“Light! Light!” I shouted.

Veritas blossomed, and once again we existed in the stasis outside the Realm of Shadow.

“You saw it didn’t you? You saw through my eyes?” I spat out.

Yes, Paol. I saw.

“How am I supposed to get through that? I couldn’t even tell which direction to go!”

Your plan can still work. It’s a good plan. It will simply take longer.

“A lot longer,” I muttered.

Yes, there is that. But what choice do we have?

“Veritas,” I moaned despairingly, “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m tired. I need to rest, but as soon as I put you down your light will go out and I’ll be in that realm again. How can I make it through that valley without rest? It’s not possible.”

Search the bag. See if you can find any rope.

I frowned. Rope? What good would that do? Nonetheless, I obeyed the voice in my mind and reached into the bag for rope. It came easily to my hand. How many things had my benefactor put into this bag?

Rope is a standard tool for any adventurer to have. I would have been very surprised if there had been none in the bag. Now, wrap the rope around your hand so that you cannot drop me.

Ahhh! That was brilliant!

Awkwardly, I cut off a piece of the rope and then carefully wrapped it around my hand and used my teeth to pull it tight. Experimentally, I relaxed my grip on Veritas’s hilt, and the sword remained where it was. Even when I wasn’t trying to grip her, she maintained contact with my skin.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I looked around at the quiet pool of light encircling me and protecting me from the things that go bump in the night. I thought back to that glimpse of the Realm of Shadow--the dry sand that had puffed beneath my feet and the hills and mountains just barely visible in the distance. I had no idea which direction I would need to go. I thought I might be in some kind of dry riverbed, but my fear had been so great that I had barely had time to register what was around me before frantically leaving the realm.

I sat down, legs splayed out in front of me. Tilting my head back, I took a deep breath and slowly released it. Rest. I needed rest. I had no idea how long I had been trudging through this void between worlds, but my body was abruptly reminding me of the need for sleep. I felt my eyes close in weariness and lay back carefully on the ground, watching my hand to make sure Veritas remained touching my skin.

“Veritas,” I said softly. “I’m going to sleep now. Please stay lit.”

Her thoughts were soft in my mind.

I will be on guard, Paol, and my light will not fade.

Exhausted, I pulled off my helmet and put it at my side as my head came to rest on the ground, and a different kind of darkness covered my mind

When I awoke, all was exactly as it had been before. It hadn’t been a nightmare. I groaned.

“Rise and shine, I guess.”

Did you sleep well, Paol?

I cracked my neck and rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

“As well as one could hope for, I guess. I wonder if it’s morning yet.”

Time will not be running normally for us since we keep falling out of it whenever we depart the Realm of Shadow, but you slept for seven hours.

“Wait, you can tell the time?” I asked.

Yes. Going through the original dungeon took us roughly half a day. Then, after being transported here, we walked for about another half a day before realizing where we were and what was happening to us. Then you slept. If we were in the regular world, it would indeed be morning now.

“Well,” I mused philosophically, “I guess I should empty my bladder and have breakfast.”

Her tone was suddenly dry.

Do be careful when urinating.

Careful? Oh. Only one free hand to use when doing my business. Inanimate object she might be, but Veritas had no desire to be peed on.

I did my business and then took a leisurely breakfast of dried meat and cheese. Once again I mentally thanked my savior for the food he had provided me, and slowly brushed the crumbs off my lap before standing. I had been delaying the inevitable, but it was time.

I looked at the rope around my hand and frowned. My sword hand felt awkward and constricted. I didn’t like the feeling, which was why I had never worn gauntlets.

What? I never wore gauntlets? Where had that thought come from?

Shaking my head, I thought about it for a second before gripping the rope with my teeth and then loosening it with my free hand. I didn’t know how effective I could be against creatures of shadow, but I wanted my hand to be unrestricted. I dropped the bit of rope into the bag and then stood quietly, centering myself in preparation for the danger I would soon be facing.

“Veritas,” I said softly. “Make it dark.”

All of a sudden, a breeze once again slid its fingers through my hair, and I saw a dark shape diving down towards me. My stomach felt like a stone, but I held tight against the panic that threatened to burst from my throat in a scream of terror. I watched the creature intently, waiting for my moment...waiting...waiting…

“Light!” I shouted.

Light blossomed around me, and I blew out a breath. If memory served, the beast was about ten feet away about 45 degrees to my left. I turned, shifted my sword in what I felt would be a good angle of attack, and opened my mouth to--

Paol, you need not shout. You can communicate with me mentally.

I blew out my breath.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”

Well, I thought you might figure it out on your own. After all, it isn’t as if I use lips to talk to you.

“Okay, okay,” I grumbled. “I get it. Should have thought of that myself.”

“Can you hear me like this?” I thought at her.

Yes, your thoughts are quite clear, thank you.

This was good. I would probably prefer talking most of the time, but when necessary I would be able to communicate with her without any sound. I could see how that might come in handy at times, and I imagined that thought was probably faster than speech.

Once again, I shifted my sword in the direction from which I remembered the Shadow Bat attacking. I activated Flashpoint and readied myself for Darkvision.

“Darkness NOW,” I mentally whispered to her.

Veritas extinguished her light, and suddenly a bat the size of a large dog was directly in front of me. I ducked down while holding my sword firmly with both hands above my head. The bat’s swift dive and it’s close proximity made it impossible for the creature to change course.

You attack Shadow Bat for 29 damage. Shadow Bat’s wing is severed.

Behind me, I heard a thump and a high-pitched squeal. Turning, I saw that the damned flying rat was scrabbling around on the ground, crippled and scraping one wing on the ground in an attempt to balance itself.

Snarling, I marched over to it and stabbed it three times and then finally in the heart while it vainly tried to drag itself away.

You attack Shadow Bat for 34 damage.

You attack Shadow Bat for 24 damage.

You attack Shadow Bat for 31 damage. Critical Hit!

Shadow Bat has been defeated! You gain 1250 experience!

Congratulations! You are now level 6! You have 3 attribute and 7 skill points to distribute. Choose wisely as your decisions are irreversible.

I blinked and commanded Veritas. Shadow disappeared, and I was standing in a circle of light. Gasping from the adrenaline rush with my pulse pounding in my ears, I took several deep breaths through my nose while my heart slowly calmed.

“Wow,” I exclaimed. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

Indeed. Being able to position yourself immediately before an attack is a tremendous advantage.

I nodded. This might be easier than I had thought. Well. Not actually easy. But doable? Maybe. Hopefully.

“I’ve leveled. Any suggestions?” I asked.

Agility. You won’t be saved by strength in this trial. You need to be light on your feet.

I agreed and placed all three points into Agility, raising it to 17. I skipped a little to the left and then to the right. Good. The difference was substantial. My lips tightened into a firm line. I turned Flashpoint on and whispered in my mind.

“Lights out.”

A soft breeze tickled my cheek, and I looked up into the gray sky.