Nate's defensive posture turned into one where he covered himself embarrassed by his nakedness.

The woman said something under her breath. Her smiling face shifted to one of thought for a moment before going back to normal. She stood at the entrance of the small room with a set of leather clothes in her hands.

"Sorry, I didn't think you would be in the shower already. I brought some fresh clothes for you. The ones you had on looked pretty bad," Sky said while not taking her eyes off Nate. She was still clothed in her full-body covering leather garb but the fact that she was in the room when Nate was naked sent his brain tumbling.

He just stood there watching her. His heart hadn't even beaten this fast during all the times he almost died. Sky laid the clothes down on top of his others Nate had left sitting on the small table just outside the doorway.

"Need someone to help washing your back?" Sky asked her cheeks blushing red as she took a step toward Nate.

Nate felt the blood rush from his head to other parts of his body at the thought of the woman getting in the shower with him. His reaction caused Sky's smile to shine the brightest so far.

"ummm...umnn..., " Nate was choking on his words. He wanted to scream "hell yes", but nothing was coming out of his mouth. His lack of experience with women fell to his instincts as he was about to open his mouth to speak.

Sky giggled, "You really are pretty cute. I'm just giving you a hard time. Finish your shower and I'll see you in a bit."

She turned and left the shower room.

Nate practically collapsed against the wall of the shower as she left. In his life, he had never had an experience like what just happened. He was well aware of the nature of relations between men and women, but knowledge of the mechanics didn't equate to actual experience. He had such limited close contact with women that any sexual interaction was outside of his normal. Rod did say several times that this tribe was friendly. Did he mean friendly in that regard the entire time?

Several of Nate's conversations with Rod flashed through his head. I'm stupid. Nate realized the hints we're everywhere, but his inexperience in these things caused him to not recognize what was happening. Things finally started clicking in place.

"That fucking greasy old man. I bet he is doing something with that woman now. That's why he didn't worry about leaving me behind or if I would be alright getting into the tribe, “ Nate thought as he wrapped up his shower. It felt great to be clean for once, but his mind had never left the woman that had surprised him minutes before.

After allowing himself to drip dry for a moment, Nate moved out of the room and grabbed the clothes on the table. He saw movement across the bedroom and instantly went on high alert. The clothes tumbled to the floor. Nate froze as he looked at the bed.

Sky was spread out on the bed’s beast furs completely naked with a spectacular smile on her face.

"You really are just as tense as Rod described," she giggled, "Why don't you come over here and let me help with that tension?"

Sky's exposed breasts jiggled as she laughed at Nate. Nate's heart exploded and he died.

Or at least that's what he felt like happened. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and his wild boar was going on a rampage between his legs. The sight in front of him now was just as wonderful as when he had seen his first sunset. Maybe more spectacular.

"Beautiful," was all that came out of Nate's mouth. His feet had already carried him toward the side of the bed without his realizing it. The closer he got to the bed the more spectacular the woman in front of him looked.

Sky was propped up on her side with her fit legs slightly spread apart revealing glimpses of her most private area. Her slim waist flowed smoothly up to a pair of breasts that were each twice the size of Nate's balled-up fist.

Her short black hair framed her feminine face with the four grey marks on her forehead slightly shimmering under the glow of the fungus on the ceiling.

"Are you going to stop staring and get on this bed with me? Or do I need to pull you down here myself, " Sky said while reaching for Nate then pulling him onto the bed. She didn’t give me a chance.

He didn't put up any resistance.

*************

Hours later, Nate woke up from a sleep while lying on the bed next to a sleeping naked woman. Oh shit. Sky had completely taken control of the situation in the bed which allowed Nate to mostly conceal his lack of experience. He knew that she had been the one controlling the action. He just followed along without much concern. It was one of the most pleasurable experiences in his life.

He glanced at Sky's uncovered body once more. He wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Using his full physical ability, he maneuvered himself off the bed. As his feet touched the cold stone floor, Nate turned to check on Sky. She was still asleep. But why is she here?

In the heat of the moment, Nate's mind had only been on one thing, regardless of his ability to think about two different things with his [Duality] skill. When a starving man sees food, he rarely thinks of the consequences of eating it. Nate knew. He had lived it and almost died of poisoning. Now that things had settled down, Nate couldn't understand what interest the woman held in him. Where was the poison? Nate didn't hold his looks in such high regard that it would draw a woman in so quickly. For her to be so sexually aggressive, there must have been some reason. From Nate’s limited experience, women didn’t act this way.

"What's done is done,” Nate thought as he walked into the shower. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed the amenity.

His head was resting against the wall with water flowing down his back. The feeling was very calming on his mind.

