“Run, Zeke, run!”, shouted Reizel and, before the words even left his mouth, the two were already engaged in a sprint.

Even though the injured bear was practically in Reizel’s vicinity, its falling attack against him made it impossible for it to gnash at him consecutively. Add to that the injuries it was inflicted with in the first place, and you have a stumbling, growling bear ready to fall.

Under normal circumstances, Reizel would be more than delighted to see that and immediately aim to get back at it. Alas, with the presence of the second bear, he couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to escape.

“Run, Zeke, run!”, he repeated for the second time, receiving the expected answer from a few trees away. “I am already running!” and, as coordinating by sound seemed to work better than searching with their eyes inside the mist, the two met up after a few meters of running. But they were not alone... The new beary addition was right behind them, with the injured one following closely behind it, stumbling once in a while as the knife in its hind leg pierced through tendons and muscles alike.

“Them catchin’ up!”, shouted Zeke as he gave a quick glance behind him. He could see the bear’s snout; too close for comfort. “Don’t look back, keep running!” was the answer he received while hastening his pace.

Suddenly, a scream escaped Reizel’s lungs, making Zeke slightly lose balance as he thought. ‘Did they get him?!’, he turned around and, to his surprise, saw Reizel’s figure still running at top speed. “What?!”, Zeke couldn’t help exclaiming from irritation. After all, he did almost fall to his demise.

Reizel’s mouth seemed to mumble something, but Zeke’s ears couldn’t quite catch it as he run. “What did ya say?”, forced to ask for a second time, he finally got a single word out of him. “The cabin…”, Reizel mumbled and Zeke couldn’t help asking back. “What about the cabin?” and the answer he received seemed to reboot his brain as he screamed.

“OH SH*T!”, before he even had time to think things through, he shouted once more. “I TOLD YA IT WAS A BAD IDEA!”, Zeke was naturally referring to the marked trees. Without them, the way back to the cabin was also lost, leaving them no choice but to aimlessly wander once again.

“We’ll talk about this later. We should focus on running for now.”, Reizel said and frowned as he tried to come up with a way to get out of this mess. ‘Think Reizel, the bears aren’t that far behind...’

“NO! Let’s talk about this NOW! We wouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place, IF YOU EVER LISTENED TO ME!”, Zeke shouted back, irritated at Reizel’s usual, calm indifference. He had to vent it out somehow and, in his eyes, there was no better time than now.

“This is not the time for it, Zeke.”, he answered and went back to thinking. ‘C’mon, there has to be a way out...’, but Zeke was nowhere near done.

“F*CK THE TIME! THIS IS-”, he didn’t get to finish his sentence though, as a shout of similar if not higher volume escaped Reizel’s mouth.

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THERE WOULD BE A SECOND ONE?!”, he screamed in turn, irritated by all the yapping. “I AM TRYING TO THINK SO PLE-”, he continued but paused as he observed Zeke’s figure. Zeke, on the other hand, couldn’t help falling silent. He had never seen Reizel lose control of his emotions before, making the outburst even more unexpected.

“ROOOOAAAAR!”, unexpectedly or not, the angry bear didn’t seem to care about their infighting and lashed out at Reizel, barely missing him with its claws. As for the injured one, it had fallen far behind due to its injuries but, under the second bear’s rushing, it was bound to catch up at some point.

Being reminded of the predicament they were currently in, Zeke cursed and decided to drop the matter for now. Alas, Reizel already had the answer he was searching for. “Zeke! Pass me the wine!”, he said while a grin filled with madness surfaced on his face.

‘What is he up to now..?’, with confusion apparent in his dust grey eyes, Zeke couldn’t help giving him a weird look.

“Quickly!”, Reizel ushered him further and Zeke hesitantly reached for the leather flask on his waist, before throwing it over. “Ya better know whatcha doin’.”, he said and decided to put his trust in him for now. After all, this wasn’t the first time he witnessed Reizel’s weird antics.

Once the flask was in Reizel’s hands, he pulled the cork open, drunk a mouthful of wine, and decisively cut the upper part off with his butcher’s knife, effectively ruining it. ‘I only have one chance...’, he thought and turned around to face the incoming creature.

The bear clearly saw that and with its small brain thought the meal had finally given up running away from it. After all, it was only a matter of time before its maws caught it. The distance between them was now less than five meters and Reizel was ready to throw the alcoholic beverage at it. He wasn’t sure whether it would work or not but, even if it didn’t, they were done for anyway. So why not give it a try?

With less than 3 meters between them, the bag o’ wine swiftly left his hand and flew straight for the bear’s snout. Unable to dodge at such a short distance, the flask found its target without any problem.

With wine all over its face, the bear blindly rushed straight ahead. Reizel tried to jump sideways in an attempt to escape the impact but ultimately failed. The space was too short for comfort and the bear, in its blind rush, managed to slightly graze his ribcage, taking a small chunk of meat with it before crushing heavily onto a tree.

