She had slept well, even exhausted and drained, Carissa had always slept well when she had achieved a self-set goal. Part of what made her a winner according to her ex-husband.
Mike had been right when he had told her time flowed differently inside the wooden structure. The knock at the door alerted her and the familiar voice called out, this time it was Sherry, asking her to wake up and have breakfast.
âIâll be back in around thirty minutes, enough time for you to wake up and get dressed. Hope you had a decent nightâs sleep though; weâre going to have breakfast before another training tutorial. This one will be a whole lot more fun though. I promise, no fighting or endless talking.â said Sherry through the door.
âThanksâ¦Sherry.â said Carissa. Her voice loud enough to carry through the wood.
She had been so exhausted after her own training efforts. Either way, she had slept well and preserved the use of the suit for longer than necessary.
The full capabilities of the suit needed to be used sparingly. Or until she found an alternative. It was though; the goods inside the wooden storage area had made for a pleasant surprise when she completed her own personal training.
A description of each item had appeared in her mindâs eye not in her own line of vision, the words appeared the same, made out of water, bone or wood, it entirely depended on the material of the object in question.
The bone weapon was both basic and unique, perfect for someone who had no real clue on how to fight with weapons. Carissa wanted the tutorial today, which was meant to be fun to include basic weapons training.
Being beaten around when she was trying out her hand-to-hand combat skills had been an experience certainly but also a strong reminder of her own lack of ability to handle fights in this place.
When she had picked up the bone item, the same basic message appeared in her mindâs eye.
Player Candidate: Carissa Acqua
Tool Received from Ocean Gateway System
-Bone Tooth Club
-Inflicts physical damage.
-Item cannot be transferred or sold to other players.
-Presently bound to Player Candidate Carissa Acqua
A simple weapon grown from a piece of bone, teeth and sheath included.
-Growth Potential
âA weapon. I have a weapon at last. A piece of bone with sharp edges. In short better than nothing.â said Carissa as she rested the blade in its wooden sheath.
The characteristics of it failed to impress her but her mind concentrated on the last sentence of the description. The fact the weapon hadnât been built but had been grown.
Touching the edges they failed to pierce through her own bare skin but if applied with more force they drew blood. At least she wouldnât be at risk of cutting herself each time she used it.
The wooden sheath and attached strap were far more useful in her own opinion. She could strap the blade to her back and practice withdrawing it or tie it around her waist. Once she dressed herself she would.
âNo magic or special abilities, a standard weapon designed to be used as a club or to block attacks.â said Carissa.
Given with what had happened when she had tried to forcefully examine the Grey Suit, it would be a better option not to try and force it further for any hidden abilities or traits linked with the weapon.
She put aside the other two items related to her as a candidate and grabbed the clothes inside the chest, those had been useful enough but none of them could be examined in the same way the weapon or other two items had been.
Carissa had only taken a brief glance at them before closing her eyes and trying to use the Ocean Gateway System to gain further messages without success.
The first item had been a diving suit, a swimming suit which exposed her arms and legs but kept her chest and body mostly covered. The scars from her self-surgery were evident on her form but it didnât mean Carissa wanted to show them off.
A deep blue, shiny with a hint of mermaid scales attached. No, Carissa was familiar with the suit. The style of it at least, it had been what she used to wear as a girl when swimming during her parents were busy with their own work as marine biologists on the family house boat.
âA copy. No, a replica of my own suit.â Carissa murmured as she put it over her own body.
The Grey Suit needed to be kept secure as long as possible, not unless she had found an alternative and it could be stored in one of the candidate or Player items she had received.
The suit fit perfectly, exactly her height, width and body type when she slipped it on. Mike had earlier made no mention of clothing suited to her. The wooden statue bracelet on her hand simply slipped off and on easily enough when she had changed her clothing.
Aware of time, Carissa put on one of the other two items, one was a bright pink t-shirt with yet another mermaid on the front, this time in a more cartoonish style. Slightly baggy over her body it allowed her relative ease of movement and was large enough to go to her waist, allowing her legs to show.
The last was a pair of womenâs water shoes. Coverings for her feet which she could wear when fully submerged in water. She held these close to her, despite the lack of examination from the Ocean Gateway System these needed to be checked for hidden any hidden qualities.
The outside of the shoes and the tips were an exact copy of her own feet and toes, the style was a mixture of pinks and purples with two single names embossed into the inside of each shoe. Near impossible to remove without destroying the shoes themselves. Two names.
Despite the shoes themselves appearing nearly pristine as though they had been freshly produces, they should have shown signs of wear and tear. The names inside confirmed it for her, these were no copies, not even a replica. She had been there when they had put them inside, her and Liam. Two names.
He had custom-built these shoes for her birthday, by his own hand under the watchful eye of an expert shoe crafter. Carissa had watched the entire process on video as part of her twenty-third birthday from Liam.
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âThese are my shoes. I wore them.â said Carissa as she cradled them gently in her hands and rubbed them with her fingers.
The same indents, the same marks and scuffs were there as though protected but in pristine condition. Her clothing appearing didnât make sense to her but not much else in this world did. Not unless she was chosen on purpose or this was meant to be an apology to her for trying to force system messages on the Grey Suit.
A knock at the door startled her, Sherry called out.
âI knocked on the door ten minutes ago and had no answer. Mike and Chas have prepared morning breakfast. If youâre dressed, we need to head to the community dining room. Carissa? You sleep well?â
Slipping both the shoes on her feet, Carissa, grabbed the last two items in the wooden box before she examined both of them in her mindâs eye before making sure her equipment was secure.
One was a torch on a shell chain necklace which she slipped around her neck. The bottom part of it was removable and contained a space to insert a smaller item. A good place to store a hidden note but Carissa was disappointed to find it empty. No clues for her so easily given, sheâd need to find her own answers.
