The next thing I know, I am sitting in my bed back home with my mother fussing around me. She is asking what happened and why I'm back so late. I explain to her that I was working in the forge with a lizardman but she doesn't believe me.

"What? A lizardman? Are you serious?" she asks incredulously.

"Yes, Mother. I swear." I tell her. "He's here with me now."

My mother grabs my arm and examines it. "Your skin is burnt off. Did you fall asleep working without taking breaks?"

"No." I lie.

I tell her about how I also met a Goddess named Alana and how she gave me a chance to live after I died.

She looks at me as if I am crazy. "There are no Gods. There is only one God. He is the creator of everything." she says. "No Goddesses."

"Mother, please. I saw a god. She was beautiful and kind." I plead.

"You've lost your mind!" she yells. "Now get some rest. We'll talk about this in the morning when you wake up."

As soon as she says that something echoes in my mind. Wake up. You need to wake up.

I blink. I realize that I am dreaming. How did I get here? Am I dead again? Am I going insane?

I start to panic thinking maybe I did die....again.

I try to remember what happened before now. I remember walking into a village, I can't remember the name. I also remember meeting a borderline terrifying lizardman. one that was kind to me. His name starts with a Kay sound. I remember learning at the forge with him after he offered me a little work.

I remember pounding the metal trying to make something. I remember thinking about what I wanted to make from that piece of metal the lizard man gave me to learn on. Then I remember the system warnings. One said my stamina had been used up.

I couldn't remember what happened next. I tried to think harder but I couldn't remember anything.

I am about to swear at my sheer reckless stupidity when suddenly... I hear my thoughts come out of my mouth.

"Wake up." I hear myself say.

Since my stamina was empty it shouldn't have killed me. Maybe I am in some sort of exhausted state like a coma or something. I am not sure which would be worse a coma or just dying again.

I mentally shout at myself to wake up. Suddenly I am in an unfamiliar place. There is a wooden door, a bed, and a window.

Beside the bed, there is a small bedside table with a brass or bronze lantern. The lantern is not lit. my boots are beside the door. While I have all of my clothes still on.

I take a look around. I am in a tiny room. The walls are made of stone. I sit on the edge of the bed. I notice my hands. They are covered in blisters and cuts from the forge. My head aches too. But I don't feel tired.

I stand up and look outside the window. after noticing the brightness coming into the room. The sun is high in the sky. At least it feels like it is because the day is bright. I see a view of the village of Findrel below. I am pretty sure this is the same village. If I was somehow in a different village I think my mind would slowly buckle. I stand there looking out the window inhaling the strange and somewhat foul smells of the village.

Suddenly the door opens. A lizardman walks through the doorway.

I jump back as he comes in.

"H-hi!" I say nervously.

I realize it is the smith, Ka'illian. He has a wide smile on his face.

"You are awake! That is good news." He says excitedly. "How do you feel?"

My body seems to respond to my thoughts. I feel much better. Like I have more energy than I did before.

"Much better actually. I passed out didn't I?" I asked.

Ka'illan nods. "Yes, yes you did."

"What happened?" I ask hesitantly.

He smiles. "Oh, well. I was teaching you how to use the forge when your stamina ran out. You fainted right where you were standing."

I had never felt such exhaustion. I had thought it was only possible to get that way if you fight or run long distances. I have a feeling that it might be due to a combination of my not eating and all the walking I did.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"About a day. Most of it was spent sleeping. Your body needed time to recover." He says.

"Where am I? At a hospital or something like that?" I ask.

The smith shakes his head. "No, no hospital. This is my home."

"Your home?!" I exclaim.

Ka'illan chuckles. "I live here with my wife Sela. She has been taking care of you while you were asleep. After you collapsed I brought you here. I knew you had no money so I didn't bother taking you to a healer. Besides the price for treating Stamina Burnout is way too high."

I nod. "So what happened then?"

