The moment they reached the forest floor training area, Cara had Jake open his character sheet. “Today we’re going deeper into the Forest. It’s time to spend what perk points you have.”

He braced and internally requested his character sheet. A barrage of information hurtled back. He might never really get used to it, but experimentation had helped him understand it better. The process was a lot like database queries, only plugged directly into his head. So long as he was careful and specific in what he requested, it was refreshingly powerful and specific. On the flip side, a migraine headache was never more than an errant thought away.

Jacob Williams

Level: 3

Experience: 180/1600

HP: 215/215

Stamina: 220/220

MP: 230/230

Status: Hero

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 10

Endurance: 9

Intelligence: 15

Willpower: 16

Personality: 11

Unassigned stat points: 3

HP Regen (Per Hour): 3.4

Stamina Regen (Per Second): 0.9

Mana Regen (Per Second): 1.6

Speed (Standard, feet per second): 10

Speed (Sprint, feet per second): 20

Physical Armor: 300

Deflection: 60

Magic Resilience: 130

Physical Resistance: 125

Mental Resistance: 135

Hero. A lump formed in his throat, rightfully judging him. He’d have to tell her soon, not least of all because eventually she’d work it out. The moment she did the math, she’d see it. Between her surprise at how good a learner he was and her insistence she was a terrible teacher (a notion he still couldn’t dispel), it was a miracle she hadn’t already.

Several times, he’d meant to tell her. He’d really intended to, right up until the point where he hadn’t. She deserved to know. After all this time together, maybe, just maybe, she’d see that he wasn’t like the Heroes of old.

Not that this was the right time. Not when they were just about to go deeper into the forest. Sure, it’d never really be the right time, but this was a particularly bad one. They both had to stay focused on the job.

She stared at him with that same intensity she always had when Identifying him. “Remind me what we’re working with.”

He filled her in, leaving out the basics that her Identify would bring up and including his skill list.

Blunt Weapons: 1 (1 perk unassigned)

Bows: 4 (4 perks unassigned)

Identify: 1

Languages: 3 (3 perks unassigned)

Perception: 2 (2 perks unassigned)

Oratory: 1 (1 perk unassigned)

Short Blades: 1 (1 perk unassigned)

Stealth: 3 (3 perks unassigned)

Her eyes glazed over, cogs turning. He pressed his lips together and fought back a sigh. Hopefully, whatever thoughts she was lost in were at least relevant. The last week had given him a lot of practice being patient. Rushing Cara was harder than herding Nibbles, and that little darling occasionally made cats look like saints.

He snorted and allowed himself a chuckle. It wasn’t like he could even say, “Earth calling Cara, Earth calling Cara.” What was this world even called, anyway?

“What’s so funny?”

Great, now he’d distracted her. “Nothing. So, what should I spend my points on?”

She bounced from side to side and looked him up and down. “That’s a great caster stat line you’ve got, you know.”

He couldn’t catch this sigh in time, or maybe he hadn’t really wanted to. Sometimes a little passive aggression was called for. “As everyone keeps telling me. Not much good if I don’t know any spells.”

Cara stepped forward and set about adjusting his “new” leather armor rather more forcefully than necessary. Clenched teeth, pursed lips, pointedly avoiding his gaze—yeah, she was upset.

Maybe he had been too harsh. His chest tightened even further. Every time he asked about learning spells, she changed the subject. It probably wasn’t her choice, and, even if it was, he’d have done the same in their shoes. Not that they wore shoes. They didn’t trust him enough yet. Maybe they never would. That stung a little, but no worse than usual. That wasn’t really why it hurt.

The world was full of magic. Healers, crafters, rangers, hell, even some of the cooks used magic. There was mana inside him, calling to him, practically begging him to learn spells. It was right there, so close he could taste it—but just out of reach.

The lump in his throat thickened, enduring no matter how many times he swallowed. Should he have taken it out on her? No, but damn, could people stop saying he was perfect for it? “Sorry.”

She met his gaze and her eyes softened. “I’m sorry too.” Tension ebbed away and she smiled, upset fading as fast as it came. “You should leave the stats unassigned for now. Blunt weapons are better against heavy armor; not much call for that out here. Let’s look at bows. What takes your interest there?”