A muffled scream of pain escaped Reizel’s throat as his body was sent flying. The knife he had been holding tightly in his grip was released and, while gasping for air due to the new wound on his ribcage, he rolled around in the muddy ground for a few seconds before finally coming to a stop.

“REIZEL!”, an anguished scream echoed inside the misty forest as Zeke’s figure emerged behind the trees. His feet were trembling, but leaving his only friend and benefactor behind scared him even more.

‘It hurts... I can’t breathe.’, Reizel thought as his gaze fell on the leafy canopy above him. Right then, Zeke’s silhouette appeared above him. “F*ck. F*ck. F*ck! What do I do?! C’mon, we need to go!”, he didn’t know whether it was safe to move him or not in his current state, but what choice did he have? Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to make that choice.

*Cough!*, Reizel coughed out a mouthful of blood and gasped for air as he slowly regained the ability to breathe. Oxygen made its way into his brain and he slowly recalled what happened. “Ze... Zeke.”, he uttered as he tried to extend his hand. “I’ve got ya, buddy, c’mon. Up you go!”

Needless to say, Zeke didn’t hesitate to lend him a shoulder; he knew how dangerous it was for him to be moving right now, but the situation didn’t allow for any idleness. ‘Something is broken…’, Reizel thought and looked down, towards his ribcage. Alas, the words coming out of his mouth were completely different from his thoughts. Shaking off Zeke’s shoulder he said. “I’m good... We should keep goi- *Cough!*”, Reizel wasn’t an idiot, he knew better than anyone how awful his condition was, but he also knew they had no other choice left.

“Ok...”, Zeke reluctantly agreed as he watched Reizel gritting his teeth through the pain and moving forward with decent speed. He wasn’t running, but he wasn’t stumbling either and, if anything, he was definitely faster than the injured bear.

Giving one last glance at the wary animal struggling to remove the alcohol off of its snout, Zeke picked up Reizel’s knife and took the lead as the two once more made their way through the mist.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

“Hah... Did we lose them?”, Zeke muttered as he gave a glance behind him. The lush greenery covered by the veil of mist showed no signs of anything bear-related. And yet, the distant roaring told of a different tale.

Leaning next to a tree, Reizel held the bleeding wound tightly as he said. “Hah... Hah... We should be fine now. But… We better keep moving for a while more, just in case. *Cough* Hah...”, coughing out another mouthful of blood, the man lost his balance and fell down. Under normal circumstances, his stamina could probably last him for a little longer, but the multiple wounds he had suffered throughout the day drastically worsened his condition.

“Reizel!”, shouted Zeke for the thousandth time and rushed over. ‘This can’t go on any longer… He needs to rest!’, he had already tried to convince him to lie down a few more times, but Reizel was quite stubborn. With the bears following closely behind, he refused to put Zeke in danger’s way due to his injuries. Standing up, they moved on as he thought.

‘This is weird... They should have lost us by now.’ And indeed, it was strange. With one bear heavily injured and another without its sense of smell and potentially its sight as well, they shouldn’t be able to keep following them.

Looking back to where they came from, Reizel couldn't help cursing inwardly at the sight before him. ‘Damn it, why didn’t I notice earlier!’ Other than the bruised ribs he held tightly in his grasp, the wound he received earlier during the first half of the fight turned out to be bleeding unceasingly with no signs of stopping. And, while the injury wasn’t as serious as it looked, the blood trail he left behind them was more than enough for the bears to follow.

Being pressed for time, he didn’t seem to notice how critical of a situation some small scratches would turn into, and, with no one to blame for this mistake other than himself, Reizel ceased his walking as he pulled Zeke by the shoulder.

“Zeke stop... I need to get this covered. Hah...”, the tiredness he felt could be heard by the roughness in his voice. And, while the wound wasn’t anything serious, drop by drop he had already lost quite a bit of juice. ‘Damn it, why didn’t I notice earlier...’, he wandered for the second time as he nearly fell down. Was it the adrenaline rush making him immune to pain? Or was the urge to escape blocking his rationality? Whichever it was, Reizel’s reasoning seemed to return along with the feeling of lightheadedness provided by the loss of blood.

The dark circles under his eyes and the now reddish-brown clothes he donned, were more than enough indications to showcase his current state. “C’mon brother, I’ve gotcha.”, murmured Zeke as he helped Reizel lie down and remove the shirt he wore.

He had already mentally prepared himself for such a situation and with deft movements, he fished out a bunch of leather strips and asked for instructions. He knew the man before him had a skill to assist with injuries, making the process not only easier, but swifter too.

“Roar!”, obviously, the creatures had no plans for a truce. They kept chasing and chasing after them, allowing for no time to rest. “Up you go!”, announced Zeke a mere minute later and grabbed Reizel by the arm, effectively pulling him up. “Thanks...”, mumbled the exhausted Reizel and while holding onto him, the two were once more on the road.

They were now moving in an even slower manner, but without a clear trail to follow, the growling bears were getting further and further away from the two of them.