"Well, Sela came in and saw you lying there. She told me to leave you in her care. So I did. I went to work and she took care of you."

I remember thinking how odd that was. How could he just leave me here? It wasn't like I was a friend. We had just barely met. And even then, I hadn't talked to him. But he did it anyway. I can tell it bothered him though.

"I hope caring for me wasn't a burden." I always hated the idea of burdening someone with my problems. That's why always worked so hard to face everything on Earth.

"Not at all. My wife is very kind. She washed you and gave you water. She made sure you got plenty of rest. She also helped clean up some of your wounds."

A wave of embarrassment hits me as I remember my injuries. "W-wounds?"

Ka'illan chuckles. "You hurt yourself when you fell, got some minor burns and bruises. Nothing that simple care couldn't fix. You should thank her."

I nod. "Thank her for me please?"

"Will do." He says smiling. "Now, would you like to go see her? Or would you rather stay here?"

I think about it. I don't want to impose on Ka'illans hospitality but maybe seeing Sela will cheer me up. "I guess I should go see her. The very least I could do is thank her for caring for me." Besides, I feel much better now.

Ka'illian nods. "Good choice. Just give me a moment to gather some things. Then we can head over there."

I slip on my stockings and my boots. I am tempted to make the bed, but I don't want to keep the guy waiting.

After five minutes Ka'illan returns. "Ready?"

He is holding a basket full of fruits. I smile as I take in the sight of the food. "Wow, fruit!"

My stomach gurgles probably the loudest I have ever heard in both lives. I hadn't eaten anything since my life restarted!

Ka'Illian hears it and chuckles. "Hungry?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Very."

He hands me a fruit that looks very similar to a pear to me.

"Now eat slowly. You were ill not long ago and you don't want to hurt yourself by eating too fast. I am sure you are very hungry since your Stamina Burnout."

I look at the fruit curiously, it looks like a pear but it doesn't smell like one.

"What is Stamina Burnout?" I ask as I bite into the fruit

"It happens when your body runs out of Stamina Points. It causes you to faint and makes your muscles weak."

Ah, right, I remember now. That's why I was so tired. "Oh, okay."

"I will try to keep an eye on you so you don't collapse on me again. I didn't think that bit of work in the smithy would cause you to pass out."

"Thank you..." I mumble as I continue to eat the fruit.

The experience is pleasant. I enjoy the taste which tastes nothing like a pear. It's sweet and tangy. It sort of tastes like a blueberry

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"Are you finished?" Ka'illian asks.

"I think that is enough for now. You said not to eat too fast. I probably shouldn't eat too much for now either."

Ka'illan nods. "Yes, you're right."

"Thank you for the fruit. What is it called?"

"It is called a Lideria Fruit. We have a couple of farms nearby that grow them.

"Nice, I'll be sure to visit those farms sometime. The fruit tastes really good." blueberries were probably my favorite fruit. What I wouldn't give for a slice of blueberry pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream right now.

It comes to mind that if this fruit tastes like blueberries, maybe they make pastries of it somewhere in this world.

"Want another?" He asks before we head out the door of his cottage

"Sure... But only one more."

Ka'illans tail twitches as he agrees. "Of course. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

We both leave the cottage and walk through the town. I wonder where his wife Sela is. I wonder if she is a Lizardfolk like Ka'illian or if she is human. Maybe some other fantastical race. I haven't gotten the chance to meet any other races yet, but I'm sure that I will soon.

As we walk down the street, I see a group of Lizardfolk children playing with some human children. I find myself smiling at the sight. I hope they get along well together because everyone deserves friends.

"Do you have any siblings?" I ask Ka'illian as the two of us walk side by side

"No, I am an only child. Do you?"

"I did, I had a sister. But she passed away." I fudge the truth not admitting aloud that I was the one who passed away.

"That must have been tough..."

"Yeah, it was," I say softly. I still haven't grieved over being separated from her. I will when I get the time. For now, I need to keep moving forward.