Accuracy (0/5): Increases accuracy while shooting a bow by 20% per level.

Damage (0/5): Increases damage while shooting a bow by 20% per level.

Quick Draw (0/5): Increases speed of drawing and aiming a bow by 20% per level.

Critical Chance (0/5): Increases critical chance while shooting a bow by 20% per level.

Critical Severity (0/5): Increases critical severity while shooting bow by 20% per level.

Moving Shot (0/5): Decreases the accuracy and movement speed penalty from shooting a bow while moving by 20% per level.

He had four perk points. Was it better to specialize them, or spread them out? “Is 20% accuracy equivalent to hitting 20% more?”

Cara paused, thought for a moment, and shrugged. “Accuracy’s kind of complicated. More accuracy means more hits. What else do you need to know?”

Everything? He put on a smile and swallowed. There wasn’t any need for more passive aggression. What had gotten into him, anyway? His shoulders refused to relax, his pulse raced, and his stomach was harder than asymmetrical cryptography.

He was scared. Why wouldn’t he be? He pushed what tension he could out with a long exhale. A bit of fear would keep him sharp, but he couldn’t let it control him.

One day, he’d need to find out—or work out—exactly how accuracy worked. For now, hitting anything moving was an achievement, and that was fundamental to the skill. “Alright, so a point into Accuracy. I’m lucky to hit anything standing still, so I’ll leave Moving Shot for now. Damage and Quick Draw look good. They’ll scale off each other, so a point in each will maximize my DPS.”

“True, but don’t forget, one good shot can save your life.”

“Right.” That left one point. Best make it count. “That critical hit really made the difference against the snake. My crit chance won’t be all that high against anything dangerous, but maybe a point in severity to combo off your stunning arrow?”

Cara beamed. “We’ll make a ranger of you yet!”

“I said I’ll think about it.”

“So?” She bounced a little closer and stared up with wide, expectant eyes. “What do you say? Ranger Jake has a great ring to it.”

Saying no should have been easy. He already had one unwelcome duty hanging over him, and that had the fate of the world tied to it. No matter how noble it might be, he didn’t need more responsibility.

Cara didn’t know that, though. She’d understand if she did, but telling her would bring with it a host of other problems, and questions about his father. “I said I’ll think about it.”

Her slow, wide-eyed blinks were rather too reminiscent of a kicked puppy. He wasn’t falling for it.

She rolled her eyes and theatrically sighed. “Fine, fine. Stealth, then?”

Sneak (0/5): Increases Stealth effectiveness by 20% per level.

Soft Foot (0/5): Decreases sound generated while walking by 20% and running by 10% per level. Effect reduced by heavy armor.

Easy Stealth (0/5): Decreases stamina cost of using Stealth by 20% per level. Effect reduced by heavy armor.

Stealth Attack (0/5): Increases damage by 100% per level when attacking from Stealth or an appropriate Disguise.

Stealth Critical Chance (0/5): Increases critical chance by 100% per level when attacking from Stealth or an appropriate Disguise.

Stealth Critical Severity (0/5): Increases critical severity by 100% per level when attacking from Stealth or an appropriate Disguise.

“Stealth criticals look nasty.” Hopefully, he wouldn’t end up on the receiving end of a Stealth Attack any time soon. “Would that really go up to 600% critical chance and severity?”

Cara nodded. “It would, but that’s ten perk points. Then you’d need more perk points to be any good at sneaking in the first place. And Stealth isn’t a god-power, even with it you can get caught off guard. The most dangerous monsters are basically impossible to sneak up on anyway, especially without higher tier perks.”

“Higher tier perks?”

“Yeah. The perks you see now are all lower tier. The higher-tier ones all have their own requirements. Some of them need certain skill levels, others require training by a Master or Grandmaster. A few only appear after some impressive feat or whatever.”

“Huh.” Jake frowned. That might have been useful information before he’d started spending points. “What if I find my lower tier perks are sub-optimal once I’m higher level?”

Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her ears turned bright red. “There’s a potion to reset your perk points, fortunately, unlike stat points. The components are pretty expensive, though, and it tastes worse than torric dung.”

“Personal experience?”

“A bet was involved.” She lifted her chin again and grinned. “I won. Tasted better than expected.”

He sighed, gently shook his head, and reached for the mental bleach. “I meant the potion.”

“Oh.” She blinked twice and shuffled her feet. “Right. We had an archery competition when I was only fifty-nine. I really, really wanted to win. Like a good little wood elf, I’d been storing up most of my perk points, waiting for when I was old enough to know what to do with them.”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine where this was going. “What did you do?”

“I dumped all my points into Dexterity and Bow Accuracy, of course. First prize, it came with a trophy and everything.”

“That sounds…” He bit his lip and took his time to settle on a word other than stupid. “Sub-optimal?”

“My parents were livid. The stat points were gone, but they weren’t too upset about that. We were already pretty sure I was going to be a hunter at the very least, if not a ranger. All that Accuracy, though… They dragged me to the apothecary and made me down the potion in front of them. Even thinking about it, ugh. Almost as bad as spending the next three seasons working off the debt.”

Debt? Jake’s eyebrow shot up. The entire time he’d been in the Forest, he had seen no money trading hands. “Your parents had to pay for it?”

“No. If someone needs something, they get it. It was pretty selfish and shortsighted though, so they expected me to make up for it if I could. It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Though, these days, it’s mostly Nibbles that gets me into trouble.”

Jake nodded along. That last statement was rather dubious, but it wasn’t worth derailing the training session even further. “I’m thinking of points into Sneak, Soft Foot, and Stealth Attack. What do you think?”

“Maybe drop Soft Foot for Easy Stealth? Here in the Forest, you’ll spend a lot of time Sneaking, and your endurance is already pretty low. Usually, you’ll be spotted or shoot before you’re close enough to be heard, even with your stompy feet.”

And when he left the Forest? Soft Foot would be a lot more useful in a city, and spending the rest of his life in the Forest wasn’t part of the plan. On the other hand, it was only a single point. If he was going to be in the forest for a while, he had better get used to it, and she was right—his Endurance sucked. “Alright, Sneak, Stealth Attack, and Easy Stealth it is.”

“What were the others you had points in?”

“Three in Languages, two in Perception, one in Oratory, one in Short Blades.”

Cara’s brow furled toward the end of the list. “When did you get a point in Oratory?”

“Err…” He tried to think of a diplomatic way to put it, but nothing came to mind. “Talking you out of killing me?”

She winced and shrunk before him. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Silence settled between them. It grew larger and larger, demanding that someone fill it. Jake swallowed and stared at her. She could break the silence this time.

Painfully aware there was a good chance that she’d never speak again if he didn’t talk first, he checked the Short Blades perks.

Accuracy (0/5): Increases accuracy while wielding a short blade by 20% per level.

Damage (0/5): Increases damage while wielding a short blade by 20% per level.

Dual Wield (0/5): Decreases the accuracy and damage penalty from dual wielding short blades by 20% per level.

Critical Chance (0/5): Increases critical chance while wielding a short blade by 20% per level.

Critical Severity (0/5): Increases critical severity while wielding a short blade by 20% per level.

Deflection Parry (0/5): Increases Parry chance while wielding a short blade in the off-hand by 20% per level.

There was no way his Dexterity justified Dual Wielding or Deflection Parry. That left two standout choices, the same as with Bows, with one point to assign. “So,” Jake said, his words cutting through the tension like a knife, “let’s skip Languages and Oratory for now. Short Blades, I’m thinking either Damage or Crit Severity?”

Cara nodded, a dark look on her face. “Either’s good.” She stared at the ground, wetting her lips. Words were definitely not her strong point. She lifted her chin and weakly smiled. “I’m sorry. About nearly killing you.”

“I said it’s fine. I might have done the same.” Or worse. Would he have ever believed someone arriving on Earth and saying they were from a world of levels? What would he have done in her shoes? He swallowed, regretting the question. Thank the Forest their roles hadn’t been reversed. “Damage it is then. That just leaves Perception.”