A few minutes of walking later,

“Hah... I think we lost them. Haaah... Let’s... Let's rest here for a little while... Hah... Phew.”, Zeke exclaimed as he inspected the surroundings. He couldn’t see too far into the fog but, judging by the sound, there shouldn’t be anything dangerous nearby. “10 minutes... 10 minutes is all I need.” uttered Reizel as he fell down motionless next to a tree.

“Hey, Reizel! Reiz... El…”, he could hear Zeke’s voice, but his eyelids closed faster than he would like them to.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

“Ugh…”, Reizel grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes, the itching coming from his ribs too annoying for him to ignore.

“You are finally up.”, Zeke exclaimed casually from somewhere nearby.

“How long was I out for? Ouch…”, he asked while trying to sit properly.

*Crackle… Crack*

The campfire burning by his side emitted dim light as his gaze fell upon it. ‘How warm.’, he thought and glanced around, searching for his friend. “I don’ know, a few hours maybe?” Zeke answered as his figure emerged behind the shadow of a tree. Closing in, he threw a few more sticks inside the fire and continued as he looked Reizel up and down. “How are ya feeling?”

“I’ve been better…”, he mumbled and let out a sigh of relief as he finally managed to sit straight. A blinking exclamation mark was going on and off in the corner of his vision, but Zeke’s glaring face seemed to be a more concerning issue for now.

“Sigh… Say what you have to say in one go.”, Reizel said and locked eyes with Zeke.

The silence seemed to permeate the air for a few seconds before Zeke’s voice resounded. “Next time ya try to pull off something like this, you are on yer own.” Closing his eyes for a moment, Reizel nodded silently.

Deep down, he knew Zeke was right. His actions were beyond reckless and as if that wasn’t enough, he had even dragged someone else down with him. Alas, from the very core of his being, Reizel also felt this irresistible urge to get stronger. It was neither something he had control over nor something he could grasp, just a nudge... A nudge that constantly urged him to get stronger, to be more powerful, to reach the top!

But it also made him wonder.

Why did he feel like that? Why did his heart start beating faster in the face of danger? Were those even his feelings? Or were they the remnant feelings of whom Reizel used to be?

He had no answer to any of those questions. But, he also had no fear. For if he followed those ‘feelings’ he had, even if the past Reizel decided to wake up from his slumber, he would still be Reizel all the same.

Having been contemplating for a while now and without anything more to say, the two fell silent before the crackling fire. And, since grasping opportunities seemed to be in his nature, Reizel decided it was a good time to check out the status screens popping up one after the other.

‘HOW?’, was the only word he could think of as he dismissed the first one to pop up. It wasn’t a bad one or anything, just a little bit unexpected.

[Spirit Enhancing Wine]

[You have consumed Spirit…

This was the fourth portion of spirit enhancing wine he consumed. The mouthful of wine he drunk before throwing away the wine flask was somehow enough to add one more portion apparently.

Moving on, there were two screens informing him of his injuries, one for his broken ribs and one to let him know he was afflicted with a bleeding effect. ‘How useful’, he thought once more and continued.

‘Hmm… It seems like [First Aid] can level up indirectly?’, there seemed to be quite a few of them as the next one to appear turned out to be a level up for the [First Aid] skill, raising it up all the way to beginner level 3.

Having finished reading the usual screens, Reizel’s attention was drawn to the last three, two of which were newly acquired titles while one of them turned out to be a skill!

[You gained a new title!]

[Lucky Survivor]

(You made it out alive not once, not twice but thrice! Congratulations! You have lived to tell the tale.)

[Body +3]

‘Lucky my *ss! I was hurting all over each and every time!’, he thought and read the next one.

[You gained a new title!]

[Risky Fool]

(Your tendency to run straight in the face of danger will get you killed one day.)

[Body +2 Mind -2]

‘Great… Just great…’, what else could he say? At the very least, this title didn’t count as a negative one, meaning he could swap it out any time he wished. But, for now, those extra points on the body attribute seemed to ease his pain, just a little bit.

Last but not least, the new skill he received went straight to the skill bank.

[Through your actions you have unlocked a new skill!]

[Knife Mastery (N)]

(Using knives comes like second nature to you.)

Your technique when wielding or throwing knives is more precise.

[Skill slot unavailable. Skill will be transferred to the skill bank.]

‘Now that’s what I am talking about! If only I had more skill slots…’, Reizel considered removing the [First Aid] skill to replace it with [Knife Mastery], but he quickly dismissed that thought. First aid was not only at beginner level 3; it had also saved him on several occasions already. Replacing it wasn’t even an option for now.

Closing the last of the screens, a satisfied sigh escaped Reizel’s mouth. Zeke, who had been sitting silently all this time, gave him a side glance and thought it was a good time to throw the bomb he had been holding in for a while now.

“I think I found the cave we’ve been lookin’ for…”

“You found WHAT?!”