Hours have passed and the person inside the cave hasn't come out yet. I glance and see that Grace is starting to nod off.
"It's ok to sleep, Grace," I say as I stoke the fire.
She jerks awake and wipes the drool on her chin.
"N-wha? I'm awake..." she mumbles.
I chuckle softly.
"I'll set up the tent for you," I insist and push the button on the instant tent.
*Poof*
In an instant, the tent props itself up a little bit away from the fire. I make sure to place it where the cold energy from the cave won't touch it.
"Thanks Uncle," she says,
Despite her previous stubbornness, she shuffles her feet towards the tent and enters it.
I look at the stew that's constantly simmering over the warm glow of the campfire. The longer this stews the better but she sure is taking a while...
[Back in time]
*GASP*
*COUGH*
Argh! It hurts my lungs every single time I take the first breath after reviving. Fuck... What is she planning?
[Time Left Until Next Wave (23:34)]
I woke up at the expected time. I check my ankles and see the same [Sealing Chains] cuffed around them.
"Rise and shine trash!" the same greeting rings in my ears. "You're so weak and pathetic that after eating yesterday, you just passed out. Do that again, and I'll kill you."
She comes to shake my tent like last time, but in this moment, I'm already alert. We lock eyes for a moment and then she looks at me curiously.
"You..." she muses. "Something's different about you."
I scoff and reply, "What could it be?"
She kicks the roof of my tent. Dead leaves scatter everywhere.
"Hey! What the-"
While I am distracted, she puts her thumb on my forehead and the same energy she used in the last run invades my mind. It only lasts for a moment, but it feels like she's scoured my entire brain.
"So this is your first reset," she says with a little bit of pride in her voice. "I must say, flea, I didn't expect you to survive [The Cleansing]."
So I've upgraded to flea now huh. This so strange... This is the first time someone else other than myself knows what happened before I died. Also, how did she figure that everytime I reset, I keep everything I had in the previous run? I'm sure that I didn't tell Caras that.
"You look constipated so I guess that means you're mind's spinning again," she chuckles. "Good. Even fleas think so you're officially no longer trash."
"What are you planning?" I ask with a stern voice that surprised even me.
"And he speaks with a feisty tone!" she exclaims and claps mockingly. "Congratulations, you just jumped from flea to insect! To think you got so much progress after only one death."
I grumble in frustration. It's impossible to talk with this person.
"Now, chop, chop. We're burning daylight," she says as she walks off into the forest again.
"Are we going to the river again?" I ask as I follow.
"Nah, we're going much higher," she replies with a huge grin.
[Hours Later]
*Huff* *Huff*
FUCK!
"Hahahaha run, run, run!!" the woman laughs like a maniac as she chases me around the mountain.
*Awoooo*
When I wasn't looking, the woman managed to tame some [Timber Wolves]! They're native to these mountains. Their coats change with the season and since it's fall, they have reddish and brownish tint to them. They usually keep to themselves but somehow, she's using them to hunt me down.
"Don't think about dying too soon!" she yells. "Make the best of each reset because we'll be at it until you stop being sub-human!"
DAMN IT!
The wolves rush me and soon, they're taking turns biting me to death.
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #3+
"Really?! What's with your damn stamina!?" she yells in frustration.
*Bark* *Bark*
I did a good job outrunning the wolves for a bit but then I run out of stamina and one eventually caught up and bites my throat.
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Fifth Reset+
*Huff* *Huff*
"There you go! Getting better," she says proudly. "Dying must be so painful huh? Your survival instincts are back."
"Fuck you!!" I yell in reply.
"Hahaha that's the spirit!" she says as she hurls a tree at me.
*Crash*
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #10+
"Hahahaha! You're no longer an insect! You're a monkey now," she laughs while chasing me through the canopy of the forest. "Look at you swinging on those branches."
How much is she enjoying this? It's still so weird how she knows my previous runs. Is this an Ogre Race ability? If so, I never heard of such a thing.
*Thwack*
While I was thinking, a stone hits my head and sends me reeling towards a cliff.
