Rescue Island (6 page)

I have a new friend and companion. It licks my face. This is great, and I don't usually like to be licked by animals.

"Your mother saved my life," I say, "I made her a promise that I'd watch over you."

"You need a name. Hmmm." I say to the cat. I remember a really old book that I read a while ago,
The Jungle Book
. There is a jungle cat in that book named Shere Khan. It's kind of a troublemaker, but it is a strong cat this kitten could be proud to take after.

"Shere Khan is a good name for you. I'll call you Khan for short."

Meowwww! she replies.

"Khan, I hope I'm not dooming you to the life of a troublemaker, like your namesake," I say. "Let's build a house together." We leave the jungle, returning to Citadel Fort hill.

KHAN HAS LIVED WITH ME PEACEFULLY FOR WEEKS. Game weeks, as I have no idea how long I've been gone from the real world. Time moves much more quickly in the game. I wonder if an hour has passed out there. It's strange to think of the two worlds as separate. I'm getting used to living in here. This is becoming my new normal.

Khan is a wonderful companion. When I laid out the footing for Citadel Fort, Khan was there, hiding behind blocks, pouncing on me when I'd turn my back. I'd laugh, she'd purr.
 

Over the course of several weeks, Citadel Fort has taken shape. It's much larger than I originally envisioned. Seems silly to have this much space. But it's so easy to build things! In the real world it takes nails, studs, brick, mortar, concrete, caulk, and lots and lots of detail work. In here I simply imagine what I want and build it, block by block. Search until I have the right materials and then build. Now that I've finished the structure, it's time to build furnishings.

I need wool for a bed. There are few sheep on Rescue Island, so I don't want to kill them. I want to shear them and let them regrow wool, so I can shear them again in the future. I build a stone, walled-in area where I will keep my animals. A trick I've used to get animals in, and keep them in, is to build stairs up the wall from the outside.
 

I find several sheep and a few pigs and herd them toward the stairs. It works! They run from me, up the stairs, and jump down into the fenced area. Now I can get wool and pork whenever I need. And if I'm lucky, they'll reproduce, keeping me in a good supply of food for a long time.

I really want to add a map to this log. It's important to me to document what is going on, and I think a map will help. As I explore I'll add to it, so I can always find my way back to Citadel Fort. And what if I don't make it? What if someone else gets stuck in here and finds my log. My map will give them direction to the safety of Citadel Fort. It might save their life.

A map requires paper and a compass, and it digitally populates itself. I don't have the resources required for a compass, but paper is easy enough. I can make a hand-drawn map on paper. It won't be perfect, but the early explorers made hand drawn maps all the time, and they did okay.

Paper requires sugar cane. It doesn't grow on Rescue Island. But I remember seeing some when I first awoke on the beach. That means I have to leave Rescue Island. I have to go back to Spider Sands. The thought makes me shudder. Do I really want to risk my life again? The other side of the question is, do I want to live in fear of getting lost if I ever leave Rescue Island?

Time for a plan.

It's not far to get sugar cane. I can see it from the eastern shore of Rescue Island. It's on the edge of Spider Sands, across the water from where I stand now. If I go during the day, there is little danger, however the land near the sugarcane is shaded and spiders attack in the darkness of shade. The spider that first attacked me might be hiding there. As I remember the first pain I felt in this world, pain caused by that spider, I feel anger rise up inside me. I know what I must do!

My plan is complex. I need lots of glass blocks. I need a bunch of pickaxes, they wear out so fast. And I need daylight. My attention will be on executing my plan. I won't be able to defend myself at the same time. It's a crazy idea. I was planning to collect sugarcane, and now I'm developing an elaborate spider-killing plan.

I start by building an underwater tunnel between Rescue Island and Spider Sands. I use glass blocks so the tunnel is transparent. Something about dark tunnels unnerves me. Building a glass underwater tunnel sounds awesome. I want the tunnel to be completely submerged underwater. If I build a boat in the future I don't want to be zooming across the bay and crash into my difficult to see transparent tunnel. A high-speed crash would destroy the boat, tossing me into the cold bay.

There are two problems with building underwater. First, water is cold and swimming while building is slow. No big deal. But the second problem is a big deal. The completed tunnel will be full of water! But I have a plan for drying it out.

I connect my glass underwater tube to each bank. Around the glass tube entrance on Rescue Island I build a simple shelter with a door. That should keep creatures from entering on that side. The shelter steps down into the tube. No ladders, much easier when I'm in a hurry. With the tube connecting to dry land on both sides I have to test my theory about how to empty the water from inside of it. This is kind of dangerous. I hold my breath, swim into the tunnel and fill it with sand. It takes me a dozen entries, but I eventually finish. Now it's easy, dig out the sand and a dry, transparent, tube is left. Perfect!
 

The connection to Spider Sands is different from the enclosed shelter on Rescue Island. I don't actually want a large door over here. Instead I tunnel into the beach, stepping up until I am two blocks deep and open to the sky. I keep the tunnel one block wide and two blocks deep below the surface of the sand and continue this narrow tunnel into the dark shadows of the jungle. I place a ladder at the end of the tunnel. The ladder leads out of the tunnel and into the darkness of the jungle. I hope I never need to use that ladder.

