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"Wait wait wait! Don't! Fucking hell!"

"Swim you unlucky land dog! Hahahaha!"

Flailing as I was thrown overboard from a cruise ship, the first ever cruise I had taken in my life, and I was about to die. I couldn't swim, and with where I was located as soon as I hit the water something was going to break from the impact tension before I sank. Squeezing my eyes shut I soon felt the impact, due to going back first I felt my spine creak and pop violently. Then all sound was replaced by water muting them, water invading my nose and mouth as I instinctively took a breath upon hitting the water. Opening my eyes to at least give the ocean around me a look I saw nothing but blue and black as I sank quickly.

Moving hurt so I didn't even flail or anything, I just accepted my fate. Eventually I saw something as my mind started blacking out, a giant eye opening in the dark depths. A golden glowing eye with a slitted pupil looking right at me. What sounded like a voice to my dying mind echoing out from somewhere.

"An unfortunate soul, thou has died here but thou shall live on somewhere else due to myne discretion and pity. Thou shall be fixed and thou shall find a new purpose, may the ocean, wind, and lands fare ye well."

Then I knew only darkness as my mind shuts down.

\\// Sea Breeze Archipelago: Reef //\\

Feeling something soft and grainy below me, along with fingers? Poking me I opened my eyes as soon as I felt a wave of water touch me. Sitting up and slowly getting onto my feet, my hand touching something that chimed. I looked around seeing I was on a beach and at the thing I had touched. It was a floating statue that glowed blue from a circle underneath the floating part. Huh neat and wonder how it's floating like that? I also saw what looked like a ruin of some sorts in the distance on some hill that'd require climbing to get to.

There were also a lot of strange but familiar looking creatures… sort of like that new game… Palworld… well fuck but also interesting. I also noticed the tablet-like device on the ground, picking it up, its screen had flashing words. Something's about towers and answers. Looking at it closer I noticed something. I looked slightly different than usual, the screen pulling up what even seemed like a three-dimensional model of my current appearance.

Messy dark brown hair, just entirely glowing purple glowing eyes, a fully grown beard and mustache, and well I was skinnier and more fit than before. Though I also had my clothes still just with a military camping bag as well. At least I'm not naked essentially…

Messing with the tablet I found out that it was essentially like a portable handheld game system. Throwing it away also caused it to glow blue before it disappeared and reappeared in my hand, meaning the tablet was essentially mine. Moving my black trench coat a bit I moved to store the tablet inside a pocket within its inner layer. Watching as the tablet turned into motes of blue light and compass like bar essentially appeared in the upper section of my vision. That being the only thing that appeared. Though I'm also in bumfuck nowhere so if I'm going to survive I'll need tools and to establish a home camp.

With that in mind I got to collecting any loose stones or sticks, noticing in the lower left of my vision a counter of the materials on me appearing. Each time I touched one it turned into motes of blue lights and entered my bag adding onto a weight counter that appeared. When I wondered why that was, the tablet reappeared within my hands with the HUD like elements disappearing from view. On the screen there was an explanation pulled up in a help section of the tablet.

[Outsider Information Tab:

Outsider Gathering: Outsiders who have been brought to this world by the forgotten Ancient Pals of the @#+$! era are granted several perks. Gathering by Outsiders has been observed to be a spatial phenomenon of where materials they gather simply disappeared. Outsiders also seem able to carry more than usual with the Palsium in the air strengthening their bodies over time.

Outsider Crafting: Outsiders have been observed to be able to use the Palsium in the air to craft objects. As they seemingly meld or turn other objects into something else within a limited capacity. An Outsider creating a bed had been seen turning plant fiber into regular woolen bed, bed sheets, blankets, and a pillow. However, they could not seemingly just turn it into regular wool on command only when crafting a bed. Outsider's also seem to instinctively know a wide array of crafting recipes.

Outsider Ocular Ability: Between Outsiders there has been a noticed difference in the eyes. Most Outsiders have regular eyes like any other survivor or settler, yet there are the rare few Outsiders with glowing eyes. Those with glowing eyes can reportedly see whenever they use the Palsium in the air, or the Palsium energy radiating from Paldium Engineering.

Outsider Survival Instincts: Outsiders come from a wide array of backgrounds before they end up in our world. Yet every single one has one crucial thing ingrained into them even if they never utilized it before, survival instincts. Outsider's are surprisingly adept in combat and flexible enough to dodge most attacks. When engaged in combat they have been noted to become more blood thirsty and focused; even if they've never fought before in their lifetime.

