My thoughts raced in all directions. Not for the first time did I ask myself what I had done to gain the hatred of the gods of this world. Theories went through my mind.

  Maybe the gods of this world counted some things I did back home as sins? Which, if that was the case, was unfair. No other way to say it, just unfair. Maybe the original Henry had committed sins that I had inherited? My thoughts went back to the attackers before. Maybe the gods hated Rolanders specifically?

  The creaking of wood and the rattle of gravel, which sought to claim the new free space, were all I could hear. I could barely breathe, but I kept up my grace. I didn't have night vision currently, so I must have lost the flickchain somewhere when the floor had broken under me. At least I still had my viper band. That counted as something, I told myself.

  I looked around as much as I could. My field of view was small. I could turn my face somewhat between 2 and 3 o′clock. .Any attempt to turn my face towards 11 o′clock was prevented by sharp shards digging into my temple when I tried to do so.

  I looked… up? Between the pressure all over my body, the low, to non-existent visibility, and the fact that I had been unconscious for what might have been a good amount of time, I found myself unable to tell where up and where down was. I had heard that people in a snow avalanche sometimes were unable to tell, but I had never understood why. I had read what to do in this situation. Or more accurately seen one of these “Ten Tips that might save your life” posts on social media that were like 50/50 on being accurate or actually more harm than good.

  I pressed my tongue against the bottom of my mouth, feeling my saliva slowly collect. I held my breath for a second before drooling out. The liquid dripped down my lips and over my chin. Ok. So I was currently lying on my stomach. That was progress. Any information would be good to have right now.

  What were my options?

  “You could wait till you′re dug up.”, an insidious little voice in my head said. “You were wondering if Rebecca cared, weren't you? If she does, then she′d help, right?”

  “That's a stupid argument.”, I told the voice. “Rebecca still needs me to get registered as an adventurer.”

  The voice was about to reply, but I managed to shake the thought away. These thoughts weren't helping. Not only because it relied on them finding me in time, but also on their being able to look for me. My status screen did not tell me anything about what Rebecca was up to, but for all I knew, someone might have called the guards on the five demihumans rushing out of a collapsing building, and it didn't take a genius to see how they might be considered the perpetrators.

  I couldn't rely on outside help. What else could I try?

  I certainly couldn't force my way out. I didn't know enough about statistics to tell what I could safely push away and what would fully bury me alive if I pressed against it or, even worse, might drive a sharp, broken spike into me. The thought alone sent shivers through me.

  I noticed different holes in the debris. I was no expert in debris, but these holes felt bigger than they should′ve been. This was probably related to the gods wishing me to die slowly. Were there more debris or denser-packed debris, I'd have suffocated by now or been fully crushed. But like this…. I'd most likely die of hunger or thirst before getting crushed.

  Not helping. I looked at some of the holes formed in the debris. Someone small, like Simon, might′ve been able to squeeze through there. The gears turned in my head. So, someone flexible could most likely as well.

  Flexible.

  I could hear Rebecca's voice in my head. “One of the five core breaths.” She pointed at her head. “Seated in the head, the Energy Core of Water governs change and flexibility.” But you′re right, it doesn't show up in my skills at all.”

  It was a long shot. No, not even that, it was an astronomically long shot. But I had no skills to save me, no items capable of tunneling, no nothing. And this wasn't a skill, but something Rebecca and presumably others as well could perform on their own. So with nothing else I could do, I closed my eyes.

  Rebecca had used her Water core in my presence; it had something to do with her breathing. What was the matter with the core? It was in her head, what was the relation? Did I need to feel the core to learn the breathing, or did I need to know the correct breathing so I could create a core? Was a core something everybody had? Was the whole thing maybe only available to demihumans in the first place? What if it was JUST Rebecca who could do this? If either of the latter two answers were true, I was in an even more dire state.

  I focused on water, rivers, oceans, lakes, rain, and water taps, trying to channel the energy of water. But all that did was make me feel like I had to use the toilet.

  What else was there… Water had no solid form, unless frozen. Water could break a fall, yet break someone apart if they fell onto it from a higher height. You could cut with water and stop bullets. Water…

  No, this wasn't the right way. It didn't feel right. That didn't need to mean anything; it might have been right.

