After an hour of sobbing, Vicki and I were finally able to collect ourselves.
Presently, we were lying in the grass staring at the clouds when suddenly my stomach growled.
"Ack...", I clutched my stomach, a tinge of embarrassment present in my voice.
Vicki glanced at me and giggled.
"Why are you laughing?", I looked at her with a sneer, a tint of red on my cheeks.
She waved her hand and said, "You don't have to be embarrassed...my stomach growled way louder..."
Yeah...wait.
I sat up, "Does that mean you ate?", I spoke with a hint of expectation in my voice.
"Yeah, I did, wait...", she said as she crawled over to a certain tree, stretched her hand behind it and then pulled out a basket crudely woven from flower vines and stems.
"WAH!", my eyes shone when I saw what it stored.
Fruits!
Without hesitating, I dashed over to her and took a fruit in my hand but then stopped.
I don't think I know...
"What is this fruit?", I looked at it with a raised eyebrow.
The so-called fruit had a dirty-orange color and was perfectly spherical with a brown stem sprouting from the top.
"Just eat it.", Vicki urged.
I glanced at her and then asked, "Where did you get it?"
"A bunch of plants."
"Which plants?", I questioned further with narrowed eyes.
"SHUT UP AND EAT THE DAMN FRUIT!", she yelled at the top of her voice as her face contorted into an annoyed glare.
"Yes mam."
Instantly, bending to her will, I took a bite out of it.
I literally resisted the waves of a monster lake but then curbed to an angry girl...damn...
Life is strange.
CRUNCH!
I chewed on the fruit, savoring the taste in my mouth before gulping it down my throat.
Hmm...its...
"Sweet!", I looked at it with stary eyes, "Wow..."
I took another bite, "It's really good!"
Hastily, I wolfed down the fruit, took another and wolfed it down. I continued to eat until there was just one left.
"Uhh...are you going to take?", I asked, my eyes filled with dark anticipation.
Say no! Say no!
Vicki looked at me and then smiled, "No, am full."
Yes!
Without wasting anytime, I chomped on it and then swallowed it.
"Ah...", I reeled back and rested on a tree, patting my hand over my belly, "Food is life..."
Vicki glanced at me and spat, "Glute."
"Oi! I slept for five days!", I spoke in my defense.
He shook her head and gave me a wooden cup filled with a clear liquid.
"What's that?"
"Water."
My expression instantly turned dark, "From where?"
"Easy tiger, I got it from leaves. I just wringed them.", she said in a deadpan voice.
"Oh, I see...", I took the cup and cradled it in my hand, staring at the liquid with a hint of unease.
Vicki...probably wouldn't try to poison me...right?
At that thought, I remembered someone.
Ah...him...
I glanced at her, meeting a glare on her face.
Tss...no choice huh?
I dismissed any notion of doubt and gulped down the liquid, suddenly a feeling of respite filled my throat and I exhaled in satisfaction.
This is water no doubt.
I nodded with a smile but Vicki just snatched the cup out of my hand, then she turned to me with a serious expression on her face.
"Alright, now that you're stuffed. We can talk."
I sighed, sitting up straight, "Was expecting this anyway..."
She nodded, "Glad you're smart."
My lips twitched at her remark, and I took offense for no reason.
Of course, am smart, you Tiny Girl!
Completely oblivious to my thoughts, Vicki continued to speak, "Now we have to figure out our next plan."
"I take it...that trying to get our classmates is off the board...for now."
She paused for a moment and looked down before saying, "Yes...we don't know whatever has happened to them...they may currently be buried at the bottom of the lake...or worse...", Vicki trailed off but I interrupted her before she could continue.
"Don't say it. They aren't dead.", I said with a cold expression.
"Y-yeah you're right...I was just trying to remind us of the possibilit-", she stuttered but I cut her off again this time with a harsh tone.
"That isn't a possibility!"
Suddenly, the area went quiet, a tense silence engulfing the space between us.
I lingered for a moment and said, "Sorry...I lost myself there..."
"I-it's okay I understand..."
We went quiet again.
Tss...this is going nowhere...
"Hey...", I opened my mouth trying to strike up a conversation but Vicki cut me off with a question.