Being in the tunnel, just a few blocks below where I was first attacked in this world, feels freaky. I hope this works. I'm pretty sure spiders are too big to enter a tunnel one block wide. If this works, it's a brilliant plan.

I get out safely onto the beach and collect plenty of sugarcane. This is the main reason for leaving Rescue Island, and ironically I could have done this in no time, but I've spent nearly the entire day on this elaborate spider trap and underwater tube. The tube is awesome though. It's like walking through an aquarium. I'm completely surrounded by water, and every so often a squid swims up to the glass. It's amazing! I think of other, future uses for the tunnel. How cool will it be to herd animals from the mainland through this tunnel to Rescue Island?

I've mostly avoided going into the jungle. I'm still freaked out by it. I've killed plenty of spiders since the last time I was here, but the spider that lives here represents the original danger of this place. It's the reason I've been freaked out so much since entering this game world. Deep inside me, where the anger and fury reside toward the original spider, I hope to find and kill it, and I hope its death will take away the fear I have of this place.

I walk through the tunnel to the beach of Spider Sands, just at the edge of the jungle shade and wait. Nothing happens. It's getting dark but I'm not satisfied yet. I need to see the red of the spider's eyes! Maybe I need to go hunting?

I walk to the end of the tunnel, the part that enters the jungle, climb the ladder, and start looking around. It's dark here—darker than shadows in daylight. I'm not sure this is a good idea . . .

Slurp, hiss "OUCH!"

The pain is nearly too much to handle. It feels like I'm in slow motion. I turn toward the sound, my ears ringing, and I see glowing red eyes inches away! My sword is ready but my arm is slow. To the tunnel! The spider is between safety and me. This spider is smarter than any spider I've come across. It must have been waiting for me. Waiting patiently for me to make a mistake, and I have.

I run into the jungle. The spider lunges, but I'm just out of reach. What am I doing? This is the wrong way!

I wish Verve were here. Khan is no help; she's safe on the island. She refuses to enter the tube. Maybe I should have listened to her instinct.

I dodge from tree to tree moving toward the beach. I look behind me. I don't see anything other than jungle trees. I stop for a moment, to listen. Where is it?

SSSSS! I bolt as fast as possible. BOOM! I see red. I fall down. I'm alive but I can't hear a thing. My head is full of ricocheting sound. I look back and see a crater in the jungle, and I see the spider on the other end of the crater. This is my chance; I make a sharp turn toward the beach, the crater between me and the spider. It bolts in the same direction, toward my tunnel. I think I can make it first! Just then an arrow sticks into my right arm!

"Ahhhh!" I see red. I'm beginning to shake. I put my sword away, I know it's a terrible time to be unarmed. I grab cooked fish. It's a crazy time to eat, but I'm on the verge of death. I eat while running. After the third fish I feel like new, and I'm sprinting faster than before! The spider is nearly to the tunnel; I jump, slash the spider and land in the tunnel. Screech! It screams as a severed spider leg falls to the ground.

But I don't stop. I run into the tube. Halfway in, I stop. I put my sword away and realize what happened. I risked my life to kill that spider. I injured it, but I'm certain it's not dead. I laugh at myself for being so foolish.

I'm going to finish the job. I'm going back! I turn around to face an army of creatures in the tube, rushing me!

I GRAB MY BOW. I have a dozen arrows. That's a start. I take aim down the tunnel. Thwerp! My arrow zooms down the tunnel. Zombie dead. Thwerp! Pixelator dead. Two more arrows and poof! Zombie dead. They're getting closer; I'm not fast enough to stop them all. If I can just get a break in creatures I can turn and—

SSSSS!

I do a 180, it's only a few blocks away. It was up the tunnel waiting for me. I'm trapped! I don't think, I just react. Instinctively I grab my sword and rush the bit bomb! I don't stop to think how crazy this is, I slash, it bounces back, I slash again, poof! I turn.

SSSSS!

Another pixel buster is nearing, this time I run away, it's too late!

BOOOOM!! I keep running. I hear water rushing toward me. A huge section of the tube is blown away. Creatures are drowning, washing into the bay. Water is on my heels, somehow I am moving faster than I've ever moved! I reach the steps at the end of the tube on Rescue Island! I'm safe. I turn to look at what is left of the tube, filled with water.

My connection to the mainland is gone.

Carefully in the dark I make my way to Citadel Fort. Home! Khan greets me with a pounce, knocking me down. In my room I crash on my bed, exhausted and sleep.

In the morning I level a sunny piece of land for a garden. Most of the day I spend gardening.

The last thing I build is a tower, an improved version of my original pixelator slaughter tower. This time I build my transparent platform protruding above Citadel Fort, high enough to be out of range of arrows. It reminds me of the dangers lurking on the island. And it's a great place to look at the beautiful night sky.

I've created a kickin' crib. Life is great!