3 A Gamble Worth Taking

"Stop. You've done enough," Alexa's tone was one finality, "Look at you! You're… you're bleeding, again!" she dropped to her knees, snatching Jason's hands before he could tuck them away. The sword tumbled onto the ground, luckily within a reasonable reach should another creature fly out of the trees and ambush them.

She glared at him, and he wisely opted to avert his gaze. He was too tired to argue anyway.

"You don't need to go this far…"

"…"

Her frown twisted into something ugly when she saw the extent of the weeping tears in his hands. And that was 'after' Alexa healed him a couple of hours ago.

Sweat and blood caked his palms, most of it dried off, some of it still fresh.

The angry, bleeding red lines were a testament to how hard he must have been gripping that sword, swinging it carelessly, as if his body could handle that level of stupidity in one training session.

"Just heal me…" Jason still didn't deign himself to look at her.

She shook her head, her hands brightening for a moment as she chanted the verse of the only spell she knew. Fortunately, it was a useful one too. Unfortunately, she didn't know how 'much' it could heal. And she hoped she'd never have to find out.

A flood of relief washed over Jason, making him slump back and heave a deep sigh.

"Jason… I know that you're doing this for our survival… and I appreciate it. But please, tone it down. At this rate, you might end up hurting yourself beyond what my [Healing] can repair," Alexa gave Jason's now-healed hands a gentle squeeze, her eyes softening, "Please, take it just a little bit easier from now on…"

He stared at the delicate touch of her hands on his, her thumb sweeping softly across his skin. And then he looked up at her eyes, "I can take it. My body can take it. I'm growing stronger… I can feel it…" he withdrew his hands from her grasp, clenching and unclenching his fists to measure how much powerful he had grown in the span of a night, "I believe the system has something to do with it. It's messing with my body, because there is no way something like this would have been possible back on Earth."

The screens that had flashed in front of him earlier made it all the more obvious.

[Quest completed!]

[You have received the passive skill, 'Sword Mastery (F)']

[Rank: None → Sword Trainee]

[Strength: F → E]

[Physique: F → E]

"Jason…?" Alexa's expression was unreadable as she stared at him, "Even if that's true, it doesn't mean you should go to such an extent every time…" after a few seconds of contemplation, she quickly amended, "… at least not until I have a better grasp of my spell."

"I'd rather not take chances, Alexa," Jason said, scrambling back to his feet. He was still tired, but not enough to drop dead in the middle of a conversation. He grabbed his sword, his fingers easily finding the best way to wrap around the hilt, "We don't know what we might be facing next. We don't even know if we might survive to see tomorrow. The best we can do right now is prepare. Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."

"…"

Alexa bit her thumb, fumbling for words. When she didn't find any, she let her gaze sag down.

He continued evenly, "We can't take it 'a bit easier'. Taking it easy means expecting everything to go off without a hitch. We just came to this place, Alexa. And we almost died… twice. Today will be no different. We'll have to fight again, eat whatever garbage we manage to find, and slowly get stronger. Day by day, our lives will become a bit better… but it has to start with hard work. We can't be complacent."

And so he gave his sword another swing. This time it hacked through the air with a fluidity that had not been there before.

[Congratulations, you have received a rank advancement quest.]

[Requirement 1. Swing your sword ten thousand times.]

[Requirement 2. Bring your Agility stat to (E)]

[Reward: Sword Mastery (E)]

[Rank: Sword Pupil]

[Time limit: None]

Jason smiled, his hold on the sword tightening, "I've got another one."

"Another what?" Alexa asked, voice considerably more subdued.

"Another rank advancement quest," he replied, shouldering his sword, "And as much as I'd like to get started right away, we have to eat something."

She nodded with a sigh, dusting her behind properly as she stood back up.

Jason walked up to a tree and slashed once at the bark with his sword, "We'll mark each tree we walk by, so we can easily find our way back to our shelter."

What was left unsaid was that he could slowly up his sword swing count that way as well.

Alexa held her magic book in one hand and the dagger in the other, looking ready to go to war. Or rather, as ready as someone could be in her situation.

He eyed her get-up — mostly the dagger, "Use it only as a last resort. I'd rather have you not fight at all. If something happens to you, chances are I'd be following you soon after."

She smiled, "I know… but if something happens to you, chances are I'd die as well. So let's do our best not to die, okay?"

He smiled back, "Of course."

