Lair Carl Stubblefield (bts books to read .txt) 📖

well? Part of him felt that he did have what it took to survive, just that it might take a little longer to figure things out. The wind blew and he got goosebumps from the chill.

“I’m going to need more than just these shorts.”

Chapter Nine

Dressed for Success

Day 2 3:14 PM

12:21:38 remaining

I need to make a couple preparations first, if I’m going to be travelling much farther inland. The shorts are ok, but a little thin; it would be nice to have a little more protection from the sun and the plants, Gus thought.

He grabbed one of the fronds from the pile and began weaving again. He formed his typical shelter pattern and began to play around with connecting the open sides and was able to make a reasonable skirt out of the leaves. He tried it on and it had a decent fit, but it would not stay in place around his hips and had to be held up. A double chime sounded.

You have crafted a unique item: Angus’ kilt.

Offers increased protection for the lower half of your body.

Skill obtained: Basket Weaving

You remember that merit badge you got because it only had two requirements? Who knew it would turn out to be useful, amirite? +50% durability to all woven items, chance of items being water resistant.

100 XP awarded

190 XP to level 3

Gus wondered why he hadn’t gained the skill when he was making his shelter, but perhaps being assisted prevented him from gaining a skill from the task. He’d have to keep that in mind; skills and abilities could be game changers, and he wanted every ability he could get, especially if it would level throughout his whole life.

He didn’t feel confident in trying to make a shirt, so Gus fashioned a cape that would at least protect his shoulders from sunburn. They were already starting to feel a little tender from getting too much sun. Gus returned to his skirt pattern for weaving and made a basic cape. He then folded a smaller square shape, and bent the open fronds to overlap and tucked them under the weaves on the other side so he had a bowl-shaped hat. Even in the shade, the heat and near hundred percent humidity made him thirsty, and he drained his coconut glasses of the water they held as he worked.

Two chimes sounded:

You have crafted a unique item: Cape of the crusader.

+10% chance of not getting a sunburn on your shoulders. Improved night vision; +1 perception from sundown to sunrise.

You have crafted a unique item: Dome of the Noob.

+10% chance of not getting a sunburn on your head. Hey, what’d you expect? It’s for noobs!

You have increased your Basket Weaving skill to Level 2.

More techniques and blueprints unlocked, experiment to discover and claim their bonuses!

50 XP awarded

140 XP to level 3

I’m on a roll, Gus thought, and got back to crafting. Razorback turned the remainder of the shell of the suit into thin strips that Gus plaited into small lengths of cord. He first considered trying to cut out the remaining covering of the suit away from the framework and then refashioning these into pants and a shirt, but did not have any means of sewing everything together. He had used a fair amount of the suit to make the ties and waistband for his shorts so he could only make a half-shirt at best. He decided having lots of strands he could use as fasteners would be a better use of the suit’s outer material.

Looking inside the remains of the suit, underneath where the plate had been removed, Gus could see various empty cylinders, vials and electronics. He rooted around to see if anything could be of immediate use and noted the insides of the back section came out in a block. Setting this aside, he saw there were releases in the suit that, when depressed, allowed the back receptacle to detach from the main framework of the suit, leaving Gus with what now amounted to a box with a window cut out of a little over a half of one of the sides. It appeared to be made of some flexible plexiglass-type material, and seemed to be waterproof. In no time, two loops of cord with foam putty shoulder pads made it into a decent backpack.

He weaved one cord in and out through Angus’ kilt with a length long enough to fit around his waist and allow a sufficient amount left to tie into a slipknot. He heard a chime but ignored the display for now, deciding to focus on the tasks at hand.

Since the sharp, flat ends of the bamboo sandal laces were already rubbing the soft skin between his big toe and second toe raw, he decided to swap it out for some made out of fabric from the suit. He took two more sets of strips and fashioned them into a Y shape and tied them to his soles. So much better! I would have had a blister after a while with that stiff bamboo.

Another chime sounded:

You have upgraded a unique item: Sandals of the Wayfarer.

Provides protection for the feet: +5 armor.

Item is now Sandals of the Wayfarer +1

You have upgraded a unique item: Improved Angus’ kilt.

+1 Luck (o’ the Irish!)

“Aren’t kilts Scottish?!” Gus asked aloud.

Another line flashed underneath the description.

Ya want the stat boost or no, ya cheeky bastard?

Gus shrugged and decided to go with it. Donning everything, he finally was dressed. He probably looked ridiculous, but it was nice to have regained some semblance of dignity from being fully clothed. At least, as much dignity as woven palm fronds could offer.

A fanfare sounded and Gus felt the intense joy of leveling.

Quest Complete: Better Cover Up

750 XP awarded

LEVEL UP! You are now level 3.

You have (5) attribute points to assign.

890 XP to level 4

After the brief euphoria faded, Gus eagerly opened his stat sheet to see what he should upgrade. What would be the best to help him survive? From his previous Wreck-ord bonus to perception