became a town…
ok that’s it for now chat, a have a lot more already written but I still didn’t deem it presentable, if at least 6-7 people like this post I’ll continue posting here and revising it ig
I’ll post spoilers for what happens next if someone tells me how you put them in the forum