Without further ado, they carefully made their way through the thicket. It was awfully early in the morning, and Jason hoped that the most dangerous creatures that inhabited the forest were still sleeping — if they slept at all. That was a sobering thought, one that he didn't want to entertain at the moment.

"Can you hear that?" Alexa asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

The question stopped him in his tracks.

Jason frowned, looking around as he strained his ears.

It was faint, coming from the distance, but it was there, and it definitely was a sound he recognized.

Chirping. Birds chirping. More importantly, it was not the sort of sound that chilled your spine. No, it was soft, gentle, like a pair of little critters singing a tune in perfect harmony. And with the beautiful sunrise as the backdrop, it almost made Jason believe they were back home.

That was a positive note.

It meant the fauna wasn't 'entirely' different from Earth's. Now, if only they could find a creek nearby…

Jason continued his advance, slowly, his steps controlled and quiet. His sword was held in a protective stance, ready to lash out in case of a 'repeat experience' of yesterday. Without enough strength, cautiousness was the only way forward. Alexa was extremely close to him, her eyes scampering left and right, scouring for any stalking creature.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go too deep in the forest," Alexa smartly advised.

"I know… but we need food, and I'm willing to go as far as it takes to bring back something to eat."

"Our safety is more important, Jason."

"With empty stomachs, our odds of survival would go even lower. It's risky, but it has to be done."

Jason didn't want to imagine how he'd continue swinging his sword without a source of caloric intake.

A shriek rang out, reverberating through the sky. It was a familiar shriek too, for it had been replaying itself in Jason's head ever since he first heard it.

Except that this time it was not alone.

Even though the sun was slowly making its ascent, the sky darkened. It was not an eclipse.

Jason looked up just in time as another shriek slammed into his gut with the icy grip of death. The singing birds ended their morning duet prematurely, immediately flying off of the treetops.

A huge shadow loomed over them. Multiple shadows, actually. Each of them cried out as they plunged into the forest, just like their brethren had done yesterday. The pterodactyls-like creatures fanned their enormous wings and flapped them, making a sharp dive for the ground.

"They're hunting…" Jason tensed, forcing the lump of fear down his throat, "Come, we need to hide!"

Moving targets were easier to spot, after all.

Unfortunately, Alexa was quite unresponsive. She was a trembling mess as she stared at the sky. At the winged creature nosediving towards them.

"Damn…" Jason hastily grabbed Alexa's hand and dragged her out of her stupor. His eyes made an on-the-spot scan of his surroundings. There was no time to go back to their shelter, so he picked a burly tree and threw himself behind it, Alexa tripping on top of him, "Shhh!"

He secured her between his arms and legs, one hand instinctively shooting up to cover her mouth. Just in case.

A few seconds later, the creature landed on the ground, wings fully fanned out.

From such a short distance, Jason could easily compare its height to a truck, almost as wide too, but nowhere near as long as one. Its head bobbed as it walked around, eyes blinking and scampering around. He didn't know how good its sense of smell was, but there was no doubt about its eyesight and hearing.

One wrong move. One tiny squeal. And they'd become bird food.

Alexa's chest was heaving up and down, her eyes crammed shut, tears leaving a wet path on her cheeks as they fell down. If she was going to die, she didn't want to see it. Jason could feel the hot bursts of her breath in his hand. And he was pretty sure that she could feel his heart on her back, thumping ice into his blood.

He could hear its drumming echo, almost in a grim symphony with Alexa's rough, muffled breathing.

She was trembling, huddled in his arms like a frightened kitten. Jason tightened his hold on her, hoping to calm her down, if only a bit.

Fear tended to be contagious, and the symptoms were a huge lack of common sense during precarious situations.

The creature moved. Twigs crunched under every clawed step it took.

Jason cast a glance overhead, at the sky, where more of them flew around in a coordinated pattern. So big were they, it was as if he and Alexa were surrounded by flying tanks. It was not a pleasant thought. Meanwhile, the one that had detached itself from the flock was slowly advancing toward them.

He was stuck between two roads. Run for it? Or wait?

Either was equally bad, but he had to choose the one that offered that tack more of survival.

Time ticked down.

Step by step, it approached… until it was right behind them, separated by half a meter of wood.

Alexa was having a mental breakdown in Jason's arms, a fresh wave of tears sliding down her cheeks and over his hand. He briefly juggled with the idea of attacking first, but that would hinge on whether he had enough power to cut through its hide. Which he didn't have.

The crown of the tree he was hiding behind swayed. It was not because of the wind.

