Aren't I damn impressive?

Granted, the other side is equipped with automatic rifles and bulletproof jackets is pretty helpful at maintaining my patience, especially since only a blunt axe, a pocket watch, a light that I haven't even checked if it works, a compass, and five cartridges is all I have on myself.

"... elders' job, but don't worry friend Vic, with me here you will never be thirsty," the talking hat chuckled "and yes, you can take it however you want, if you know what I mean."

Yet all that impressive patience I've shown until now is threatened. Not by someone swearing at me, not by weapon, and not even by some monster, no, none of that comes even near this talking bastard. It was not unexpected, truthfully, from the earlier moment I meet them, Zane is the one who talked and talked and fucking talked.

And I am not even mad at that... probably.

Yet what I find slightly aggravating is what is coming out of his mouth; nothing, utter nonsense, with no fact or reason to his words. It is as if he is meticulously picking what to say and what not to say, and testing my limits at the same time.

Frankly, I was elated at first. Who wouldn't be? My most bothersome issue right now is a lack of information, and here he was coming to my rescue, like a prince charming in a white horse, only in this case it is a talking cowboy in a jeep. I didn't even need to think about it, and decided to milk him out of some information. It sounds wrong again.

It is a flop.

"...so what do you think is best for your first ever drink? oh right do you want to try vodka, since it is from the north you must be curious, I don't recommand it but hey, your drink, your choice."

"Vodka?"

I shoved down my irritation and decided to humor him. the pieces of information coming out of him are not relevant presently to me, but who is to say when they will be? My irritation stemmed from the sense of urgency I felt wherever I thought of my situation and my gift.

The gift's emotional suppression did spook me a little, but I am perfectly aware that fearing it and staying in the unknown of its limits and potential like this, is foolish and irresponsible.

I need to experiment more and learn more about it, and the only way to do it is by activating it. However, its toll and my clusterfuck of a situation don't make things easy for me.

I want to sleep, I need to sleep.

"Eh? Don't tell me you follow the same customs as the Northwesters."

"What customs your are talking about?" I said, looking in Zane's direction, his head almost not visible from behind his seat.

"Officer Kelliv really did number on his head," Zane muttered to himself loud enough for everyone to hear, before saying "as I said before, vodka was made by a broke farmer for his son's marriages, so peoples generaly from the northwest, started to use it exclusivly in a marriage night, but you probaly know that, right?"

How should I know?

"No."

"Is that so, don't fret about it, Armel chains and hundreds of kilometers separate the east and west, after all," Zane waved his hand left and right "I hostly I never know what they are thinking, drinking vodka prior the fun, it like taking a bath before a swim, totally usless," shaking his head a couple of times with a crossed arms "so what drink do you want as your first, sour one, or sweet one."

"Coffee."

"Cofee? I see I see." Nodding sagely "but that is a poor choice for feisty nights if you are not in Glavis that is, or were you talking about normal coffee?"

"No, I meant the special coffee."

I kept it in mind since they mentioned it the first time. A drug that boosts energy might have some positive effects on my ability, or at least I hope so. Since they don't seem to be secretive about it, I didn't hesitate to make it the topic, way better than alcohol.

"Did we make friend Victor curious? As someone who tri--"

"I got something."

Suddenly, Eric echoed in a solemn tone, interrupting Zane, who for the first time chose to shut up, the smile is still on his face however there is no faking the serious look.

"How many?" Asked Alec, looking back at him as he signaled to the driver, Bart, to come to a halt.

"Negative, too far." Eric responded his brow furrowed "I need to close in."

"Where?"

"Straight ahead."

Alec didn't ask anything after he got those answers, he turned his head and looked forward for a moment in deep thought. Snow on the ground, wind, and snow in the air, the snowstorm isn't that intense but it's enough to keep people indoors, and it doesn't seem like it is letting up anytime soon.

The jeep comes to a halt and everyone in it stayed silent, leaving only the sound of the engine and the muffled storm. I squinted my eyes, I may have lost some info on the coffee drugs, but this is no less interesting. So much was gleaned in fewer words.

"Captain, leave it to me." After what seemed like five minutes Eric's voice echoed in the silent car.

"Visual isn't clear." Shaking his head, Alec said.

"I don't need it," With a quick and firm voice Eric said, "I will get their number and location, 'n be here before you know it."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After Eric said what he had to say, the car plunged into silence once more, not even Zane, the chatbox, uttered a word. But frankly, he is more creepy now that he just smiling without saying anything.

"Let him carry it out, Cap," Opening her closed eyes, Bell said, "the princess doesn't need a babysitters."

Fortunately, the princ-- I mean Eric only scoffed, and didn't yell or escalate things like when dealing with Zane or me.

"Alright!" With a loud voice, Alec turned his head back pointing his index finger at Eric "You, get me anything you can, abandon on the first complication, I want you here before yesterday." After he got a "Roger." he looked at the other "Everyone else, check your weapon, ammo, and stand by"

"Roger!" They said at the same time.

I looked at each one of them and their interaction, I tried not to appear overly interested or to be scrutinizing them.

Eric, his automatic rifle in hand, opened the door letting the cold wind and snow get inside before he closed it, swiftly leaving right after Alec has done talking. While the others took their handguns or automatic rifles and started reloading ammunition or just checking for any jams, except for Bell who had her sniper rifle here at the back, in the trunk of the jeep. Because its length would make it inconvenient to carry inside a car.

"Move aside, kid."

I also started reloading my rifle, after Bell has done playing with it, she gave it back with no ammunition in it. Luckily I still have seven in my pocket. It is when I took them out that I heard her voice. I looked at her but she didn't give me time to understand her words as she squeezed herself from her seat into this cramped space.

