The energy in her body was rapidly combusted into physical force that accumulated in her hands as Sarah pushed them against the Ash Grey soil. Many granules of the sand were sent flying by her power. If not for each grain of the Ash Grey Sand weighing as much as a newborn baby, her task would have proved to be a lot easier.
But she knew one fact for certain; in the Great Dust Reef, a domain in Hipsink River that was famed for not being capable of sustaining life, the blade of grass that could grow here would have to be an amazing treasure. She also knew she had to make use of every opportunity to accumulate resources for her betterment.
After using her 'Divine Might' skill once, Sarah noticed that all the energy in her body had been expended. As a level 1 warrior, the energy present in her body was only sufficient to activate her skill once.
Sarah took a moment of rest as energy trickled into her body from a small tattoo on her chest. The tattoo looked like a locket that was strapped to her neck. In a matter of Ticks, Sarah felt the energy in her body filling to the brim.
'As expected of something Dad repeatedly praised.' Sarah thought about her Dad as she broke into a fit of tears. She bit her lips to suppress her emotions and focused on her task.
Sarah activated her skill 2 more times before rising to the surface and swallowing three fruits. After eating the first fruit, the energy in her body was fully replenished. When she consumed the second fruit, the energy in her body roiled out in a turbulent manner, about to destroy her vessel that had hit its limits. It was then the tattoo on her chest glowed and sucked away all the excess energy generated by the second fruit. It also sucked the energy of the third fruit that Sarah popped in her mouth next.
Energy Berry, a mysterious fruit that could be found growing within dungeons; it was a fruit that could readily replenish the energy within a person by one unit. Every Energy Berry contained a unit of energy stored within it that could be absorbed without side effects by digesting it.
The amount of energy stored within the body of a person directly corresponded to his/her level. A level 1 warrior could only store one unit of energy at most. In order to activate a level 1 Jewellery, they must consume one unit of energy, so, any level 1 warrior could only launch a single attack at once before resorting to consuming an Energy Berry to replenish their reserves.
The only reason Sarah could launch 3 attacks in succession was due to her possessing a Principled Jewellery. Every Principled Jewellery defiled all norms and logic ingrained in their world. It was also to the extent that possessing a Principled Jewellery qualified one to call themselves a Noble and establish their lineage.
Sarah continued with her efforts by stacking her attacks one after another before she could feel the blade of grass loosening up. She then held it with her hands and pulled it up. After mounting some resistance, the roots of the blade of grass finally became free from the sand. Exerting a final pull, Sarah successfully uprooted it.
'Success'
Sarah cheered as she held the blade of grass and swam towards the surface. She inspected the blade of grass and found it looking no different from all the grass she had seen till now.
'If possible, I will try to refer to its traits in the public library later.' Sarah thought as the energy in her body surged towards the tattoo on her chest. A small dimensional gate appeared next to her as Sarah sent the blade of grass into it. She then took out a handful of Energy Berries from it and placed them inside her pouch. Three Ticks later, the dimensional gate closed on its own.
A regular level 1 warrior could only use one Jewellery at a time. But, the special traits of her Principled Jewellery gave her some options. Based on his investigations into its workings, her father, David Washer gave it the name of 'Three Choices'.
Three Choices: Remove and store the skill from a Jewellery. It can store a total of three skills at a time. After Sarah refined it, it turned into a tattoo and fused into her body.
Before they got surrounded, David Washer gave Sarah intense training to be fully capable of wielding its powers. He also made her store the skills of three level 1 Jewellery from his lifetime accumulations that he felt would guarantee her survival the most.
The first among them was termed as 'Dimension Box' which housed a volume of 1 cubic Dobin. It could store both living and non-living things inside it. Activating it will make a small dimensional gate manifest in the surroundings through which placing and retrieving of objects could be achieved. It wasn't something that could allow selective entry so whenever it was opened, the surrounding air will enter it or vice-versa due to the pressure differences.
The 'Dimension Box' wasn't a piece of rare Jewellery as many merchants possessed one. It was just the most expensive Jewellery in their respective tiers.
The second Jewellery was 'Divine Might' which was an exclusive skill of David Washer. It was a skill David Washer had created based on his research and by borrowing the help of an expert Artificer. Just for Sarah's sake, David Washer had commissioned that Artificer to create the Jewellery housing the 'Divine Might' skill for level 1, level 2 and level 3.