The creature blinked, rearing its head up.

Jason's hand whitened over the hilt of his sword.

The lull broke when the branches above them cracked, snapped, and fell down in a rain of leaves. A crimson biped flapped its wings and shot out of the foliage. The giant bird blinked, bobbed its head, and pursued the fleeing devil.

Jason waited a while, and then chanced a peek beyond the tree.

His stomach nearly flipped upside down when he saw the crimson creature's legs poking out of the bird's beak, its neck enlarging to accommodate the passage of its prey's body.

Bones snapped and crunched, blood staining the bird's black fur.

Jason was not about to let the opportunity slip by. He thrust himself up to his feet, almost sending Alexa on a painful trip against the ground. Thankfully, she caught herself before the impact, and looked up at him, tears glistening under her eyes.

His hand moved from her mouth to her wrist.

She nearly stumbled again when she found herself suddenly running along with Jason.

"Don't look back," Jason advised gently.

Alexa bit her bottom lip as she struggled to keep up the pace.

There she was again, being a burden to him. She couldn't even run properly.

"Alexa…"

She looked at him, and his eyes easily found hers.

"We'll survive," he said matter-of-factly, somehow dragging a smile to his face.

Alexa nodded, smiling back at him. She tuned out the shrieks coming from above and pushed her legs past their limits.

They burned, as did her lungs. Each breath. Each step. It coursed fire through her body.

"There!" Jason swerved to the left, and Alexa did her best to follow along with the sudden move. Ahead of them was a tree, considerably bigger than the others, with thick, exposed roots, "Come on, get in, quick!"

There was a bit of space underneath one of the roots, enough for one person, two if they squeezed in.

A shriek came from above, this time way closer and louder. Another bird had spotted them.

Alexa crouched down and rolled into the enclosed space. She barely had time to adjust herself that Jason immediately threw himself in.

It was a tight fit.

She found herself pressed hard into him, her hands resting on his chest. Their eyes were an inch or two away from each other. Hers were still a bit wet, while his were tired but determined. They were so different from last time, when she found him in that dingy pub, tucked away in a corner while he drank the night away.

And from such a short distance, Alexa noticed how light of a color his grey orbs were, almost like champagne. But not quite. All that was missing was the bubbles and the froth. Just as she was about to continue appreciating the beauty of Jason's eyes, a heavy thud broke her out of her reverie.

Anxiety tumbled in her stomach.

Beyond Jason's shoulders, Alexa saw sharp, hooked claws sinking into the earth.

'If those things touch us…'

A hand landed on the crown of her head, and all of a sudden, her face was dabbed into Jason's chest. She blinked, finding herself curled up in his embrace.

The bird crowed, flailing its wings irritably.

Alexa slammed her eyes shut, shivering in his arms. Instinctively, Jason's hold on her tightened a bit. And not only to comfort her, but also himself, because, really… he had no idea what to do anymore.

Was there really no way for them to survive?

Jason strangled back the knot of fear in his stomach and ventured a look behind him.

The creature could see them through the narrow grooves in the arched roots. It craned its head down, until its beady, dark eyes peeked directly at them. Brief eye contact was made. It unhinged its beak and tried to peck them out of there. And it would have been successful had the wood not halted its advance.

The roots around them shook wildly.

Thankfully, its beak was a bit too large to pierce through the gap. Still, it didn't mean the bird was about to give up.

Its wings stirred, flapping carelessly and billowing dust over them. Not content with the previous outcome, it slammed its beak into the coil of roots again and again. Jason struggled to lengthen the distance between them, but all the available space was already occupied. Any more than that and he'd probably suffocate Alexa to death. Maybe if they discarded their weapons?

Weapons…

"Alexa, give me your dagger, quick!"

The world around them shook, chips of wood falling all over the place. Cracks were forming. With each fissure, more sunlight seeped through. It wouldn't be long before the ceiling gave in.

The bird's giant beak stabbed the wooden shelter, almost tearing it apart in one blow. Shards of wood sailed up.

Alexa recoiled, frozen by fear.

'No…!'

She gritted her teeth and powered through the flight instinct taking over her body. She reached a hand down, unpocketed the dagger, and immediately handed it over to Jason, "H-Here!"

He folded his fingers around the handle in a firm grip. Behind him, the creature was preparing to deliver another devastating strike.

Its head loaded back, to build up more muscle power, and then propelled it forwards, its beak like the tip of a sword.