Clear Sight (0/5): Improves vision and increases Stealth penetration using sight by 20% per level.

Sharp Hearing (0/5): Improves hearing and increases Stealth penetration using hearing by 20% per level.

Aromatic Insight (0/5): Improves senses of smell and taste, providing additional information per level.

Night Vision (0/5): Decreases the penalty to vision from non-magical darkness by 10% per level.

Piercing Perception (0/5): Increases passive Disguise penetration by 20% per level.

Discern Magic (0/5): Grants and improves the Discern Magic ability, enabling seeing and analyzing magic.

“You might want to hold off on that,” she said, mirroring his own thoughts. “I’m far from an expert, but from what I do know, Discern Magic is pretty important for casters, and vital for Spellcrafters. Besides, you’ve got me for Perception.”

She grinned, brimming with energy. A smile forced itself across Jake’s lips. The Forest was her element. On the way down the lift, she hadn’t stopped gushing about it and what she was going to show him.

Skills out of the way, she was ready, and, for better or worse, there was no way her bouncy energy would let up until it was time to head back.

“Onward!” Cara proclaimed, spinning on the spot and bounding away, transforming from a ball of excited energy into a carefully poised ranger on the prowl.

Jake shook his head, sighed, and set off after her. Leaving Cara and the Forest behind was less and less appealing, but it would have to be sooner rather than later. They had their worries, he had his. When he left to do what he had to, she wouldn’t be there to see whatever danger was sneaking up behind him.

That was a problem for another day. He left the Perception perk points unassigned and focused on keeping up. Already, she was slipping away and disappearing into the foliage. As loud as he dared, he called after her, “Wait for me.”

***

Cara glanced over her shoulder to check that Jake was still behind her. A second glance became a third, which gave way to frantically scanning the Forest for him.

Her heart sank. She’d left him behind again. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Slow or not, he was her responsibility. When had she last seen him? How far back was he? She didn’t even know that. While she’d been relishing prowling the Forest like everything was normal, he’d been falling behind.

He couldn’t keep up with her, she knew that! Between a Dexterity score that would shame a trainee, a single Easy Stealth level, and awful Endurance, he had to stop pretty much constantly. Which meant she had to stop, not abandon him to the Forest.

Great job there. Promise to be his eyes and ears, then leave him behind. No wonder the Rangers left her on the easiest patch. She couldn’t even keep track of her hairbrush. What had made her think she could keep Jake alive out here?

Her stomach twisted into a knot. Was he okay? Was he dead?

He had to be okay. He had to. How could she not have noticed the thumping of his weird shoes not being there? They were impossible to miss.

So impossible to miss, they’d become background noise. The knot twisted tighter. She held her breath and stared into the endless tangle of branches and bushes. It didn’t even matter that he’d be mad, so long as he was safe. As long as he wasn’t…

She had to find him before dungeon spawn did. She gripped her bow tight and backtracked.

***

Jake pushed on through the Forest, praying that he was going in a straight line and Cara hadn’t changed direction.

He should have said something sooner. Trusting that she’d just been scouting ahead hadn’t been smart. If it wasn’t attached, she’d forget her own head some days. He allowed himself a wry smile. He wasn’t the one to be worried about this trip.

Something rustled in the trees. Whatever was out there, it didn’t care whose fault it was. He couldn’t see it, but he didn’t drop points into Clear Sight, tempting as it was.

He was in this for the long haul, no matter what the cowardly quiver in his stomach told him. It was probably just a torric or something. He wasn’t going to die, not here, and even if he did, he was a Hero. He’d need those perk points for Discern Magic,

Thirty feet away, a furry little nose poked out from the ground, sniffing at the air. Jake froze in his tracks. He activated Stealth and stilled himself, the way Cara had taught him. He still hadn’t mastered it, but somehow, she’d made learning to stand still fun.

When she’d proposed the bet, he’d been full of confidence. After all, who couldn’t stand still for ten seconds? Hundreds of flicks later, he’d only just broken five seconds, halfway to a custom bow of his own, one that wasn’t meant for wood elven children too weak to use a “real” bow.

