“BRACE FOR IMPACT!” Roland roared, already trying to angle the falling boat.
WHUMP-CRACK!
The boat didn't land in water, but slammed down hard onto a half-submerged, unseen shelf of rock just beyond the main chokepoint. The impact was bone-jarringly brutal, throwing Caspian clean off his feet against the gunwale and nearly pitching Jett overboard. A geyser of icy river water exploded upwards, drenching them completely, momentarily blinding them. The boat didn't shatter outright, a testament to Julia’s shield and Roland’s repairs, but it groaned horribly, timbers screaming in protest, settling low in the water with a sickening, sluggish list.
“Everyone accounted for?” Roland gasped, scrambling to his feet and hauling Caspian up.
Before anyone could fully respond, Jett, already scanning the interior of the boat, pointed downwards, his voice sharp with alarm. “Water! Coming in fast!”
It wasn’t just the sloshing from waves anymore. Icy river water was visibly bubbling up from beneath the floorboards near the bow, swirling rapidly around their ankles, the level rising with terrifying speed. Panic, cold and sharp, flared through the boat.
“Where's it coming from?!” Roland demanded, eyes frantically scanning the battered hull. “Find the breach!”
William, heart sinking faster than the boat, immediately pushed mana into EMMA, ignoring the low reserve warnings. Activate thermal overlay! Scan hull integrity! Identify primary water ingress point! MP: 28/136. The cost was negligible compared to drowning. A large, dark bloom instantly appeared on his internal display near the bow keel section, significantly larger than any previous leak.
“Found it!” he yelled over the roar, scrambling forward through the rising water, pushing aside sodden supply bundles. “Keel section near the bow! Must have cracked wide open on landing! It's bad, Roland! Really bad!” Water pulsed inwards with every surge of the current. Structural integrity analysis: Catastrophic failure imminent. Estimated time to founder: Less than five minutes. “We're sinking! Fast!”
“Five minutes?!” Caspian wailed, eyes wide with terror. “We're miles from anywhere! We'll drown!”
Roland scanned the fast-flowing river, the sheer, distant banks offering no easy purchase. “Too far to swim! Current's too strong, pull us under before we make fifty yards!” Jett was already rummaging desperately through the supplies, likely looking for anything buoyant.
Just as cold despair threatened to swamp them completely, Caspian gasped, pointing with a trembling finger at the thick coil of wet rope secured near the stern, the rope from Herbert’s cache. “The rope! The rope! Tie ourselves together! Like... like mountaineers! Can you throw it? Reach the bank?”
His idea, born of pure panic but fundamentally sound, cut through the rising hysteria. Plan B: Low-tech physics-assisted extraction via rope vector, William thought, latching onto the desperate logic. Probability of success: Low, but significantly greater than high-probability drowning scenario.
Roland seized on it instantly. “Good thinking, Caspian! It's our only chance!” He turned, command snapping back into place. “Jett! Get that rope untangled, now! William, Julia, start tying bowlines! Around the waist, secure but quick-release if needed! Link us together!”
Cold, numb fingers fumbled with the wet, stiff hemp rope. Working frantically in the rapidly deepening water inside the boat, they looped and knotted, creating a clumsy but functional human chain. Linked by desperation.
Roland took the weighted throwing end, shaking out a long coil. He braced himself against the wildly rocking boat, eyes scanning the nearest bank for a viable anchor. Fifty yards of turbulent water. A difficult throw under any circumstances. near impossible from this unstable platform. He spotted it, a thick, sturdy-looking branch of an ancient oak leaning out over the river.
“Hold steady as you can!” he bellowed. Taking a deep breath, planting his feet, he swung the weighted end twice, judging the distance, the current, the arc needed. Precision projectile launch under extreme suboptimal conditions, William noted, holding his breath.
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Roland took a deep breath, steadied himself, and threw. The rope sailed through the air, a thin, fragile line against the backdrop of the raging river. It arced towards the tree, its trajectory seemingly true, its momentum carrying it towards its target. For a heart-stopping moment, it seemed as if it would fall short, as if their desperate gamble had failed. But then, with a satisfying thwack, the rope wrapped around the branch, snagging on a fork, holding firm.
A collective cheer erupted from the boat, a brief, spontaneous outburst of relief and triumph. They had a lifeline, a connection to the shore, a chance to escape the sinking vessel.
“It held!” Roland roared back over the noise. “Secure your packs! Clip them tight to your waist loops or the main line. ESSENTIALS ONLY! Quickly! We lose the gear, we don't survive long! MOVE!”