Jason had to time it right.

The beak momentarily slipped inside their hideout, mandibles stretching wide apart and wreaking havoc in the fragile structure.

'Now!'

His hand blurred, the dagger slicing off the tip of the bird's tongue before lodging itself deep into the roof of its beak. Rivulets of blood cascaded down as the creature thrashed with a shriek. The thrashing, naturally, hastened the crumbling process of their shelter.

Jason pushed the blade further into the soft flesh of the creature, clinging onto it even if it cost his hand. The bird arched back, dragging him with it and shaking its head in a vain attempt to rid itself of the dagger.

He relinquished his hold on the handle and fell down.

The bird cried out in pain, fresh rills of blood spewing out with each frantic sway of its body. The dagger was almost hilt-deep through the roof of its beak, and the bird was left unable to close it.

Jason hissed as he tried to push himself up. A twinge shot through his right hand — no doubt sprained. Alexa crawled out of the wooden wreck, coughing. She staggered her way over, his sword secured in her hands along with her book.

Behind them, the oversized bird had gone hysterical from the crippling wound. It flapped its wings, hoping to fly away to safety, but it couldn't escape the inevitability that came with such a loss of blood.

Black feathers drifted all around.

Jason reached his hand out and seized the sword, "We need to be fast!" he said, balancing himself on unsteady feet. A dull ache seared across his body, but it was not incapacitating. He could still move, "Just run. Don't look back!"

A shadow loomed behind him.

Jason's eyes flitted back.

The bird lurched forward. As a result, a sharp, taloned foot almost impaled him. He sidestepped, but not fast enough to avoid a nasty, bleeding gash on his chest. The pain was scalding hot, his nerves lit up under burning, throbbing waves.

Alexa caught him right before he could fall down, her arms looping around him as she desperately dragged him away, "It's okay, I got you!" her voice cracked a bit, but she braved on. She had to, "I'm going to heal y—"

"No!" Jason broke free from her grasp, "No time. We have to get out of here..."

"B-But..."

He ignored her, clamped his hand around her wrist, and pulled her along.

The grass rustled ominously.

Jason came to a sudden halt, Alexa nearly slamming into his back in the process.

A forked tongue flicked out before a huge, scaly head reared up. An anaconda, silvery, almost white, with crimson slitted eyes. Most importantly... it was huge. Impossibly so. Its maw could have gobbled him up with room to spare — room that would be used to fit Alexa in there as well.

It slithered forward, silently, in wavy S-shaped curves.

Jason brandished his sword as he tried to skirt around it with wide, back steps.

For some reason, the silver-plated anaconda barely spared them a glance as it advanced slowly, the grass snapping beneath its weight. Nevertheless, he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. With an urgent gesture of his head, he beckoned Alexa to keep up the pace as they darted through the trees.

Curiously, he ventured a glance back. Just in time to witness the anaconda make a well-calculated lunge for the squirming bird and coiling around it in a choke hold. What happened next was anyone's guess.

A clump of trees blocked his vision.

/////

A pang of hunger made itself known with a growl.

"I wonder if we could have eaten that bird creature thingy..." Alexa sighed, her hands releasing a warm, soft glow upon Jason's wounds. She was instantly relieved when she saw the split skin mend back and repair itself, "Maybe we can find some berries?"

Jason twisted his wrist, no longer feeling the shooting pain, "Maybe," he let his head rest against the bark of a tree, "It's not like we can hunt for the big-games. Not yet. The most pressing issue is water."

She scuttled next to him, knees curled up as she hugged her book protectively, "You want to go look for a stream?"

"That would be a good start," he chuckled bitterly, "Though I don't know where even to begin. Well, I did see what looked like an ocean when we were falling, but I have no idea how far we are from it. Hmm. Chances are it would be quite dangerous too. We just escaped death, and I'm so, so tired right now..."

The day had barely started too.

"Anything else in that book that might make our lives a bit better?"

Alexa stroked the spine of her book, "If I complete the second quest, I'll unlock a new spell... uh, a detoxification one, I believe. Not sure how useful it will be compared to [Healing], but at least infections and toxins will be one less thing to worry about."

"You're walking the path of a doctor. Such a delicate profession for someone as rebellious as you. Who would have thought?" he laughed.

A smile tugged at her lips, a reminiscent one, "I've never been good at taking care of others. I liked being around kids, but never had that 'motherly' touch, you know? Even when I was a child, I lost count of how many fish died because I forgot to feed them. Mom refused to get me anything more 'responsibility-heavy' after that. When I grew up, I didn't bother looking for companionship in a pet. I was too scared I'd neglect them."