The final Jewellery was 'Capacitor'. It was a rare Jewellery that David Washer had never encountered again in all his life. He had never used it due to it being just a level 1 Jewellery but now it came into good use for Sarah. It had the ability to store energy excess energy in it and supply it to the body when it was running low on energy. It was a life-saving Jewellery.
At level 1, it could store 5 units of energy. To level 1 warriors that could only possess one unit of energy, such a Jewellery would prove to be a major help to them. Moreover, the traits of the Principled Jewellery 'Three Choices' made it that the skill stored within it would be elevated to the corresponding level of the user.
This meant that if Sarah reached level 2, the three skills stored in 'Three Choices' would also be elevated to level 2.
Sarah wiped out her tears as she picked out a small roll from her inner pockets. This roll seems to be made from a shiny substance that had a leathery touch. Sarah held it in her hands and began to supply energy to it. The leathery roll immediately began to expand in size and began to turn into a board that had some rigidness.
Ten Chants later, the board had become big enough to support her body. Moreover, it was slightly curved up along the sides that gave it the look of a flattened boat. Sarah climbed it and rested her body. Her tiny frame felt exhausted while the energy in her body was slowly getting replenished by the tattoo.
Sarah took out an Energy Berry from her pouch and swallowed it. Even though it gave off a mesmerising scent of honey but, when placed in her mouth its taste was bland. Even water drunk when one was fully satiated felt tastier.
'Dad has prepared so much for my sake.' Sarah thought as she gazed at the sky with glazed eyes. The sky was dim as a single moon shone with a dull lustre. This was the characteristic of the month of the First Moon. Their world didn't have the concept of day and night. The only had a Moon that shone with light as it occasionally flickered forward.
Every time the Moon flickered forward symbolised the start of another day. After flickering once, it would stay still for the rest of the day. It would flicker for 60 times in total before disappearing altogether. The sky would then be occupied by two new Moons that will appear from the other side and provide brighter illumination.
'I would have probably died if I hadn't been transported to this Great Dust Reef.'
Sarah pulled a small waterproof parchment from her inner pockets and unravelled it. It was something David had presented her before their farewell. He had also given her another huge map to be stored inside her 'Dimension Box' along with a huge sum of money, food, Energy Berries, and Jewellery ranging from level 1 to level 3. He had thought through many points for Sarah's sake and arranged many things for her.
Sarah then removed another leather roll from her pockets and inserted her energy into it. The leather roll slowly expanded into a huge paddle that was almost her height. She held it in her hands and felt its texture. It was smooth to the touch and was lightweight. Moreover, it was sturdy to the extent that Sarah felt she wouldn't be able to make a dent on it even if she were to use her 'Divine Might' skill.
David had also warned that she must quickly retrieve them if she were to encounter any strangers. All she had to do was retract the energy she had inserted into them and disperse it into the surroundings. This would shrink them back into a leather roll she could hide in her clothes with ease.
Ironhook wood, a wood obtained from the Ironhook shrub that had the properties to expand and harden when it comes in contact with energy. They shrink back to their original size when the energy was retracted from them. Moreover, they would continuously dissipate a wisp of the stored energy to their surroundings and revert to their original forms as time passes. They were expensive wood that was used for a variety of purposes, primarily for battles due to their traits. They generally cost between 10-80 Rupi depending on their quality.
As she looked into the parchment, Sarah involuntarily took in a deep breath to control her emotions. The distance from her location to the nearest landmass was less than 30 Sitra but she didn't dare to even think about setting foot there.
It was Mount Sitra, a mysterious mountain that was in the middle of the Hipsink River and was also the place that all their measurement systems were derived from. It was a place that was so dangerous that even warriors on the level of her father wouldn't survive for more than a day.
Sarah shook her head as she looked into the nearest port city situated in Toenil Kingdom, Crosshoe Port City and felt a sense of despair as she measured the distance she had to travel.
'Dad, how can you expect me to travel such a wide distance? There is more than 1000 Sitra to the nearest port city.' Sarah once again broke down into another bout of tears. Even though the map in her hands had been marked with many places she could stop in her journey to rest, she was still overwhelmed by the sheer distance, not to mention performing such a task after losing her father.
She was, after all, a ten-year-old child.