"Dave, how did you level up?"
"Ah...gimme a sec...", I opened my mouth and closed it before saying, "Stats."
[Name:] Dave
[Epithet:]???
[Level:] 2
[EXP:] 0/100
[Skills:] Saturation, Appraisal, Ease of Learning, Persuasion, Seduction, Artistic Sense, Ice Affinity, Blood Factor
[Aliases:] Davy Frosty, Master of the Arts
[Debuffs:] Dysfunctional Right Hand, Weakness, Ease of Learning, Gayshit
[Achievements:] Valor of the Frail
An hour ago, I had woken up, discovering that I had leveled up along with a couple of things.
Blood Factor...
[Skill:] Blood Factor: When the frail let out a cry to the gods, only one listened, Shezmu. Basking in laughter, he reached out to the frail heart and bestowed it with power. This skill boosts blood circulatory and grants mild regeneration capabilities.
To be frank it sounds neat...but I don't get it.
What's so good about blood circulation?
And mild regeneration? You mean like growing my arms back like in anime? No thank you, I'd rather keep them...
I frowned when I stared at a part of the description.
Who the fuck is Shezmu?
"What?", Vicki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh...it's just a new skill I got...it's confusing as hell."
"What is it?", she asked with a hint of barely hidden interest.
"It's called Blood Factor..."
"Blood Factor?"
"Yeah, apparently, it improves blood circulatory and grants mild regeneration...seems kinda fishy though...", I said as I brought a hand to my chin.
Vicki stared at me in disbelief.
I raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Ha...idiot.", she sighed as she buried her face in her hand.
"W-what?"
"Do you not know how useful an ability like that is?!"
"Am I supposed to?", I shirked back.
"You're stupid!", she shouted before elaborating, "An ability like that means that you won't run out of breath easily, you won't get sick easily, you'll hardly feel cold or hot, and you won't bleed from scrapes or cuts!"
"Whoa! All that?!", I asked bewildered.
"And that's not just it, the part about mild regeneration practically means that you'll heal quickly from minor wounds and injuries. You're basically broken!", she exclaimed.
I took a step back, trying to take in all of what she just said before coming to one thought.
Arigato, Shezmu.
I paid my homage to the god, wherever he was.
Vicki then spoke, "That skill is actually amazing...how did you get it?"
"I think it was from an achievement I completed, Valor of the Frail.", I said after some thought.
"Achievement?", she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, achievement...hear what it says..."
"[Achievement:] Valor of the Frail: Prove your courage...", I spoke with a hint of disappointment and then looked at her, "Yep...that's it..."
"So, proving your courage was what gave you that skill...Blood Factor?", she asked skeptical.
"And most likely what made me level up.", I added.
She slumped back on a tree and sighed. I looked at her as she seemed to fall into a deep thought.
Vicki was wearing a singlet and a pair of panties, and her black hair was left to fall on her shoulders.
Why didn't she wear her uniform...? Wait...
It was in that moment that I realized that I was currently only wearing my undergarments.
"Hey!", a red blush made its way to my cheeks as I jumped back and covered my chest with my arms.
Vicki glanced at me and simply said, "Is it now you're just noticing? You're so slow."
"Shut up!"
Vicki burst into laughter as I drowned in embarrassment. Soon I got fed up and asked, "How come you're not embarrassed?"
"Because am well clothed, there's nothing to see.", she said with an infuriating grin.
Tsk...smartass...
"Anyways, that out of the way, what are we going to do now? Live here?", Vicki said, changing the topic.
I scowled, "Of course not."
"So, any bright ideas?"
I looked at her and sighed, leaning back on a Wyvern Tree's smooth bark, I said with a neutral voice,
"Let's go find Alex."
Her eyes widened but then she frowned, "What do you mean? Wasn't he in the lake?"
"No, he wasn't."
"So... where is he?"
"That's the question."
Vicki stared at me for a moment but then rubbed her face and asked, anger present in her voice, "Even if we find him, what's the point? What can he do?"
"...", I didn't respond immediately.
I thought for a moment and then said in a serious tone,
"Call me stupid but I believe that he's our only chance at surviving this place or...saving our classmates."