"What the heck are you doing?" I said with great difficulty, her knee out of nowhere pressed against my stomach took me off guard.

I was lucky, had it been any lower...

"Stop whining, this is what you get for not doing as you were told"

No, this isn't the issue.

Where the fuck do you want me to move to.

The trunk is technically big enough to jam in two people, but that is just on paper, and that also doesn't take into account the bags and luggage that are already in here. I can hardly stretch without hitting something.

"Oh? getting hard already."

It took some push, wring, and squash to get both of us in a relatively stable spot. We sat face to face on the hard floor, our backs either against the trunk's wall or a container attached to the wall, our legs outstretched in front of us.

"This isn't what you think."

"Really? then why don't you tell me what it is," Bell said with a knowing smile on her face while she gestured with her hand to hand her the sniper rifle resting to my left.

I reached with both hands and grabbed her sniper rifle. It's quite light for a rifle made entirely out of metal, almost the same weight as mine, more or less four kilograms, but far more beautiful. It had a railing to mount accessories, the tactical chassis is mat black, the buttstock padded, and is adjustable for height and cant. The rifle is a bolt action and a scope mounted into its railing.

As much as I wanted to examine it more, I didn't. Especially when its leery owner is at fist's reach. So I didn't waste time and passed the rifle to her.

"This," After she took the rifle, I said as I raised the ends of my coat, displaying the axe I stored on my waist, and held in place by the belt.

"Woa! you are really packing."

Is it me or everything lately seems to have a perverse touch to it?

"Really? I mean, don't fret friend Vic, I didn't hear anything, you can continue your fu- I mean doing what you are doing."

No, it's not me.

"You better shut Zane, after all, your hat is flammable, as are the two bottles of an unknown substance that someone has hidden in the green case." Bell's smile turned into a predatory one as she said, causing Zane to loudly gasp but otherwise didn't utter a sound.

She is good, she is really good.

I almost felt some pity for Zane but squashed that silver feeling into powder, the bastard doesn't deserve it.

"Can I get them back?" I asked Bell with a low voice as I looked at her removing the magazine from the rifle.

"Get what?"

"The cartridges." I answered lifting slightly the rifle in my hands.

I didn't want to ask for them at first, I still have seven with me, but thought better of it. Every single one of them is a lifesaver, this is what I thought before, and it hasn't changed.

"Oh? right those," She said not even looking at me, She took each cartridge out of her rifle's magazine one by one, then blew inside the empty magazine, before inserting the cartridges back "it is really bad, I seem to have forgotten where I put them last time."

My nerves are good, they really are... had I been in a good shape.

Which I am not.

Still, her teasing is only enough to cause mild irritation. I took a deep breath, not a sigh, not a sigh, and decided to forget the cartridges, for now, to not be ensnared in her teasing.

"But if you are at low," She suddenly said as she grabbed a backpack to her side and took out a box of ammunition, and tossed it to me "you can use these."

My eyes widened in surprise for a moment as I caught the box. Well, I certainly didn't expect such generosity. At first, I thought of Bell as just a rough woman with a shameless mouth, scary sense, and a grotesque talent for sniping, but it turns out she has some nip of heart hidden behind all that teasing.

My lip curled up slightly only to freeze as I read the packaging on the box.

This fucking bitch.

"These won't fit." I said trying to not sound upset because I am not. I am definitely not upset.

"Really? Wierd I thought they are same size."

No, you did not. And it isn't a mistake either. My rifle chamber an 8mm or more precisely 7.92×57mm cartridges, while the box she gave me is marked as 7.62×39mm cartridges. They are close in size but they are made for different weapons, different chambers, and different barrels. And a weapon savvy like her wouldn't make such an amateurish mistake.

I sighed then tossed the box back at her, before pulling back the bolt of my rifle and start reloading with five cartridges from the available seven.

"Hey, hey stop acting like a puppy, it is just a small army joke," Bell said after catching the box a storing it back inside the backpack "how about this, let's make a bet."

"A bet?" I looked at her, my brow slightly furrowed trying to understand her motives.

"Yes, a bet, if you win not only would you get your cartridges back, you will also win this," She pointed at her left thigh, where she holstered her tactical knife "you seem to have taken a liking to it earlier."

"And if I lost?" I said my eyes squinted even more.

"I don't know," Shrugging her shoulders "how about that" gesturing with her chin at my rifle.

Three cartridges and a tactical knife against a rifle?

Do I look that dumb to her? Is it this new body's face? I thought it is quite handsome, not stupid. At least now I know what she is aiming for.

"No thanks."

"Hey, I am just saying, you can try with other things, if you have."

Other things?

My face didn't change even though I wanted to smile. An axe, a lighter, a compass, and a pocket watch... no, not the pocket watch.

I immediately took the three objects out and presented them to Bell.

"Is that all you have." She raised her eyebrow and said.

I tried not to show it but a voice started to whisper that maybe the rifle isn't her aim, maybe it is to examine what I have on myself. But I didn't heed it partially because it was late, and partially because I didn't have much on me.

"It will be this then," She decided on the lighter after she thought for a moment.

The lighter is an ordinary silver zippo lighter, I found it in my trousers pocket when I woke up. I've never used it, and I'm not even sure if it works. That is why I put it back in my pocket as soon as she selected it. We don't want her to call cheating before even the game started, now do we?

"Now here is the thing, which one do you think will make more damage," saying, she pointed at the rifle in my hands "those bullets or" pointing at the backpack she stored the box of ammunition "those ones."

I see.

Between 7.62×39mm and 7.92×57mm who makes the most damage?

Isn't it obvious? 7.92×57mm has a wider diameter and lengthier casing. No matter how you look at it 7.92×57mm would cause more damage than 7.62×39mm. Even an elementary school student can understand that much.

But the problem is that it is too obvious.