“Huh?” We look at each other with Harald, dropping his batch of sticks.

  “Mike? What the heck?” After rushing towards the group I ask the tall guy still grasping for his breath.

  Shiny metal gear and weapons, some of them golden, some of them silver, some rusty. Various metals lay on the ground and occupy my sight right away.

  “These were floating in the river caught on the nearby edge.” Mike explains.

  So Nathalie was surprised by the items?

  “Por que isso aparece do nada?” (Why did this appear out of the thin air!) She continues to ask, waving her arms in front of her.

  “Fwoosh, thud”

  Harald takes out the rack stacked with plastic boxes filled with warm fox meat, minding his own business, preparing for the night, not stepping into the discussion with Nathalie. Brief examination and he seems uninterested in the trinkets.

  “Você também?!” (You too?!) The woman continues to scream at the old man.

  “Acalme, acalme-se!” (Calm down!) Mike steps in and we can finally hear his basic language skills.

  “If she is a native or not, we need to find out.” He says to us.

  “Afirmar Stats.” (Say “Stats”) Mike gesticulates while slowly opening his mouth and mimicking how to say word stats properly at her.

  “Guys, step aside!” Astrid suggests looking at both me and Harald.

  “Stats?” Nat repeats aloud and clumsily.

  “Oh meu Deus! Que diabos!” (Oh my god! What the hell!)

  Despite being the most skilled warrior among us, she is completely unaware of the system.

  We are finally moving forward.

  I relocate quickly closer to Astrid by making a few huge steps. Sitting near her, carefully to avoid crushing her, a lean over cluster of bamboos she is leaning over.

  “So now we know. She is just like us, yet if unaware of the stats window, that means inventory too.” We chat.

  “I wondered why she had those pouches, look behind her waist, why risking to lose it, also that weapon.” Astrid wonders.

  “But, if she never used the inventory and stats screen that must mean that she must be hearing dinging after all the fights here. I bet that she was trying to save me from Harald’s execution because she never died.” I speculate further.

  “Yeah, but Markus, are you wondering what freaking level she might be?” Astrid continues.

  “She destroyed those apes with ease all alone and managed to survive for god knows how many years.” I continue.

  I zone out for a moment, realizing she might have not one but even two special bonus powers available as she probably never spent a point. I wonder if Mike will come up with a solution for her.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  “You said, she was watching us for some time, maybe not all the time, as she was unaware of the deaths, but she must definitely know what a car is. Didn’t Mike say she has been here since she was little?” I ask.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care anymore.” Sudden shift in her mood as I mention Mike.

  “Yeah.” I gulp and we sit there quietly for a moment, focusing on listening to the wilderness and wind.

  I notice Astrid closes her eyes too and tries to filter Mikes and Nats mumbling as he tries to explain and sort some stuff, Harald grunts meanwhile, tying bamboo together with some strings.

  I sigh. Breathing out deeply I say.

  “Aren’t you afraid to sleep and chill while there is not so far from us a large ape sleeping? A shiver runs down my back when I recall its expression and face and eyes.”

  “No. The sooner I’m gone the sooner I can walk on my own. Honestly Mark, when the thing attacks I will buy you more time by throwing myself in.” She responds with her eyes still closed.

  Harald meanwhile relocates to the pile and Mike approves with a simple nod, that he can checkout the metalwork he just brought. Old man picks up stuff like mace, dagger, small shield and a helmet, and checks them from close proximity. He uses manual pumping his flashlight at the lowest power level, to check some of the stuff.

  Even from a distance I can tell that all the findings are rusting and falling apart.

  I gulp and let my head fall backwards against the bamboo cluster, breathing out the fresh air and thinking if I should join him or continue with Astrid here.

  “When I died a second time as Pocco suggested, I found myself in this strange Arabian styled quarry, it was definitely somewhere in the middle of the desert. Strangely, I did not feel alone. I felt like I was in the center of the universe.”

  “You know, like when you’re listening to the old recording of a concert from a decade ago, yet you forget about it after some time, you feel the crowd, you feel the music and suddenly you think that you’re somewhere important.”

  “Yes.” She answers uninterested with her eyes closed.

  Am I annoying her? Or am I overthinking? I remain quiet for a few seconds.

  “Continue.” She adds.

  A smile appears on my face.

  “Those tall walls around me, I had to scale them somehow if I wanted to enter one of the many rooms scattered around. Using my Focus I managed to jump and hook myself in.”

  She listens eyes closed.

  “Then in the first room, there was a basin with a crystal clear liquid. I reached in with my hands and they melted off complet…”

  “God, Mark!” The girl suddenly wakes and looks at me from the side.

  “But the painkiller acid, it was still in effect right?” She asks worriedly.

  “No, it wasn’t.” I answer.

  She touches my hand for a brief moment.

  “Then after I somehow managed to use the painkiller acid and decided to drink the liquid, it worked. I remember that I died afterwards and got back here.”

  “I wasn’t sure if I would die permanently or get back to earth afterwards and wake up in my bed at home. But what is both frightening and exciting, is that I secretly wanted to get back here.”

  I confess to the red haired girl.

  “Despite being a burden and a cripple I feel the same.” She shows compassion, yet I’m not sure if she means it or not.

  “Then, I got my power and so far I learnt that I can use it once a day for a few seconds and it increases the stat I’m currently using to 333.” I continue explaining.

  “That's a lot! Do you think it is upgradeable?” She asks.

  “Definitely.” I answer with certainty.

  “Good craftsmanship, horrible condition, kind of small too.” Old man joins us and reports his findings.

  “Since we would rather not make any extra noise and light I’m gonna tell you a good night.”

  He adds and throws a berry in his mouth, popping it before sleep.

  “Good night Astrid.” I say quietly and stand up as I can see Mike and Nat approaching.

  “Good night!” Nathalie says out loud and gets into her tent.

  “Nice job Mike.” Harald notes and everyone goes to their place.

  “Oof, oof, oof. Oof. Forty. Oof, oof, oof, oof…”

  “Fifty.”

  I’m awakened right away by grunting and strong blowing. Raising my head a bit I notice Mike crouching in the nearby bushes. His small eye lurks and focuses in the distance down into the small canyon where the river is flowing.

  Astrid speaks quietly with Pocco, wasting his daily summon right at the start of the day.

  On the contrary, I didn't even use mine yesterday.

  That sound of a river is telling me one thing: I want a bath, drink and I will finally get some serious protection; the armor of a lecherous knight.

  Crawling out of my makeshift place I decide to head towards the river.

  “Ninety-three.”

  *Ding*

  “Huh?” The old man stops suddenly, frowning.

  “Did anyone hear that too? The level notification.” He asks all sweaty and standing up, breaking his streak.

  “No, not me.” I answer him shaking my head.

  “Uh-uh.” Astrid shakes her head.