Water Source

Following the humans I encountered earlier today, I made my way through the cave, my mind buzzing with the possibilities of what I might discover. If humans are in this world, there's got to be something important up there. Maybe even something I can use to my advantage. But as I continued to follow their footsteps, I found myself facing an unexpected challenge—a huge swamp biome.

"Fuck, I can't go across," I mutter, staring at the vast expanse of water stretching out before me. The entire ground is covered in murky water, with no solid land in sight. Dangerous creatures could be lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for an easy meal. And let's face it—right now, I'd be a pretty easy meal.

This biome is going to be a real problem for me. The thing is, as a worm, I can't swim. It's not like I've got flippers or anything. I'm built for burrowing through dirt, not gliding through water. On Earth, I remember learning to swim as a kid. I splashed around in a pool a few times, but as I got older, I never really used those swimming skills again. I preferred staying indoors, playing games, watching shows, writing—basically anything that didn't involve getting wet.

"Maybe I should've gone outside more, tried new things… Nah, who am I kidding?"

But here I am, facing a swamp that I have no way of crossing. And unlike in a game, I can't just hit a respawn button if I mess up. One wrong move, and I'm a goner. There's no way I'm diving into that water without a plan. I need to find another way across, something that doesn't involve getting eaten by whatever's lurking down there.

With a sigh, I decide to backtrack. There's got to be a different path, maybe even something useful nearby. A monster that's good in water would be ideal—something with high HP so I don't just keel over as soon as I try to take control.

"I need myself a high HP and a good swimmer. A tanky aquatic monster… a turtle! Yeah, a turtle would be perfect."

But where do I find a turtle in this cave? I've seen a lot of strange creatures down here, but no turtles so far. If there's a swamp, there's got to be a lake or a pond somewhere nearby. Maybe that's where the water creatures hang out.

My [Detect] skill is still at level 2, and honestly, I'm not sure how to level it up other than by using it. I've been trying to get the hang of it, but it's slow going. Still, there's got to be a way to put it to use.

"Think… How do creatures find water? They've got to drink from somewhere, right?"

Then it hits me—why not follow the creatures around here? They must have a water source they go to. If I can find that, I might just find my turtle. With that thought in mind, I start stalking the local fauna. It's not exactly exciting work, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing.

"Where are you going, little bat?" I whisper to myself as I trail a small bat fluttering along the cave ceiling. I follow it for what feels like ages, hoping it'll lead me to a nice, big underground lake or something. But when it finally stops, I realize my plan's a bust. The bat—and from the looks of it, every other creature around here—drinks water from the stalactites on the cave ceiling. Droplets of water drip down slowly, just enough to keep these creatures hydrated.

"Seriously? This was your water source? I need a lake, not a leaky ceiling!"

I can't help but feel a little deflated. This plan isn't going to get me across the swamp. But at least I've learned something useful for next time. There's water somewhere in this cave, even if it's just from the stalactites. It's a small victory, but I'll take it.

For now, it looks like I'm back to square one. But I'm not giving up yet. There's got to be a way to cross that swamp, and I'm going to find it—even if it means crawling through every inch of this cave.