There was a frantic scramble in the rapidly deepening water pooling at their feet. Cold, numb fingers fumbled with wet buckles and stiff knots. Packs containing food, basic medical supplies, perhaps Caspian's most vital notes, maybe Julia's spare focusing tools, the absolute necessities, were hastily clipped or tied onto the main rope near their waist knots. William fumbled with his own pack straps, heart pounding a frantic rhythm. Prioritize data retention... wait, no external hard drive... prioritize core survival resources! Pack secured. The boat lurched violently, dipping dangerously lower.
“Everyone ready?” Roland shouted, his voice commanding. “Grab the line when you hit the water! Packs will drag, pull hard! Caspian! GO!”
One by one, starting with the terrified but resolute prince, they leaped from the doomed boat, their bodies plunging into the icy water, their hands gripping the rope, their lives hanging in the balance. The current tugged at them, threatening to pull them under, the added weight and drag of their secured, waterlogged packs making the fight instantly harder. They held on, their determination fuelled by adrenaline and a primal will to survive.
Roland was the last to leave the boat, casting a final look at Herbert’s battered vessel as its stern slipped beneath the churning surface, claimed by Hammer Falls. With that, they had abandoned it to its watery grave. He dove cleanly, securing his own grip.
They pulled themselves along the rope, hand over hand, fighting against the brutal current, their muscles screaming in protest against both the river's force and the dead weight pulling at their waists. It was a slow, arduous, desperate process, each inch gained a victory, each pull a testament to their collective strength and Roland's secure throw. William saw Caspian struggling badly, the current trying to twist him sideways, until Jett managed to brace himself momentarily and help haul the prince forward. He focused on the simple, agonizing rhythm. Grip, pull, breathe, ignore the burning ache and the heavy burden trying to pull him under.
Finally, gasping for breath, soaked to the bone, limbs numb with cold and utterly exhausted, they felt blessed, solid mud beneath their feet. They clawed their way onto the sloping bank, collapsing in a heap of sodden, shivering misery, water streaming from them and their salvaged packs. Roland hauled himself up last, immediately pushing himself upright despite his exhaustion, sword drawn, scanning their precarious position on the hostile bank of Tallenwood.
They were alive. They were ashore. They had survived Hammer Falls.
Survival probability: Updated to non-zero, William thought hazily, running a quick internal diagnostic through the fog of exhaustion. MP: 20/136. Physical condition: Exhausted, multiple minor contusions likely, hypothermia risk: Moderate to High. Essential gear status: Secured but waterlogged.
Just as he processed the grim physical assessment, another notification flashed urgently on his internal EMMA display, overriding everything else.
XP Gain Detected: +3000 XP (Major Hazard Survival: Hammer Falls Passage & Critical Analysis).
Total XP: 3800 / 3000.
Threshold Exceeded! LEVEL UP! User Level 4 Achieved.
XP Reset: 800 / 5000.
New Title Awarded: [Survived the Odds of Hammer Falls]!
Effect: +2 Agility, +2 Vitality.
Stat Increase Applied: Agility 18 -> 20, Vitality 15 -> 17.
Max HP Recalculated: 150 -> 170.
Unallocated Stat Points Available: 0 + 3 = 3.
Level 4. And a new, grimly appropriate Title. William felt the subtle but immediate shift as the passive stat boosts took effect, a fractional easing in the frantic trembling of his limbs (+2 Agility), a slight bolstering against the bone-deep chill and exhaustion (+2 Vitality). It wasn't healing, just... enhanced resilience. Surviving near-certain death apparently comes with significant performance bonuses and updated firmware, he noted with detached irony. And three more points to potentially misallocate later.
He pushed himself up fully onto his elbows, spitting out gritty river water, looking around at the dense, dripping, unnervingly silent trees that pressed in on them. Their journey was very, very far from over.
William Shard - Character Sheet
- Level: 4
- XP: 800 / 5000
- Titles:
- [Novice Magic Analyst] - Effect: +5% Mana Regeneration Rate
- [Light Weaponized] - Effect: +10% effectiveness to Light spells
- [Survived the Odds of Hammer Falls] - Effect: +2 Agility, +2 Vitality
- Class: Magic Analyst
- Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Agility: 20 (Base 18 + 2 from Title)
- Magical Power: 26
- Vitality: 17 (Base 15 + 2 from Title)
- HP: 170
- Mana: 136
- Unallocated Stat Points: 3
- Skills:
- Swordsmanship: Basic
- Magic (Conventional): Basic
- EMMA System: Basic
- Language (Averian Common): Basic
- Healing / Regeneration: ??? (Unknown - Nature Undefined)
- Equipment:
- Longsword +2
- Wyvern Light Armour +2