The World Which Is

Chapter 07

No more kicking stuff I can't see.

I face the distant light and shuffle forward, reminding myself there could be a hole in front of me, or that the next time I trip, I might end up with a spike in my eye and dead. Or just hit wrong and end up with critical damage.

Being paralyzed down here would suck. Even more with having those healing bars in my inventory and not being about to move my hand to my mouth to eat one. Couldn't Rich have given me one of those potions that can just be 'taken' instead of having to be eaten?

Other than him being an asshole, because it's not like I need one of those. I'm going to be careful and ignore how long it takes to get to the light. Worse comes to worse, I end up with some random class on the way home. Could be an awesome one.

Or I could end up with some street sweeper class. That's a thing, isn't it?

But I still have time. Light means the sky, which means a hole and a way to get out.

I avoid the hole. Scrape my shoulder on something ragged in the process and the thirty-second of the weak bleed debuff costs me some health, but I didn't fall and break my neck, so that is a clear win.

The next obstacles are easier to avoid as I make them out in the slowly increasing light. Then I stand soaking in the warm sunlight and thanking the system for letting me make it this far. Not a lot of angle to the light in the hole, so near noon.

Time remaining to make selection: 08h48m35s

At this time of the year, that gives me daylight all the way home even if I cut it down to the last second.

Or at least I'll reach the farms. I don't have to worry about monsters in the night once I'm there.

So, getting out.

One wall goes up to the hole, while the others are away. So that's the one. There are handholds, so even if it's vertical, I can do this.

Eleven in climbing makes this easy, doesn't it?

Why didn't I max that skill out too?

The first three hand holds are close together. The fourth one I have to reach, but grab on. The fifth nearly slices my hand open, but I felt the edges before putting my weight on it.

Gloves. From now on, I use one of my inventory slot for thick leather gloves. Or invest in one of those belt clips that gives me an extra slot. They aren't cheap, but if I ever find myself in this situation, I want a pair of gloves.

The alternative is just out of reach. My jumping skill's higher than climbing, so...

I curse as my fingers slip and I fall.

The stun debuff's already green, so it's not going to last. Is Tumbling a skill?

System Query: Skill, Tumbling

Tumbling is the skill by which one masters the art of falling while minimizing the damage taken.

Okay, so it is.

"You know, system. If I can find out about skills I don't have from way out here. How come you aren't letting me pick my class? You're everywhere. What's with forcing me to go back to Court for it?"

Of course, it doesn't answer. It's not like it's possible to have a conversation with it. If the answer is somewhere in what it knows. I'd have to find the right trigger words to get it to tell me, or combination of them.

I try a different path and make it to the seventh hand hold before I realize this isn't going to work. I'm about halfway up, but the next one's too far. Halfway between me and the hole. I can see a bunch of possibilities after it, but if I try to jump and miss.