Quick tip—and sort of a refresher, if you will—I’ve got these magic boxes that quite strongly resemble the notifications I’d receive in the old games I used to play and they give me some good information. So, if ever you want to recap exactly what mess you’ve been through, dissecting the messages you previously dismissed is a great way to do so!

I’d had a thought while my crusty eyes peeled themselves open into the awful-smelling darkness. What if I could see a notification history? I mean, I could in the real world. So, I asked the boxes if they’d show me everything that happened since my encounter with the humans.

Overall, a lot of it was useless junk. But there was a pretty interesting bit where my Health dipped to 1… and then this happened.

You have ingested [Crude Health Packet]. Your [Health] is critical! [26/380] You are [Bleeding]. You have applied [Crude Medicine]. Your [Health] is critical! [36/380] You are [Bleeding]. You are [Bleeding]. You are no longer [Bleeding]. Your [Health] is critical! [12/380] You have ingested [Crude Health Packet]. Your [Health] is critical! [37/380] You have ingested [Crude Health Packet]. Your [Health] is critical! [62/380]

So somebody was taking care of me, then. I doubted it was any of the humans. After all, they’d tried to kill me.

I struggled to wrap my mind around the fact that I didn’t die. That experience had taught me just how powerful people in this world could be.

No more aggro tactics against high-level mobs for me…

Though, despite his questionable level, Grenzer had still struggled to chase me down. I guess everyone has something they’re bad at.

For me, it was saving money. That stuff was gone before I even made it.

Ahh, the power of credit…

I refocused on the messages floating before me. Somebody had to have taken to caring for me almost immediately after I passed out. There was no other way I could’ve survived.

And this person was capable of making or stealing health packets… Were those this world’s version of potions?

Bleeding certainly did a lot of damage, too—which is reasonable in real-world scenarios—about twelve health per tick, if my math was right. And there were a lot of ticks. But it seemed as though after that effect had passed, I was able to regenerate health on my own. I was full up now, anyway.

I thanked my lucky stars that this person—whoever they were—had been around to save me. It seemed exceptionally convenient, though, and I grew a bit suspicious. I’d been safe until now, fully concealed in my cave known only to me and the gorlen…

It was then that the stench I’d been smelling wafted into my nostrils, something lightly tickling my nose. I dismissed the boxes and sneezed.

Then I looked around to determine what the offending particle was. As I moved my head, I felt the same tickling sensation flow across my face. When I looked up, the darkness suddenly broke, and I could see the cave roof, dappled with soft patches of light.

So why the hell did I think it was still nighttime before?

Because a ball of fur sat in front of me, tucked neatly up into a fluffy ball and pressed against my chest. Where my head had been curled up, the gorlen now spread out cutely on its back.

The light coming in through the leaves hit his body, barely illuminating the dark fur, and he snored lightly, his chest rising and falling at a slow and steady rate.

He was snoozin’.

The little guy was adorable. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him. He reminded me of my friend Micah’s cat, Sphinx.

Then I breathed in the stench once more.

Ick!

I pushed away from the gorlen, sliding off my nest and across the rush floor.

A light giggle sounded out from behind me, and I jumped in surprise, spinning around and baring my teeth.

Hey, bad dino habits, what can you do?

Sorry, more like, “I’ve been suffering regularly in a new world and almost nothing has been friendly yet” habits, what can you do?

Sitting near the entrance of the cave, on a chair made of woven sticks and roots, was a girl. Locks of luscious green hair cascaded down from her head, interwoven with feathers, flowers, and jewels. Her blue eyes sparkled in the dim light, her radiant smile warming my heart. She wore a white dress, trimmed with a silver lining. It cinched around her waist but hung freely over the end of the chair. One pale leg rested over another, her naked foot swinging playfully.

Instantly, my guard dropped, and I felt a bit embarrassed about how I’d acted. Clearly, this had been my savior.

But… who was she?

The green-haired girl giggled again, probably because my confused expression didn’t suit a giant lizard very well. Then, she smiled widely, and a playful voice echoed through the cave.

[I can see why she likes you!]

Wait. No… that hadn’t echoed through the cave… Her mouth hadn’t moved at all. But… I’d heard a voice, happy and pure.

Did she just use telepathy or something?? And who likes me?

The girl’s smile grew wider, and I heard her voice once again.

[Why, your little friend over there, of course!] She gestured to my nest, where the gorlen snoozed happily.

Wait… The gorlen is a girl?!

The stranger’s smile grew wider.

[Yes, she is.] Her expression turned to one of curiosity. [I was intrigued when she came to me, begging for help. And for a predator that would normally eat her, no less!]

Hang on, she didn’t just read my mind… did she? If that was the case, then… I slammed my eyes shut hard.

Don’t think about the hard drive! Don’t think about the hard drive!

Her melodious laughter rang out again.

[No need to worry, virtuous one, I cannot read your mind. Only your emotions.]

My shoulders sank in relief as I glanced back to her.

[You are… not like others of your kind, are you?]

She stood up, her bare feet tapping on the floor as she walked to me. Then she bent down slightly to run her hands lightly across my body, first down my spine, and then under my belly where the knife had pierced.

[It seems you’ve recovered completely! Then,] she said, turning towards the exit. [My job here is done. See you around, virtuous one.]

I growled a little bit, not wanting her to leave just yet. After all, she was the first friendly person I'd actually been able to communicate with. Scratch that. She'd been the first person I'd been able to communicate with at all.

“Raag.”

She spun back to me, her lips pressed together into a playful smile. [Yes? What is it?]

I wanted to thank her for healing me, to pay her back somehow, but I couldn’t think of anything I had that she might want.

Do you accept credit?