The river was black as soon as Frieda and I reached the section she’d originally shown me. That was not a good sign. The moon was shining, but the water didn’t reflect it much. It was too dark now for that. Instead, the water glowed an eerie red as I ran beside it.

I sprinted up the riverbank, with Frieda on my back, holding on for dear life. She had the better nightvision, so I was hoping she could be the early warning system for me, if need be. But as we ran up the river, all I saw was the dark glow of the blood river, and the complete emptiness of the environment.

I mean, even when it’s night time, water sources should have life around them at some point. And yet, the night was creepy in its silence, as though the dark had suppressed the noises of the night life. Not even the hoot of an owl was heard, just the trickling of the dark river, and the thumping of my heart in my chest as I traveled upstream.

Would Karavos even survive at this point?

The moon was high in the sky, so it’d been a significant amount of time since I’d discovered him. And could a level 17 dinosaur even heal a behemoth like him?

Only one way to find out. And that way was to try.

Finally, Frieda and I reached the bend in the river that would lead us straight to the fallen titan. If he was still alive. I sprinted forward, unable to see him in the darkness.

Suddenly, the gorlen pulled back on my neck, squeaking frantically.

I didn’t hesitate, dashing immediately into the trees nearby. Then, I peered out, slowly creeping forward to see the titan, and whatever she’d discovered. Then I saw Karavos, laying near the waterfall, his body covered in bloody pustules and his tan skin broken with patches of wet blackness.

I had to get to him, but what had Frieda seen?

I crept further through the trees towards the titan, and that’s when I spotted it. Three figures stood before the body of the gigantic beast, one striking his fist against something else in his hand.

“Heda yun, Barlan!”

Oh. These three. What was that, “Hurry up, Barlan”?

Well, now that I knew it was them, my guesstimation translation had begun. The figure continued striking his other hand, and spat back his sassy remark.

“Shut up, Shella!”

Great comeback, kid.

The other squire snatched something out of his hands, and as I moved further forward, I could see that it was a stick of some kind.

“Hand it over,” she said, her hand resting on her hip. Santa himself was walking around the outside of Karavos’ diseased body.

Barlan sighed dramatically, and passed over whatever he’d had in his hands. With two clicks, Shella had a spark, and lit fire to the stick she’d nabbed.

Oh. A torch.

The light caught me by surprise, but I merely blinked away the marks in my eyes as I watched the three.

“Squires,” Santa said, as the other two jumped at his voice. The next line I couldn’t have translated until later on, but with the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you exactly what he said. “Fetch Titansbane.”

Shella nudged Barlan, and he turned, dashing towards me. I pressed myself against the tree, and the squire shot by me without even a glance.

Phew.

You have developed a new skill: [Sneak Lvl 1]. That squire would have to be blind to have missed you otherwise. You’re welcome.

No. I refuse to thank you, disrespectful magic boxes.

Barlan came back shortly after, holding a cloth bag wrapped around something. Santa was kicking the body of Karavos when the squire returned, which infuriated me.

Nobody treats an animal like that! Not on my watch!

I stood up to approach, before a sharp stab of pain ran through my belly. I looked down to the source, the long white scar standing out in the dark like a slice through reality.

Savage Santa would probably do the same thing to me this time.

But could I let him just abuse something that clearly had intelligence, like Karavos?

Gah!

I paced back in forth while glancing to the three humans in front of the titan. I couldn’t tell if the beast was even breathing anymore, so maybe it was best to leave?

But, if Karavos was alive, and I ever found out I’d walked away from something suffering that much, could I live with myself?

A memory flashed through my mind, a flash of light as my brain suddenly remembered something I’d somehow forgotten.

I was on the phone, crying on my bed.

Somebody was on the other side of the line.

Oh, right, it was SchlongLord’s mother. She’d called me out of the blue that day, on his phone. I answered, expecting my friend.

It was only then that I’d found out I would never be able to expect another call from that friend. Schlong had apparently been suffering from an untreatable disease for many months, and he’d never let on. His mother told me he’d been doing better the past couple weeks, which probably explained why we’d been talking so much more.

Or maybe he knew he was going to die soon. Maybe he could feel it inside. The day before, he messaged me, but I’d been out of the house running errands. By the time I’d gotten home, I was exhausted. I told him we’d talk tomorrow.

And then I’d woken up to the call from his mother.

Tears streamed down my face as I remembered the death of my friend. How had I ever forgotten it?

Well, I thought, rubbing the waterworks away. If I’ve been born into a new world, maybe he has, too.

I could only hope that Schlong was experiencing a great new life, because if anybody deserved it, it was him.

The depression from that memory hung over me as I made my decision. I grabbed Frieda, who’d been looking at me, worried. I set her down between some bushes, and patted her on the head.

Stay here.

Sure, the boxes would probably call me stupid, but inside, I was a good person. There was no changing that. For the same reason I suicide-saved Frieda, I was about to try to save Karavos. Besides, I’d already commited to the decision when I nearly died to the beetles.

If my previous life’s summary could be put down as “useless trashbag who never did anything for anybody”, then this one was going to be different.