[Level has increased by 1]

Level 21. Nate didn't understand how a shower could increase his level but he accepted it anyway and continued relaxing. Over his travels with Rod, he had experienced several level and stat increases in the short amount of time due to Rod's help. He honestly felt a lot stronger than before he left his cave. Even some of his skills had seen a boost. Nate's anticipation for a second class continued to grow. He would definitely gain some more skills soon.

__________________________

Name: Nathaniel Redsun

Level: 21 (Exp. 9/2100)

Health: 130/130

Energy: 120/120

Primary Class: Calm Survivor (Level 23)

Class Skills:

Survivor’s Need (Passive) (Level 19)

Survivor’s Awareness (Passive) (Level 23)

Survivor’s Resistance (Passive) (Level 22)

Secondary Class: None

Stats:

Speed: 36 Agility: 33

Stamina: 42 Strength: 36

Intelligence: 27 Perception: 28

Wisdom: 25 Will: 26

Stat Points Available: 5

General Skills:

Silent Presence (Passive) (Level 21)

Dark Vision (Passive)(Level 20)

Pain Resistance (Passive)(Level 29)

Bleeding Resistance (Passive)(Level 26)

Infection Resistance (Passive)(Level 24)

Poison Immunity (Passive)(Level 3)

Burn Resistance (Passive)(Level 8)

Fear Resistance (Passive)(Level 17)

Archer’s Sight (Passive)(Level 29)

Duality (Passive)(Level 15)

Identify (Active)(Level 18)

Forceful Throw (Active)(Level 13)

Sleep Resistance (Passive)(Level 4)

Concussion Resistance (Passive)(Level 6)

__________________________

Nate was only a small step away from his second class. Maybe at Level 25. Nate looked at his user interface again. Probably a good idea to increase my mental stats after tonight. Nate put three points in intelligence and two points in Wisdom. Like that will help.

After a few minutes of resting against the wall, Nate felt hands slide across his back and around his waist in an embrace.

"Why are you awake?" Sky asked as her hands began to roam down from Nate's waste, “You will need your rest for the party tomorrow."

Nate felt her breasts press up against his back with the water flowing between him and her. Nate needed to know what he had gotten himself involved with. An unknown danger did not play well for plans of action.

"I have lived in this wilderness for almost a year entirely by myself. I had no knowledge of the world outside of a city factory and I had very limited resources. But I survived, “ Nate said solemnly. "I do not want much. Now, I just to live according to my own wishes."

The woman's roaming hands had stopped halfway through Nate's speech. They were now resting on his hips.

"I don't know why you are doing this, but I think that I will help you if I can," Nate said seriously turning around to face her, “It is simply what I would like to do. My thoughts may change, but for now, I’ll listen.” He couldn't say that he was in love with this woman. He didn’t even know enough about her to know if he even liked her. However, he did feel some connection to her, even though it was mostly the lust he felt for her body.

Sky's lovely smile was completely gone from her face. Her pale gray eyes started up into his as she slowly spoke, "Rod said you didn’t know much.”

Nate hadn’t expected that type of response, but he continued to listen. Her hands had fallen away from Nate. She shook her head and continued, “The Greyfor Tribe is a matriarchal tribe. All Elders are women. However, our personal power also includes the strength of our man."

"So, you need me in order to get power in your tribe. Why?" Nate asked not waiting for her to continue. He wasn't exactly pleased with being used but this woman had just given him one hell of a time in bed. I wish Rod would have given me some sort of warning.

"It's mostly related to your friend, Rod, " Sky explained causing Nate to suck air, "Nak was the husband of one of the eight elders. He was killed by a Purpleheart tribesman well below his level while trying to protect someone. By tribal law, bringing the killer's head to a widow gives the right to become her mate in turn. It is said that this is done to keep the tribe strong. So, the party tomorrow will also be a joining ceremony between Elder Heart and Rod."

"Shit," Nate said unknowingly. Why hadn't Rod told me this? It didn't seem like that big of a deal on the surface, but he really felt played by that crazy old man. Is this why he was so focused on the big guy’s head?

"So, how are you involved?" Nate asked not making the connection. He still didn’t know why this involved him.

"Nak was my father. I am Elder Heart's daughter. I came of age after my father died so men could not ask for my hand until my mother selected a new mate or died herself. The problem is that under the Tribe’s mandate the children of Elders must mate outside of the clan to better the genetics of Greyfor. It has been this way since the founding of the tribe. If she joins with Rod tomorrow than men from outside the tribe will immediately approach her to become my mate and she will be obligated to accept one of them."