  But it didn't feel right.

  All these thoughts felt like trying to push a mound of dirt up a hill.

  I took a breath, as big as my surroundings allowed me. My lungs were filled, and I felt my heart begin to beat faster as I kept holding my breath. Then I slowly let the air go. Slowly, ever so slowly, letting the last whisps of air out of my lungs.

  Another deep breath.

  “I'm water.”, I thought to myself. I began letting the air out again, and this time I focused on releasing all the tension I could. Water had no tension. Water just fit wherever it was. I gently pushed myself forward, careful to use as little movement as I could, slowly and methodically pushing and seeking a new foothold.

  My shoulder tensed up as a piece of debris shifted under my otherwise loosening tension. It had caught itself in my tunic. As I moved forward, the debris shifted and shifted further, and my shoulder painfully pressed back. I pushed the air out of my lungs, tucked in my stomach, and my body shifted by just half an inch, enough for the wood that had pinned me to scrape past my shoulder, tearing a hole through my tunic in the process and freeing me.

  I was sure that I had managed to move a full three inches. Depending on who you asked, three inches was a lot. Or a little.

  Time passed as I made my path through the debris, focusing on moving slowly, body relaxed as much as I could, always water in mind, trying my very best to breathe like Rebecca had when she changed her fingers into claws. I felt sharp wooden pieces scrape along my back.

  How far had I managed to move? A foot? Two feet? Was I almost out? As I pulled my arm towards my body, my fingers scraped against something metallic—a thin chain of some sort. I closed my fingers around it and, as I moved my hand upwards, pocketed it.

  When my fingers moved forward, I had to stop and take a breath. How long had I been at this? Every muscle in my body was sore, and scrapes and scratches began building up all over me.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  But I couldn't stop. “Water.”; I whispered to myself as I tried to control my breathing. “I'm water.”

  I had formed some sort of routine. I'd pull my arms to my body as well as I could, looked around where I could move with the least amount of debris, and pushed towards it, moving slowly, listening to any movement in the materials so I wouldn't dislodge something and get buried further. Then I'd push against as much material as needed to squeeze through.

  Once, I pulled on a chunk of rock that laid before me, and I lost my support, my midsection giving in and slumping down, my stomach hitting a piece of rebar, and if not for the chainmail, Id have been impaled. The metal tip still managed to touch me through the rings of the mail. A sound somewhere between a grunt and a whimper left my throat.

  How much further did I have to go? I could barely keep my eyes open, every muscle ached, every joint screamed under the pressure and weight of what was around me. I let my head slump onto a board in front of me, not caring bout the splinters in my forehead or the scrapes already on it, just breathing slowly.

  “I don't wanna die.”, I whispered to myself. “I gotta go on. G-” A piece of brick under me pressed into my stomach, making breathing hard. I forced air into my lungs. “Got to be water.”. I told myself. “I got to be water. Flexible. Gotta-”

  I heard movement above me. Someone was going through the debris. Attention, how could I get their attention? I needed to give some form of signal. Something unnatural. Screaming was out, and I barely got enough air in my stomach to breathe. I moved my fingers around until they found a wooden board. Now, was it short then long then short, or long then short then long?.

  KnockKnockKnock. Knock Knock Knock KnockKnockKnock

  Drumm had mentioned a Rolander who was most likely a soldier or military engineer, or something along those lines. Hell, maybe just a military fanboy who knew his stuff. There was a chance the people of this world had heard morsing before. Then they′d understand my attempts at an SOS signal. Alternatively, these knocks were clearly unnatural enough, right? They had to come from a person, right?

  I continued knocking for a small while. Trying to be as loud as I could with it to no avail. I could′ve cried when I heard the movement above me stop and step away.

  “No. Please.”, I managed to press out. “Stay. Help.”

  My heart sank. Could I just continue crawling? I hadn't been able to tell how far up the sounds above me were. I didn't even know who they were, what if they were more of the “die Rolaner” people?”

  Something moved towards me. I could hear debris being pushed away by something before I was poked in the back with a stick or pole of some sort. I breathed out, tried to be as flexible as I could as I moved my hand onto my back and, despite pain and my limited movement, managed to nudge the pole a bit. As soon as I did, the pressure stopped, and the pole was retrieved.