“I’m not doing this because I enjoy it,” she’d said. “Out in the Forest, even the slightest movement can get you killed.”

“But you do enjoy it, don’t you?”

Jake smiled. It was a nice memory, capped off by her cheeky grin. No matter what she thought, she was a good teacher. It was almost a shame he’d have to leave her behind.

That was enough distraction. He’d find her soon enough, or, more likely, she’d find him. The greklin hadn’t come out yet, but it hadn’t retreated either. Cara’s face when she found him holding a successful kill would be priceless.

He notched an arrow and drew it, as slowly and silently as he could. No clean shot yet, not one he could make, anyway. Not until it came further out of the ground. It sniffed the air again. What was it waiting for?

Another sniff, and the nose retreated into the safety of the ground, taking his prize with it. He checked the air and sighed. He was upwind. He should have checked that. How effective was Stealth against smell? A good question for Cara later.

What would she say if she were here? Probably remind him that fight, flight, and hide all relied upon stamina, and to never get caught without it.

Stamina: 97/220

He’d have to drop Stealth to regenerate it. As far as he could tell, the coast was clear, but how much could he trust his Perception?

Probably just as little as his Stealth. He dropped out of it. If something dangerous was around, it would have seen or smelled him, anyway. With stamina, at least he’d have a chance at outrunning them. Weren’t humans meant to be excellent long-distance runners?

With an Endurance of 10, that probably didn’t apply to him, even if it was valid in this alien world. At the very least, dropping Stealth would make it marginally easier for Cara to find him.

Stamina recharged, he reoriented himself with the aid of the sun and set off. How far ahead would she have gotten before realizing? Given that he hadn’t come across her yet, it had to be quite a way. That, or they’d missed each other.

She was going to feel guilty, wasn’t she? The tug in his chest begged him to make it easier for her. He clenched his jaw. She had left him behind. He could have died! Another rustle in the trees, hopefully just wind. Would he be able to tell if it wasn’t?

Maybe not until it was too late. He might still die, because she abandoned him. That was on her.

His chest tightened. It wasn’t that simple, but that was a bridge to cross when he came to it. Right now, he had to focus on getting there in one piece. He moved through the forest as silently and carefully as he could without activating Stealth, on high alert for trouble.

As if by magic, Cara appeared from the forest, already striding toward him. “There you are!” Her chin quivered as she spoke. “Why aren’t you using Stealth?”

Unbelievable. “I could have sworn someone told me, ‘Never get caught without stamina in the Forest.’”

Her shoulders slumped and her gaze dropped to the floor. “Sorry, I just—I’ve never trained anyone before.” She paused, leaving a gap that he refused to fill.

This was her mess. He would not make her feel better about it this time.

Her posture crumpled. She stared back with watery eyes, her right foot tapping frantically against the floor. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

The tug at Jake’s chest resumed, stronger than ever. She hadn’t meant to leave him behind. Why hadn’t he said something? Why had he let her out of his sight? He sighed. Maybe just this once. “It’s fine, Cara.”

Her wide eyes blinked several times before dulling. “I’ll do better next time.”

Jake nodded. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Not for a few days, at least. “Don’t worry about it.”

She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. When they opened, they were sharper, accompanied by a set jaw and a curt nod. “Let’s do this. Stealth up again.”

Cara took the lead once more, glancing over her shoulder almost incessantly. They prowled through the Forest, taking much more frequent rest breaks.

After traveling a while, she stopped and signaled with her outstretched palm for him to do the same.

He stared into the trees, searching for whatever had her worried. Based on the last five times they’d stopped, it would probably be something innocuous like a torric, or another greklin poking its nose out. Hopefully nothing.

“There.” She pointed ahead and slightly up. “High up in the trees.”

It was huge. His jaw hung open. In the distance, the creature leaped from tree to tree, shaking them as it went. The thick tree trunks were tiny in comparison—whatever it was, it was enormous. “Has it spotted us?”

“Doesn’t matter.” She gulped, staring with an intensity that made Jake go cold. “It’s heading for Tolabar. I have to stop it.”