Player Candidate: Carissa Acqua
Tool Received from Ocean Gateway System
-Water Powered Torch
-Item cannot be transferred or sold to other players.
Torch recharges when submerged in water.
âIâm getting dressed. Give me a few more minutes to prepare myself.â said Carissa to ensure Sherry heard her through the door.
The last item she had examined but not explored, it had puzzled her a little and was another sign of magic or special abilities were fairly common in this place. But it was hers and to her alone it would stay, the basic survival instinct of any human was to keep their belongings safe and this would be far more useful to her than the torch.
Her water shoes were comfortable on her feet, even more so than when Carissa had been wearing the skin tight Grey Suit. These were hers and she had worn them for years. A familiar part of her, they had moulded to the exact shape of her own feet over use. These she would not part with.
The shoes could be examined later when she was back in her room or in a position of relative safety.
Player Candidate: Carissa Acqua
Tool Received from Ocean Gateway System
-Dry Bag, Spatial Container
-Item cannot be transferred or sold to other players.
Can only be opened by Owner.
Two straps on the back to slide her arms into and another one could be fixed around her chest it was grey and large enough to comfortably fit on her back without restriction her movements. It was only when Carissa had opened it, she had been surprised, a bag like this would usually contain emergency equipment but when she put her hand inside it only felt a material she hadnât been expecting.
âUh, we need to get a move on. Sorry for the rush but we have a schedule to stick to. I promise today will be better than yesterday, at least with training. I told you last night itâd be fun. Do you need any help with your equipment? Carissa?â said Sherry as she knocked on the door.
âOne minute! Thanks Sherry!â. said Carissa as she willed the bag to fully open, slinging it onto one shoulder with her hand inside she pulled out a magazine. The cover showed a man and woman smiling in front of a company logo, she didnât recognise the title or the location but the contents talked about business. Boring enough to her mind she stuck her hand in and pulled out a larger stack of them, all different types of magazines ranging from beauty tips to holiday travel, technology and nature.
To her eyes, the contents were odd. Similar but odd. She didnât recognise the fashions the people were wearing nor the locations, it was as though they had been manufactured in a different reality.
âCarissa! We need to go. Mike is going to give me punishment detail for this. Youâre cute but there are limits. You need to open this door and we need to eat breakfast. I donât like giving warnings but Iâll override the door if I need to.â said Sherry, her voice hardening from its usual cheerful tone.
The small wooden statue bracelet vibrated as Carissa hurriedly stuffed all the magazines back into the dry bag, smoothing her t-shirt out and running her fingers through her hair trying to make it as tidy as possible. She stuffed the Bone Tooth Club in the bag as it fit without filling up the space inside easily, the Grey Suit and the necklace torch.
Disappointing she hadnât even been provided with basic survival supplies or emergency food and drink rations but the magazines had been provided for a clear reason.
Likely a joke from the Ocean Gateway System. Or a punishment. Too many questions and still too few answers.
She had entirely forgotten to ask for a comb, if there was time during breakfast, sheâd make a point of asking Sherry. She doubted Mike had one with his lack of hair and Chas was a total mess.
âComing!â Carissa nearly shouted and she half-leapt to the door, unlocking it and removing the bolt, yanking it open to reveal a surprised young woman with a blush on her face.
Sherry wore a red life jacket on this time, matching her tinted goggles with the standard Grey Suit.
âHi. Sorry about the wait. Breakfast sounds great. How are you? I love your new life-jacket, red is your colour. So is green actually, you carry them both off so well.â said Carissa with a bright toothless smile and her head tilted to the side, both hands holding onto the straps of her newly acquired dry bag.
Carissa was going to try another approach today. Hostility yesterday had earned her a beating, dropped into a pool of water and strapped into a chair.
Despite the answers, she needed more than this to survive. Not openly holding a weapon as Mike did, along with a decent hot shower and a change of clothes would make her more presentable.
Appearance was a small part of her life and Liam had told her when she wanted to be sociable and turn on the charm she was amazing.
Attempting her best at being coy and overly friendly she grabbed onto Sherryâs arm, surprising her.
âBreakfast. Mike and Chas made it? So sweet. Iâm so sorry about yesterday, I had this whole shock to my body and wellâ¦it was a lot to take in. Would you forgive me for not talking to you much?â said Carissa.
She had a bit of equipment to her name; a weapon and her training had stopped her body betraying her each time she had a message from a system created by bored Ocean Gods.
Being a little more easy-going would work for her, even it was going to be temporary.
She had a strong instinct after a sleep and an acceptance of her new reality the three creators of this small community were players. But it begged the question in her mind. If each of them was so powerful why were they stuck inside a driftwood boat structure helping three newborn candidates.
âNever mind. Breakfast will be great; do you mind if I sit next to you this time? Iâd prefer not to make any more bad blood between me and... what was her name againâ¦?â asked Carissa.
Sherryâs face had transformed from a blush into a bright red.
âBonnie. Oh, thanks for noticing. I like mix and match my equipment. I love your t-shirt, and youâre not wearing your suit. I mean, you donât need to but it does help. Equipment at last! Youâre going to be a Player Candidate. So cute! Uh, I didnât mean it. Uh, yeah, we should get breakfast, Chas makes the best pancakes. Do you have those where you come from? Um, your reality I mean.â
Inwardly Carissa stiffened as she faked her way through the conversation, her tongue latched onto one of her teeth and she pushed hard enough to draw a drop of blood as she kept the smile on her face.
She held tightly onto Sherryâs arm as they walked, Carissa nodding and smiling as she heard the other womanâs face light up with chatting.
Liam was right.
True beauty within and without.