"Where are your parents?" Ka'illan asks as we reach the edge of town.

"They died when I was young. After they died I took care of my sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He says as he looks at me sympathetically

"Thanks, it is ok now. I'm used to it now." I say trying to sound more cheerful than I feel

"What happened?"

"It was a fire, they never made it out."

"A fire? How horrible. That's terrible."

"Yeah, it was." I agree, though it isn't so bad anymore. It hurt at the time, but I've come to terms with it.

"So, do you plan on staying here?"

"In town?"

"Yes, in town. You can stay in the inn there, and I could always use some help in the smithy."

"I'd love to try to learn and work for you but ill be honest I don't know if you can afford enough to pay me. I don't know the rate for the inn here. I don't even know if you still seriously consider me for employment after I fainted."

"The rate is cheap, it's just a few coppers per night. And I don't mind paying you more, I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to get someone who is committed to helping me out."

"Ok then, I'll take the job," I say happily. "I don't know how long my Stamina Burnout will last but I will do whatever I can to help around the forge."

"Excellent! Welcome aboard!" Ka'illian says happily. "My wife is outside of town tending to a little herb garden of hers. Time to go meet her."

He turns around and starts walking toward the city gates. As we exit the village, I realize that this is the first time I've ever seen a lizard person in person. Aside from last night. Before today, all I knew about them were stories. They aren't what I expected, which is good because I would have been scared. They're quite cool looking.

As we walk down the road, Ka'illian tells me about his background. His father was a blacksmith, but he died when Ka'illan was very young in something called The Purge. He didn't go into detail on what The Purge was but from what I could make, it was something where a lot of Lizardfolk died.

After his father died, Ka'ilan's mother moved them to Flammia where she had relatives. She tried to start a new life, but couldn't find anyone else who wanted to hire a female Lizardfolk. So Ka'illian started learning to become a smith.

"How did you learn to be a blacksmith?" I ask him.

"Oh, I have a knack for it. My father taught me before he passed away and I learned quickly, much quicker than most others do. It's my passion, I just love working with metal."

"That's great, I'm sure your skills will help a lot in making stuff like swords."

"It certainly will. Now, let's hurry up and catch up to my wife so I can introduce you to her."

We reach the gates of the town, which are tall and made of wood. Two guards are standing at the entrance.

"Ka'illian, hello," a guard says in his deep voice. "What brings you to the gate?"

I see both guards wearing a mix of leather and chain metal armor. The one talking has a spear with a painful-looking spearhead.

Ka'illian responds "Hello. I came out here to see my wife Sela, she should be at her herb garden right now. Can you tell me if she's there?"

"Yes, she is. Let me show you the way. Come along, Richard."

So Ka'illan introduces me to the guard and together we walk down the path outside of the village. I come to believe this is a different road than the one I came by yesterday. This one is wider and there are fewer farms out here.

I start to realize something I should have done yesterday, I understand everyone. I don't even know what language they speak. I shouldn't be able to understand anyone's words. But I do. Even strangers understand my words as though they can understand them perfectly fine.

While walking I wonder if I have a skill that allows it. Some fantasy tropes involve a world traveler gaining the ability to speak other languages.

"Kai'illan?" I ask the lizardfolk.

"Yeah?"

"Why can I understand you guys?"

"What do you mean?" He asks, confused.

"Well, you shouldn't be able to understand my language because I am from a faraway place." I don't want to say I am from another world "And I shouldn't be able to understand you. There is no way you know my language."

He thinks about it before responding.

"Honestly I don't know. If we shouldn't able to communicate if that is the case. However you Alnathian seem perfectly fine to me."

Interesting… I think to myself. I decided to try and find more information on this.

"Hey, do you guys have a library somewhere?"

"No, we don't. We are a small village and lack the resources to support such a thing. Why do you need a library? And what kind of book would you be looking for anyway?"