"So, is this your redemption arc?"

"Perhaps," she chuckled behind a hand, eyes softening, "I'm taking care of you, now, aren't I?"

"Yes. Yes, you are," Jason curled one knee up, "Don't expect me to call you mom though."

A pout crept onto her face, "Lame..." a glimmer of mischief flashed in her eyes, "... but maybe, maybeee you can get me to call you daddy."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Uh-huh!"

A more insistent, drawn-out rumble killed off the words before they could come out of his mouth. Jason let the smile fade from his lips as he begrudgingly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Alexa scrambled to her feet, grunting as she did so. Too much physical exertion, and now her muscles were protesting.

"Today..." he started in a low voice, almost a whisper, "... we'll eat something a bit different. We have no choice."

There was always a choice. But choices were a byproduct of power. It was the prerogative of the strong and the ignorance of the weak.

Alexa's eyes bore into his back, "Jason?"

He walked up to a tree, circling it, inspecting it. There was a patch of bark that was quite loose, he noticed. He raised his sword and sawed away at the corners, until the wooden strip was loose enough that he could yank it off with his bare hands. And so he did. He curled his fingers into the bark and tore it off the tree. With a crack, it tumbled onto the ground, exposing its interior.

A disgusted frown pulled at Alexa's face, "Don't tell me..."

Waxworms. They wiggled on top of each other, as if someone had breathed life into a bowl of pasta. Except that the larvae were a disturbing blue color, almost translucent. And in nature, anything that was colorful tended to be poisonous.

"Jason, no! Don't be reckless!"

"It's risky... I know."

"If you know then don't do it! We don't know if it's safe to eat!" Alexa raised her hands in calming motions, "We're going to find something else that... looks less dangerous to eat."

Jason found a bit of humor in her words, "Everything looks dangerous here, Alexa. If we eat, we might die. If we don't eat, we will die. Not much of a choice here... but it's fine," he smiled, and she let her hands fall down at her sides, resignation replacing concern, "One day, we'll make our own choices. We'll eat whatever we want. But for now, we have to endure. Just a bit."

She stared at him. At his hand, trailing down and plucking one of the squirming waxworms from the bark. Jason held it above his face, above his open mouth. His fingers parted, and the waxworm disappeared inside the confines of his lips.

He closed his eyes and chewed. Something popped in his mouth, making a disgusting, slimy sound. Alexa couldn't bring herself to look at him. But she had to, in case he had a negative reaction to the waxworm's blood. His face scrunched up, and it was obvious that he wanted to spit it out. Still, he didn't. Just as he said, he endured.

And then Jason swallowed, slowly, having trouble pushing the mangled mess of insect tissue and blood down his throat.

"H-How was it?" Alexa couldn't help her morbid curiosity.

"Nutty," he laughed, holding a hand over his mouth in case his stomach and the waxworm didn't see eye-to-eye, "God... that was... quite the experience."

"You're such a fool!" Alexa huffed, thumb caught between her teeth. She hurried over to his side, "How are you feeling?"

Even a light stomach ache could be a cause of concern in this situation.

"Fuller..." Jason said, fixing a smile into place, "... though we should wait a while still."

She slumped down, releasing a soft sigh, "You should have waited until I unlocked the detoxification spell, at least!"

"We can't always wait."

"Yes if it's important."

"But I'm fine. The gamble paid off."

"Ugh, you're insufferable!" Alexa grunted, crossing her arms and snapping her gaze away. Though she still sneaked a glance at him, to see if he was 'truly' fine.

"Come on now, don't pout. All's well that ends we—"

A surge of something welled up inside him. It was for a brief moment, but it was long enough for him to almost freak out. He would've if a screen didn't suddenly flash in front of his eyes.

[You have consumed a Crystal Worm for the first time.]

[Processing the special properties of the Crystal Worm...]

[Processed.]

[Reflex: F → E]

When the surge quieted down, it left a pleased smile on his face.

"Jason?" Alexa blinked, growing a bit concerned.

"Alexa!"

"Huh?"

Jason shoved a hand inside the chunk of bark and retrieved another worm, "Quick! You must eat this!"

Alexa's confusion gave way to fear when she saw him about to force-feed her that disgusting thing, "No!"

"Yes!"

"Jason, nooo—"