Nate was absolutely floored. What kind of shit show had he stepped into? Crazy old man and crazy-ass Outsider tribal rules. He looked at Sky. They were still standing completely naked together in the shower.

"Why me?" Nate asked. He had a feeling that the old man had completely set him up for this whole thing from the very beginning. Making him fight off a Purpleheart tribesman, making him keep up running in the woods, teaching him how to use his weapons better for hunting and giving advice on the second class. Nate had a feeling that Rod's manipulations we're the key to everything.

"Rod said that he had brought along one of the strongest young men he had ever seen. I think that he did so in an attempt to win my mother’s affections,” Sky shrugged. “I didn't believe him so I went with my brother to pick you up in the woods. Then, you could keep up with my speed on the run back despite being slightly younger than me. My class is [Runner], you know?"

Fucking Rod. Nate's mind was on fire from the amount of rage he felt. I'm going to kill him.

Seeing Nate's face in anger, Sky grew visually upset. Nate could see her reaction and shook his head. She thinks I am mad at her. She was manipulated almost as much as me. Almost.

"I'm so sorry," Sky cried as she put her hands on Nate's chest. "I had hoped that you would show interest in me at the party and approach me yourself before the others do. But when I accidentally walked in on you in the shower. Your scars. Your body. I knew that I wanted you to be my mate."

Her face blushed and she pulled Nate into another embrace in the shower. He didn’t reciprocate. Her head buried into his chest as she squeezed tighter. Her tears mixed in with the running water. Nate was on one hell of a mental ride.

Why had he agreed to follow that crazy old man? What was he to do now that this woman seemed so attached to him? How does he get out of this situation and back to his cave?

[‘Duality’ has increased to Level 16]

The dual mental faculties he possessed were working to the limit to make sense of the situation. The fact that he was naked with a woman in a shower didn't help. His wild boar was ready for another rampage.

He gently pushed Sky away and exited the shower. Entering the bedroom, he immediately started getting dressed.

"No, you can’t leave. They will kill you," Sky cried as Nate was finishing fastening his belt.

The comment gave Nate pause. He looked at the crying woman still standing naked in the doorway of the shower. Fuck. He needed to do something to keep this from escalating any more.

[Wisdom Stat has increased by 1]

Nate walked over to the Sky to give her a hug. She sobbed then entire time.

"Sorry. I was not getting dressed to leave. I couldn't think straight with our naked bodies touching each other. Why don't you put on some clothes then explain to me why someone would kill me if I left?"

******************

After a few minutes, Sky and Nate were both fully clothed sitting at a table in the front living area of the guest house. Her face was puffy from the crying but Nate thought that it only made her cuter. Stop looking at her.

"So why would someone kill me if I left?" Nate asked seriously as he stared at his hands. Honestly, this was the only question on his mind at this point. He wanted to get as far away from this place as possible. Quickly.

With a bit of sniffle in her voice, Sky responded, "Rod has told the other Elders that you are to be his guest during the ceremonies. If you leave before the ceremony, then it could be considered an insult to Elder Heart. An insult to an Elder can be punishable by death. There are many in the tribe that would enjoy hunting down someone like you. They like hunting."

The emotionless of her voice let Nate know she wasn’t kidding. They hunt people? Nate’s head started to hurt. I’m going to kill Rod.

"Damn, what about after the ceremony?" Nate asked.

"You would be free to leave. They wouldn’t hunt you," Sky said as her head drooped down. At least she didn’t lie to keep me here. Nate could tell she was having a hard time with everything. But he wasn’t sure exactly how he felt. He was led to this tribe in want of adventure but had found himself trapped in some complex tribal system. Nate didn’t have enough information.

"What does being mates involve? I am not familiar with any of your tribe’s culture. Can you fill me in?" Nate asked spontaneously. She seemed willing to answer questions. With more information, he could make better decisions.

Nate had no clue in family matters. He had lived in many foster families with married people and marriage didn't seem to be that positive from his experience. But this tribe was nothing like life in the city. Maybe it’s completely different?

Mistaking Nate’s question for interest, Sky's face brightened. She quickly explained in an almost lecturing tone, "When the child of an elder selects a mate, they must choose someone outside of the tribe. This mate must be proven to be strong. The mate does not become a member of the tribe, but any child born from the two will become one of the Greyfor. The child is not allowed to have ties to the tribe of the father. Some mates can be allowed to stay in our tribe as a guest and some stay at their own tribe. Since you do not have a tribe, you could stay here if the Elder approves or you could go back to your own cave."

Sky continued explaining the functions and roles of those in the tribe. Nate sat and listened. He was quite interested despite his circumstance. The more information he had, then the better chances he had of getting through the next day alive.