"Ahh well…"

Damnit! As much as I hate asking questions, I feel like I have no choice. I just hope he won't think I'm a freak or anything.

"Do you know what magic is?"

"Magic? Yes, some of our people use it to make things like weapons and tools."

"I wonder if there is something to do with the magic that allows me to understand you."

"Hmm, sounds like a possibility."

We continue walking until we reach the entrance to the garden. Sela is there with a large basket full of herbs. She looks up at us as we approach.

Sela is a lizardfolk like Kai'illan. Her scales are a deep blue color. I couldn't imagine a living being with such brilliant blue color skin. Her reptilian eyes are a bright blue, she has no horns on her head. She is wearing a brown dress that has a white collar. A pair of thin black gloves cover her hands.

As soon as we arrive she stops what she was doing and approaches us with a smile.

"Hello, Richard. How are you feeling?"

She crouches down to look into my face. Her eyes glance over my body. I notice that she is checking out my arms. She moves her gaze up to check my chest.

"I'm okay." I say trying to convince her" Your husband told me how much you've been taking care of me after my Stamina burnout incident."

"Oh, good. You're back to normal. What happened?"

"Well, I guess I was not paying attention to my stamina yesterday. I was already low when I arrive at the village, I guess I pushed over my limit when I was learning in the forge."

"You should take better care of yourself, Richard. "

"Yeah, I know, but I always seem to forget. It's probably because I never had any real problems with Stamina before. I'm not sure why I did so badly yesterday. A lesson learned."

Sela giggles at me.

"I'm glad you're fine though. Now then, can you tell me what you were doing in the forge? You said it was about Stamina but-"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention…"

Kai'illan steps forward and interrupts me.

"I was trying to teach him some stuff around the forge. I wanted to get an idea of how capable he was. It was my mistake for not realizing his stamina was low. I"

"Oh…okay…" Sela says scowling at Kai'illan. Her posture changes dramatically and her tone becomes cold.

"What do you mean'? Why didn't you realize that? Oh, gods!" She bursts. "If only you hadn't let him learn in the forge! If only you'd realized he needed rest, he wouldn't have passed out like that."

I stare blankly at her.

"Excuse me?" I say confused. "It is as much his fault as mine. I failed to pay attention to the System notifications about my stamina till it was too late. We both share responsibility."

"Oh yes, you do," Sela says sarcastically. "But it is your job, as his mentor, to know these things. You are supposed to be looking after him, making sure he's safe. As his teacher, it is your duty to make sure he learns properly." she says to Kai'illan.

"I know dear. All is well is ends well. I think he and I both learned a valuable lesson."

"I don't know if either of you will ever learn anything from this experience," Sela replies angrily. "I hope you two grow wiser in the future."

"Yes, we will."

"Good. Now leave me to tend to my herbs. I'll need to harvest more today."

I watch as Sela leaves the garden. I turn to Kai'illan who is staring at me with a bemused expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he says shaking his head and smiling. "She's just being protective."

He laughs.

I realize the guard escorting us moved back as not to accidentally be caught up in the rant. I don't blame him. I also look at the fruit basket that Kai'illan brought with him.

"Is that fruit basket for her?" I ask pointing to it.

"Yes," Kai'illan nods. "She likes them. They are one of my favorite fruits too."

"They're delicious. I've never tasted anything like them before." I say hoping at some point I will be able to have more." Should we give this to her?"

"Why don't you go ahead and hand it over," Kai'illan suggests. "I want to talk to the guard about something."

I smile and nod. I pick up the basket and walk over to where Sela is pulling up some weeds. When I stop she looks up and smiles at me.

"What now?" she asks still clearly flustered about the earlier conversation.

"Your husband brought a basket of fruit for you. I asked him if I could give it to you." I tell her holding it out to her.

"Not now. I am busy with my herbs," she says turning back to her work.

I frown and kneel next to her. "I think you should eat some. I don't know if you ate recently but

you have to keep your stamina up while you are working. " I reply.

