Lucy dropped the rock and raised her hands up, slowly stepping back from Charles’s blade. Of all the people who could have survived instead, the damn traitor escaped.

"How in the water god did you escaped?" Lucy asked.

Charles shrugged. "Luck, I suppose. I thought I was a goner when the penguin pirates attacked. But I guess your so-called water god blew open the cell door for my escape."

"The water god would never bless wicked men like you!"

"Too bad, lass. Even the wicked can have time to live."

Lucy wanted to toss the rock into his face. But if she moved, he could split her throat quicker. She really needed to improve her attributes. "What are you going to do with me?"

Charles lowered his sword. "That is up to you. If you want to die, I can make that quick for you."

Lucy’s eyes widened. She whether not die yet.

"Or we can work together to get off this bloody island," Charles suggested.

While he lowered his sword, Lucy assumed she could strike him down now. Just pinning him to the ground and biting his neck should kill him instantly. But even so, at a higher level than her, Charles might be quick enough to block her and stab her. Perhaps Sora should listen to him for now. "You got a plan?"

Charles glanced around. "We need a boat. This island has plenty of wood for us to build one. But….."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

Charles sighed. "I don't know how to build one."

Lucy dropped her mouth. “Why not?”

“I never built a boat before. It isn’t part of my programming.”

“Then how did you travel across the ocean?”

Charles held out his arms while shrugging his shoulders up. “I steal ships. How else could I travel freely?”

Lucy rubbed her face until an idea popped inside her head. “Maybe I can build a boat.”

Charles narrowed his eyes at her. “You? An NPC bartender?”

“Yeah, well I used to craft drinks to serve them, but listen to me.” Lucy stepped closer toward Charles. “Something happened to me when I walked through here.”

Charles crossed his arms. “Go on.”

"After I came to shore, a coconut landed on my head." She tapped her skull. "Then I saw my NPC stats appear before my eyes. But my stats looked different. It looked like a player stats."

Charles widened his eyes a little. "A player stats?"

"Yes! Can you see it now?"

The wolf glanced above her head. "Hmmmmmmmmm. I see your name is Lucy Longsilver. Level one, dog race, 10 health points, and….. Computer player?" He rubbed his chin. "That is a little strange."

"You see?" Lucy shook her hands up. "I'm not a non-player character anymore!"

"Um-hum, perhaps you got a glitch."

"Well, a coconut bumped my head. That could explain it."

"Alright, what skills do you have?"

Lucy blinked her eyes, checking her character status. "Crafting. It is the only skill I have."

Charles curled a grin. "Then you should be able to build me a boat."

Lucy glared. "Your boat?"

"I mean our boat!" Charles held out his hands. "Neither of us wanted to be stuck on this island forever!"

Lucy studied his nervous face. She will need to keep a close eye on him so he wouldn't abandon her. Apparently, he sounded like he wanted to escape on his own for whatever reason.

She pointed her finger at his snort. "Okay, but you better not plan to ditch me. I will claw out your eyeballs if you do."

Charles laughed. "I have the sword, lass. What makes you think you can overpower me?"

"I can surely kick your ass if I try."

"You are level one with weak attributes. I doubt you could."

Lucy smiled a mischievous grin."Wanna see?"

She jumped toward him with her claws out. Charles swung around her, pushing her against a tree.

He pinned her and held his blade across her neck again.

She couldn’t move!

"Now listen to me," he growled into her face. "I am the stronger character here. You are still weak until you can level up your status. If you want to live, follow my directions and keep your bloody stubbornness to yourself. If you don’t, I will kill you here and now. Do you understand me now?"

Lucy shivered while feeling his warm breath on her face. His dark tone truly rattled her bones, like he was about to eat her.

Although she hated to sacrifice her pride, what other choice did she have?

She nodded, and then Charles released her.

"Good, now build us a boat," he ordered.

Lucy rubbed her throat. "But I never built a boat in my life!"

Charles picked up a stick and a sharp flat rock from the ground. "First, you need to craft a tool. I suggest a hatchet."

Lucy took the items and stared at them.

Hatchet Required items: Stick x 1 Sharp flint x 1 Thatch x 10

"It said I needed ten thatches," said Lucy.