  I could hear more digging, now in my direction. Rescue was coming. Finally. A weak smile formed on my face. “So much for that slow death, huh, gods?”, I thought as darkness entered my consciousness more and more as I could feel my body go limp slowly.

  I came back slowly, not interrupted by any prophetic dreams or being forced in front of the gods for more ominous explanation, as, quite frankly, part of me had hoped.

  Instead, fingers were moving through my hair, slowly moving across my scalp, parting my hair between them. Fingernails gently scratched over my head. I was lying under a blanket, and my head on some sort of pillow.

  I could hear Rebecca's voice, humming a slow melody.

  You are being awakened by the melody of the Candlewick Song.

  The message appeared in my field of view even with closed eyes, without me having to open my grace, even. But finally curiosity won, and I blinked into the half dark to see where I was.

  Rebecca was sitting behind me, humming the song as a small flame burned above her wrist. When she noticed my eyes opening, she took her hand from my hair and slapped her own wrist, extinguishing the flame. Her free hand found its way back to my head.

  “Evening, sleepyhead.”, she said in a scratchy voice as her fingernails aimplessly trailed. “You gave me quite the scare.”

  From where she was sitting, my head had to be in her lap, I realised. I tried to sit up, but her free hand came to rest on my shoulder. “Don't sit up, you′ll fall if you do. You′ve been lying for a while.”

  “How long?”, I said, my voice as scratchy as hers. I don't think I could′ve moved much if I wanted to, with how sore I felt at the time.

  “A day?”, Rebecca answered. “Took us half a day to find you, probably longer had you not knocked.” Her finger made circles around the crown of my head. “They had a basement you got swept into with the debris. Her voice was filled with worry. “Had you not managed to crawl these four feet, we wouldn't have managed to find you even like that.”

  Four feet? Had I managed four feet of movement in half a day? That felt very little. I shook my head. I didn't know how long I was down. For all I knew, I had moved for just an hour or so.

  “I- I tried using a water core.”, I said. Rebecca′s ears perked up.

  “I'm not sure if it worked that well.”, she said. “I don't feel a full core in your head. But you did manage to lay some groundwork for one Id say.” After a few moments, she added, “But I can teach you how to do it properly if you'd like to. I must say I'm impressed you were able to keep your mind together for long enough to think of that.”

  “I tried being all relaxed and to move as little debris as I could.”, I told her.

  She chuckled pleasantly. “Relaxing your muscles is the first step. Well done.”

  “Where are we?”, I asked.

  “An Inn.”, Simon paid for a couple's room as thanks for saving him. It's got only one bed, a double-sized one. Soft as a cloud, I tell you.”

  “Then why are we on the ground?”, I asked.

  “Less flammable.”, she said as if that explained everything.

  We didn't say anything for a while, just allowing each other to be in the moment. Suddenly, we heard a knock on the door.

  “Can I come in?”, Emily asked. “Are you two decent?”

  “It's unlocked.”, Rebecca said.

  Emily pushed the door open. For a quick moment, something akin to jealousy flashed over her face before she stepped inside and closed the door behind herself. She walked over and sat on a chair, facing us.

  “You′re awake.”, she said happily. I only nodded in response. Emily hesitated before adding. “I was gonna stay too, but Rebecca said you′d need quiet to heal.“

  My stomach sank. “How badly was I injured?”

  “Nothing lethal or too worrisome, but a lot of smaller things at once.”, Rebecca assured me.

  Emily′s expression turned serious.

  “We figured out who these people were.”, she said.

  _________________________________________________________________________

  Current Status:

  Stats:

  Power: 2

  Agility: 1

  Toughness: 3

  Mental: 2

  Perception: 3

  Mana: N/A

  Effects:

  Overlapping Protection  Lvl. 1

  Poisonous Blood  Lvl. 1

  Protection against Natural Poison and Venom Lvl. 1

  Skills:

  [Behind every great person, there's their spouse] Lvl. 2

  [Emperors Gaze]  Lvl. 2

  [New World Mental Block]  Lvl. N/A

  Known Ritual Spells:

  [Determine Value]

  [Liquid Equilibrium]

  [Rite of True Death] (Taught Incorrectly)

  [Simple Transportation Magic]