She stops noticing how I turn our argument on her. She was just calling out to me and Kai'illan about my stamina. Now I am calling out to her about stamina.

I realize this and she starts laughing.

"You little sneak," she chuckles. "Very clever of you. Very clever indeed."

I laugh along with her and hand her the basket.

"I am going to be working under your husband. I hope I will be able to learn the smithing trade from him. I am sure I will see you around. And I'll bring you another basket of fruit." I promise her.

"Alright," she sighs and smiles at me. "Your alright Richard? Nice to see you walking instead of ill in bed. Thank you and give my husband my thanks also. I hope he can teach you the art of smithing properly."

As she turns back to her work I return to Kai'illan. He has an amused grin on his face and is speaking to the guard.

"That went better than expected," he says when I get close enough. "Sela seems to have mellowed some. I think she appreciated having someone else call her out on her. As soon as she starts eating those fruits she forgets all about you being a royal pain."

I smile and nod.

"It's good to hear that," I murmur. "So do you need anything from me right now? We've been interrupted so much today that I'm afraid I haven't had time to get anything done."

He shakes his head. "No, not yet."

I look around and notice two other lizardfolk men approaching us. They both carry weapons and one of them is limping a little. The guard looks at them as they close in.

When the two lizardfolk come close enough to speak to Kai'illan quietly, he nods and they start talking. They turn to me once they are finished.

I realize the one limping is wounded. Has blood leaking from his knee where an arrow is sticking out. It must have struck him before he managed to put up a defense. I wonder what happened.

The guard and the lizardmen are having a discussion. Something about bandits.

I listen intently and eventually figure out it is a group of five bandits that attacked them while they were on patrol.

"Do you have a bandit problem around here?" I ask Kai'illan.

"Not that we know of," he answers me. "But I suppose there could be more of these bandits out there. They don't seem to operate in large numbers though."

"They may not operate in large groups," the guard says. "But they are damn dangerous. Best to stay alert. I recommend that you tell them to get your wife and we head back to the village. You should probably stay inside tonight."

Kai'illan nods. "Yes, that would probably be best. But first... Richard, I'd like you to meet my friend, Bostar."

Bostar is the injured warrior. He is wearing a dark blue tunic and trousers. There is a patch over his left eye. I look at this Lizardman aside from his wound I look at his appearance. He is tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. His skin is darker than Sela's. He looks almost black. It's obvious he is also a lizardfolk.

"You're hurt," I say. "What happened?"

He grunts as if in pain. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

I frown and lean closer to him. "Are you sure? You have an arrow stuck in your leg."

"I will be fine. This is nothing, a wound is a warrior's pride. But a little shameful that I got taken down with an arrow." he laughed. I can see he is in pain.

Kai'illan goes to get Sela. While I turn to the guard.

"What is the chance we will get attacked by bandits on the way back to the village? Do you think

they are still around?"

The guard shakes his head. "No, I doubt they are still around. However, it is best to be on guard."

The guard tells me his name is Duro.

"Okay Duro I don't have any fighting experience but should I probably have a weapon just in case?" I ask him.

Duro smiles. "It wouldn't hurt. I would suggest a dagger. You might need it, I do not think you'd be any use with a sword without training." he says

I ask Bostar if he would mind giving me his dagger. I doubt if we got attacked he would be of much help in his condition. Most likely he would just get himself hurt worse.

"Sure, if you want to borrow it," he says.

I take the dagger and put it into a hidden pocket in my trousers. Kai'illan returns to us with Sela in tow. She looks a little worried.

Meanwhile, I learn the still fight-ready Lizardfolk name.

"Gorrin," he says, bowing his head slightly to me.

"Okay, are we ready to head back to the village?" Kai'illan asks. The guard nods.

"Let's go then!"

I try to help Gorrin with Bostar so we can move faster.

We head back down the road toward the village of Findrel.