The state of affairs
Despite never stopping to rest and activating Sprint multiple times it still took Delvin almost thirty minutes to reach the downed plane's location.
The bat looking monsters were nowhere to be seen but Del proceeded with caution whilst approaching the pieces of burning wreckage. 'Perhaps they were protecting their territory from these large metal birds… but such behaviour developing in mere hours after the Wave is worrying."
The gloomy forest beyond the flames gave the whole situation a mysterious vibe which Delvin wasn't a fan of. He tried locating the pilot but the plane had fragmented when it collided with the trees, spreading the once powerful aircraft into bits and pieces.
'Even if he/she did survive, the speed at which the plane crashed would break their body apart.' Del was loosing hope after scouring a majority of the scattered pieces and finding no signs of life.
But a sudden and forced shout revitalized him, "Di sini! Aku di sini!" The shouts were coming from a small indent on the side of a large tree.
When he reached the pilot's location Del was annoyed that his prediction came true. 'His legs are gone and that glass shard is piercing his left lung… he doesn't have much time.'
"Aah, tolong aku, tolong aku! Kakiku… apakah mereka patah?" The man's entire body was covered in wounds, his face nearly burnt-off and his eyeballs melted.
Del gave the pilot some crumbled-up ration but the man coughed it up as soon as he tried eating it.
Delvin had half a mind to end his suffering then and there but a change in the man's tone disqualified this option.
"You, not Indonesia yes? How I look, live no?" The man said the last line while visibly supressing unimaginable pain.
"I'm afraid not soldier." Was Del's short reply.
"Aah sialan…" The pilot almost started crying(if that would even be possible with no eyeballs) after hearing that but he persevered and looked at his saviour before continuing.
"Friend, not safe here… island grow, Sumba island far far, you Sumba. Aaaah!" The pilot was barely holding on at this point. "Sea grow, island grow, people dead… many peoples. TUG gone, Jakarta… gone. You must gone from island, too far TUG, you die."
"Don't worry friend, I'll survive even if thrown against an apocalypse or a god. Your information will be most helpful in my endeavours, I won't forget this great benefit you have given me." Del placed his hands gently on the man's shoulders. "And I won't just survive, I'll thrive! When I get off this island I will make sure people know your information is what allowed me to find my footing on this Earth."
"Friend, words like champion! I believe, TNI nearly gone you need help TNI. My family, Hagar and Elisha help. Please! Ple-" The pilot's mouth filled with blood causing Del to panic.
"Shit! It's going to be okay, I'll find your family and help them anyway I can. You have my word!" Del rotated the pilot to the side to try and get the blood out of his trachea. "Come on! Get it out, you can do this!"
Unfortunately, when Del looked at the pilot's face he noticed its stillness and voidness of life. "Dammit. I didn't even get your name… I'm sorry I couldn't help you as you've helped me. But the proper honours will be given to you soldier!"
Delvin ripped off a chunk of metal from nearby plane debris and dug a small grave for the pilot. He gently placed him on the bottom and noticed a part of his uniform wasn't utterly destroyed '… Wira Ben-" The rest of the pilot's name tag was burnt off.
'So his name was Wira. I'll remember you in my trials and tribulations Wira, you have shown me that the people of Earth have heart and integrity; a valuable lesson for which a substantial debt is owed. Go in peace knowing your life and final act of bravery will influence the world for the better.'
Del filled the grave and uttered his short eulogy before trekking back to his cave. 'Night has fallen, I have to hurry.' The introductory messages did say changes would be happening during night time and Delvin didn't want to find out what those changes were. "Activate Sprint!"
---
Delvin returned to his gravelly bed a short while later and was thinking about what Wira had told him before he went to sleep. 'I'm on an island in the south eastern part of, Asia was it?'
Del struggled to recollect all the information the knowledge capsule ingrained in his brain but he remembered the country of Indonesia on the Asian continent.
'A metric shit ton of islands which, if Wira is to be believed, have grown in size. The sea dividing them also, somehow, growing in size to match them… Has the entire planet been enlarged?!' This meant Delvin was going to be isolated for an extended period of time. 'I have to find whatever survivors are left on these god-forsaken islands.'
The presence of aircraft gave Del the impression he was near a military installation of some kind, but he concluded the planes were doing surveys of the many islands of Indonesia. 'Maybe to find out what parts of the country survived the mana wave? But why would two fighter aircraft fly at such low altitudes, has their observation equipment been destroyed or something.'
Del wrote some of his notions down and went to sleep when he realized he was overthinking things; thoughts that happen late at night never get acted upon after all.
---
"Yaaawn." Waking up to back pains and drips of icy-cold water dropping on your face is not what you would call a 'Good morning', but it was the morning Del had.
Del did some basic morning exercises to stretch out the body and get the blood flowing. Splashing sounds were heard as he bathed in the small stream near the river, his spear always within reach.
Del put on his clothes and ate a serving of rations, azalea tulips and fresh water to ensure his calories intake for the day. 'I need to get some kind of canister for water, but anything not system-related doesn't have the luxury of being carried in an inventory.'
Del had brought back that small piece of aircraft with which he dug Wira's grave as it was a sturdy piece of metal which could be used a shield. When he tried putting in his inventory he was greeted with a [REJECTED] message, much like the carcasses of monsters.
He decided to find some loose tree bark and fashion into a water holder of sorts. Using the knife he got from the starter kit Delvin got to work.
His work was stopped the moment it started.
"Fucking worthless starter kit junk," He threw the knife handle as far as he could. "Snapping in two the moment I strike the tree, everything apart from the inhalers is useless. I guess it did take some damage when I fought the first Plague Hopper."
Del acted brashly by simply filling his backpack with water until it was spilling out of it. "I wouldn't be surprised if you broke too." He said to his backpack, also provided by the starter kit.
*DING*
"Well you're useful for something at least." Del patted the backpack when reading through the notification.
[You have unlocked the skill Improvise(U)]
< Improvise > (Tier 0, Uncommon)
Effect: Enables you to use items found in your surroundings in unconventional or 'weird' ways. Miniscule increase to acting skills.
Cost: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Your strange thinking patterns and actions have enabled you to survive so far; backpacks as canisters or military-grade flap wings as shovels, all is within your imagination.
Level 1/5
---
"Looks like certain skills require more repetition and variety to be unlocked; I've been improvising since I got here. This freaking thing is also a drag." He said in regards to the wibbly backpack which bounced every which way with every step Delvin took.
Del was moving toward the ruined city, into unexplored lands beyond the now-familiar Blossomwood and pink meadow. He spared a short glance towards the crash site of the plane before activating Sprint and zooming away.
'There's no merit in taking it slow, I have to reach the city and try to locate anyone left, with each passing day their chances are getting slimmer.' He thought as he zipped past known territory in search of others.
Delvin's goal was still reaching Level 10 before reaching the city because he didn't want any untimely demises when meeting potentially stronger monsters which have been feasting since the wave of mana crashed.
'Oh god, a herd of Plague Hoppers released onto civilians or those bat monsters descending onto unknowing victims.' Del was preparing himself for a gruesome sight and fight when he reached the city.
'I will have to actively search for enemies and safe zones whilst on the road, taking fights I know will be quick and precise.' He deactivated Sprint when his stamina hit 15% and focused on what was in front of him.
A long journey through the open meadow, scant mounds providing cover and potential safe zones. It had all the makings of a difficult and treacherous voyage.
"Eshewed Spear." Del muttered softly.
"Let's start the hunt!"