It was the second time Sam woke up with a start that day. He was on the ground again, disoriented and out of breath. Above him were three very promising notifications.
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
Sam glanced to his right and found an unconscious Trickster lying beside him.
“Waking up next to your arch-nemesis... this is super weird,” Sam mused.
“That’s one way to put it,” Thunder replied.
She was standing over Sam with her hands on her hips. Her hair was a mess with strands sticking to her dirt-streaked face. There was a bloody wound on her brow too. And yet her big doe eyes shone brightly as she stared at him in a way that sent his body tingling.
“Did we win?” Sam asked uncertainly.
“We won,” she confirmed.
Thunder helped Sam to his shaky feet.
“Ouch...” Sam grunted. “If this is winning... then why does it hurt?”
“That’s how you know you did your best, lame-brain,” Thunder said wryly.