Outsider Tablet: Whenever an Outsider washes up in our world, they ALWAYS wash up along a beach, near them is a tablet only they can see and utilize. This tablet collects information from our world and stores it, with each Outsider only expanding on its data banks. This feature seems to quickly catch up those called Outsiders with our world and the creatures called Pals that inhabit it.]

After I finished reading what all it had pulled up for me, I watched as it disappeared when I thought of storing it. Putting that crafting information to use I watched as a blue outline of a "Primitive Workbench" appeared with my seemingly special eyes. Moving the outline moved as well so with it in my vision still I headed up to where the ruined building was. Upon my arrival I saw a broken and destroyed church with an anthropomorphic canine statue within it. Looking at it I knew this statue to be a "Statue of Power." It could seemingly help actively improve my body with souls of deceased Pals, improve my ability to capture Pals, and commune with the world for assistance in finding something.

Touching the crumbling walls of the church, I locked the workbench in place against a wall near the front entrance. Then seemingly from nowhere as I went to build it, a hammer made of Palsium itself materialized just this once. The materials I had been stocking up were being used to create the workbench and its tools. Tools I then used to craft a "Repair Bench" as it was called, the energy in the air literally helping me by fusing the wood and stones together to create it. With the two stations now built near each other I used the crafting station to create stone tools like an axe and pickaxe. With an assortment of tools then either leaning against the church wall or attached to my bag.

I headed out to collect materials to fix up the main church building and build a proper dwelling. Running into several Pals along my way, and finding a "Basic Pal Sphere," as my weird new knowledge called it, laying on the ground. My bag contained an assortment of lumber, stone, ore, Paldium fragments, and plant fiber when I picked it up and spotted a bird in the distance. My new knowledge identifies it as a Nitewing, and if I'm seeing things right it was starved and trying to eat a Lamball. Seeing the Lamball fleeing right towards me I grabbed it as it ran by, lifting the struggling ball of wooly fuzz off the ground with surprising ease.

Turning towards the Nitewing I held the struggling creature with one hand over my head, presenting the blue sphere. Saying nothing as I gazed at the dangerous avian as it approached with barely a noise from its wings. Offering the struggling lamb to it the bird's eyes were curious yet cautious though that's forgotten as soon as it ripped into the creature's flesh. Spilling blood and guts as the avian's beak tore into the lamb. Sitting and watching the Nitewing I waited patiently, watching as with each bit of flesh or organs devoured the creature visibly became healthier.

When it was done feasting the only thing left was the wool, which wrapped itself up as I touched it before disappearing. Looking at the now healthier avian I held out the sphere silently as a proposition. It glanced at me before inclining its head and bumping the sphere. Turning into a stream of blue light being sucked into the sphere as it opened like a twist toy then closing and shaking. Before flashing blue and a small icon of my new friend's face appeared with a sex symbol signaling they were female. Looking at the sphere I held it out and from a streak of light Nitewing reappeared.

Looking around she eventually looked at me and I asked her something seeing that my weight limit was almost reached.

"Nitewing, do you think if I made a pallet with rope vines that you could help me transport materials back to my, well ours now, camp?"

The large avian tilts her head before seemingly checking herself over, once done she answered with a nod of her head. Smiling, I got to trying out field crafting, making a very simple but sturdy walled pallet with ropes made of plant fibers attached to it. Loading it up with a few more materials, I had Nitewing take them to the church. She luckily knew where that was as it was the only ruin seemingly in this area. While she flew there I walked and climbed about until a good bit had passed. Seeing the sun setting slowly as I arrived home I got to work. My vision is filled with outlines of several things snapping into place as I get to building up my home. The energy in the air hummed with each movement I made with my tools.

The ruined church became once more a solid stone building with the makings of a home dwelling inside it. An enclosed perch with a nest up in the rafters, leading inside and outside of it for Nitewings roost was also made. While I sat in a chair near a stone cooking pot over a fire making a mushroom and meaty soup. Nitewing had given me a Chikipi she'd hunted for the meat. Butchering the deceased Pal was unnervingly simple due to the knowledge implanted into me by whatever sent me here. After eating my supper and heading to bed, I passed by a crate containing dozens of basic spheres. After all, I had plans for tomorrow in getting some more hands to help get my camp self-sufficient.