Palworld; Rhea's Odyssey

Chapter 02: Is an Unlikely Foe

The sun had already set, and the cool night air was blowing across the island. The chill from the ocean breeze made it quite cold, which meant that both humans and their Pals needed to keep themselves warm. The environment was so quiet at night that Rhea felt more paranoid about being alone.

Rhea worked tirelessly near her campfire to acquire more materials and create necessary items. Though she felt lonely, she remained focused on her survival routine. Thanks to the notes and schematics left by Chloe, Rhea was able to learn new skills and improve her chances of staying alive.

Based on the notes, an unusual form of energy was discovered on the Palpagos Islands, which was infused in a mysterious type of ore known as Paldium fragments. Human survival depended upon the ability to harness this power. By using Paldium fragments, Rhea could create weapons and other gadgets to improve her quality of life, albeit slightly. She could craft a Pal Sphere, a magical orb that could capture and tame weakened Pals.

After spending some time crafting, she managed to create a few essential tools and weapons. She first made a wooden axe and pickaxe to gather materials more efficiently. The axe was used for chopping down trees to obtain lumber, while the pickaxe was used to mine ore from the giant stones scattered across the land. These stones sometimes contained a small amount of Paldium fragments.

Regarding weapons, she had fashioned a wooden club for fighting Pals in the wilderness and a simple bow and arrow to assist her in taking down Pals from a distance. She admitted that she did not know how to use the bow, but she created one regardless and would practice until she became more proficient. She recalled the sensation of hitting the Cattiva earlier and did not enjoy it much. Therefore, for the time being, she had decided that the club would be her primary weapon of choice.

She had constructed several useful items, including a workbench where she could concentrate on crafting, a repair bench to mend any damaged tools and a few Pal spheres. Though she wasn't sure how she felt about capturing Pals and wasn't certain if it would be as effortless as Chloe had suggested in her notes, she was open to giving it a try.

She had devised a plan to get as much sleep as possible. As soon as the first light appeared on the horizon, she would wake up and search for a more suitable location to work from. She wanted to find a secluded space that only she could access, which was easily accessible and could store a sufficient amount of materials.

She was excited about exploring new things and wondered if she had an adventurer's spirit.

As the night progressed, she started feeling exhausted from all the activities. Her eyes began to feel heavy and kept closing involuntarily. Eventually, she found herself lying on the ground, snuggled up close to the campfire for warmth. Before she knew it, she was drifting off into a deep sleep.

*** Later that night ***

Rhea hadn't been sleeping for long when she heard noises that began to stir her from her sleep.

Are those...footsteps I hear?

As she listened carefully, the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder until she could hear people talking along with them.

"Shh! Keep it down. Do you want to wake her up? She should be around here somewhere," a frustrated voice whispered.

Rhea suddenly sat up and peered into the darkness, trying to locate the source of the voices. However, she could not see much of anything due to the overwhelming brightness of the campfire. Her eyes had trouble adjusting to the thick darkness of the night.

While she strained her eyes to make out something, a silhouette appeared and disappeared in the shadows. Suddenly, a massive body hurled itself at her, and she was tackled to the ground. When she looked up, she saw a large man with a wooden club in his hands. Behind him was a smaller, skinny man holding a bow and arrow. Unlike Rhea, this man seemed to know how to handle the weapon.