"Hey! Don't be distracted, monkey!" she scolds. "Tsk, this run was too short. I'll see you on the next one so you better do better!"
*Crack*
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #20+
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
I figured it out. Since the air is cold, I could see our breaths. I've always wondered why she wanted me to run so much. Then, during the previous runs, I noticed that she would breathe at a consistent pace. I tried it for myself and was pleasantly surprised when the energy that was circulating wildly inside me aligns itself for an instant.
"Wow! You have some talent," she says with an impressed tone.
*Bark* *Bark*
As we navigate through the sheer cliffs and tall trees, I notice that the wolves are having a hard time keeping up with me. They used to be the bane of my existence. I could still remember their bites! But now... they're eating my dust. What's this feeling? It's awfully familiar yet alien to me.
"Ha! Suck it, you fucking wolves!" I yell at the wolves who are on the verge of collapse.
"Poor wolves, they can't keep up with you anymore," she pouts. "I guess I'll begin getting serious now."
After she says that, I could feel the hair on my back stand on its end. Fuck... I'm in danger.
[Cutting Technique: First Breath]
*Slash*
"Ack!!" I cough up blood as I feel the heat from the cut on my back.
Fuck! She's at least twenty feet away! What did she hit me with?
"Phew... I must admit, you're getting better," she says as she approaches me.
Before my consciousness fades, I catch a glimpse of something in her hand. Is that... a stick?
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #40+
[Cutting Technique: First Breath]
With a stick in her hand, she assumes the stance of a blade draw technique.
In response, I take a deep breath and pull the surrounding air and form it into a shield.
[Defense Technique: First Breath]
Her technique hits mine and a loud sonic boom echoes through the forest.
"Ha! I finally blocked it!" I do a fist pump in celebration.
Finally! She's been using the same damn attack to kill me every single time. Now, I finally managed to stop it.
[Cutting Technique: Second Breath]
Suddenly, the world turns upside down. In that instant, it seems that she closed the distance and cut my head off.
"Don't forget we're in the middle of battle, Neanderthal," she says smugly.
Fuck this girl!
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #80+
"Hey! I just realized that I still don't know your name!" I yell between dodging trees and air slashes.
She furrows her brow and pauses her pursuit.
"Are you... hitting on me?" she asks with a confused face.
"Hah? Who would wanna hit on someone like you?" I scoff.
At that moment, I feel gravity itself pull me to the ground.
"OH?" she growls. "It seems that this child needs a good smacking."
...
Did I say something wrong?
*Smack*
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
+Reset #160+
*CRASH*
The entire mountainside rattles as our energies clash with each other.
"Finally!" she yells while wearing the most satisfied grin. "You're finally human again! Congratulations!"
At some point, she stopped using the stick and replaced it with a Chinese War Sword.
[Sword Technique: Breath of a Thousand Petals]
As she exhales, cherry blossom petals surge around her. The air turns deathly cold and I could tell, she intends to kill me with this.
"Can't you fucking go easy on me for once?!" I yell back at her and assume my own stance.
[Fist Technique: Breath of the Titans]
As the petals approach me like bullets, I pull back my fist like a crossbow.
Impact.
At that moment, everything disappears. No sound, no trees, no forest.
And in the stillness of the void, I see her...
A shimmering snowflake in the midst of chaos.
"Magnificent..." I mutter.
*BOOOM*
The loud explosion brings me back to reality. What the fuck was that?! An illusion? Also, did I seriously get enchanted by this gorilla of a woman?"
*Smack*
As I panic in my thoughts, I feel her smack me at the back of my head. That would have killed me many resets ago.
"Hey, you're thinking about something rude again aren't you?" she eyes me suspiciously.
"What do you mean? Hahaha," I reply nervously. "In any case, I blocked your attack so I believe it's time to collect on that bet."
"Hmph!" she crosses her arms and turns away from me. "Nifa..." she says softly.
"Sorry? Didn't hear ya there," I say jokingly as I cup my ear.
"My name's Nifa, you fucking sick, human!" she yells and stomps off.
"Damn... I just asked for her name. Why is she so angry?" I mutter as I scratch my head in confusion.