"Oh!" Charles pulled a handful string of tall grass off the ground and handed them to Lucy. "Here you go."

Lucy stared at the materials in her hands.

Materials for a stone hatchet is now available. Would you like to craft one? Yes or no.

"Yes!" Lucy ordered.

In a flash, a hatchet appeared in her hand after the other materials vanished. She held up the stone hatchet, smiling at it

"Now approach a tree and cut it down," Charles ordered. "You will need two hundred wood and one hundred fibers to build it."

"The grass has fibers?" Lucy asked.

"Bushes and plants have them. Look around. I will meet you at the beach."

Lucy sighed and strolled past the palm trees. She found two bushes beneath one tree and grabbed a hand full of fibers. She placed them behind her back, but only one fiber appeared in her equipment list.

Equipment full. Only one item allowed!

"Really?" Lucy growled under her closed lips.

It seemed she would need to walk back and forth to collect the needed materials.

She took out the fiber from her equipment list and carried the rest to the beach. Charles was sitting on a large flat rock, drawing something on the sand with a stick.

He glanced at her. "Is that all?"

Lucy placed the fibers next to him. "I can only carry one item in my inventory."

"Then you better update your strength after you level up. Chop chop!"

Lucy left him with a snarling glare as she strolled back into the forest. She chopped down one tree, and it crumbled into ten pieces of wood.

Surely she would need to cut down a lot of palm trees to get all the required numbers of wood. She carried her first ten to the beach and dropped them into a pile near Charles. Then she walked back to get more.

Chop, carry, chop, carry. Rinse and repeat.

After grabbing the last ten wood pieces, Lucy dropped all the materials into the pile near Charles. She panted with her tongue out. "That's….. All of them….."

Charles hopped off the rock and stared at the pile. "Good, now craft the boat."

Lucy kneeled and gathered the wood and fibers together.

Materials for a raft are now available. Would you like to craft one? Yes or no.

"Yes!" Lucy ordered.

"You don't have to yell to make your skill work," said Charles, "next time say it in your head."

Lucy rolled her eyes.

The materials faded as a flat buoyant platform appeared. A plank of wood on top of five logs.

Lucy raised one eyebrow up as she glanced at Charles. “That’s a raft.”

“Same thing.” The wolf observed the raft and kicked it. “Not bad. Why don’t you craft paddles too and a sail? You will need hide to make the sail.”

Lucy stared at the forest. “Where do I get some hide?”

“From a creature. There might be a lizard-boar here.”

“But I didn’t see one here.”

“I spotted some dung on this beach after I swarm here. Trust me, there is something living here.”

It better not to be too dangerous. Lucy stroked her hair. “Alright, I will find the blasted creature. How much hide do I need?”

Charles held up his fingers. “Only five. One lizard-boar should have enough. If not, the current will carry us through the sea.” He clapped his hands. “Now start hunting!”

Lucy stared at her hatchet. “With this thing?”

“It can kill anything weak. Look at its stats.”

Lucy eyed at her crafting tool.

Stone Hatchet Attack type: Physical attack Power: 5 Defense Power: 3 Speed: 1 Effects: None

Lucy shrugged. “I never thought we can use tools as weapons.”

“Any tool can be a weapon,” Charles explained. “If you want a more effective hunting tool, craft a spear. Get eight wood, two flints, and ten fiber to make it.”

“Okay, are you coming with me?”

Charles placed his foot on the raft. “Nope, somebody needs to watch this raft from floating into the sea.”

Lucy growled and pointed her hatchet at him. “No way! You will leave without me!”

“And why should I do that? You got the crafting skill I needed to make this raft work. And it isn’t my thing to leave a beautiful lady like you here alone. You still have my word.”

Lucy felt her cheeks turned warm. Beautiful…..?

No! Snap out of that! Lucy shook her head. “I’ll….. Be quick! Don’t you dare leave me!”

Charles sat on the raft. “God speed, lass!”

Lucy raced into the forest, still trying to forget the word ‘beautiful’ the wolf said to her. Maybe he won’t abandon her because he found her attractive. But Lucy won’t take any risk that would prevent her from avenging her father.