Harper cracked his eyes open in his fridge. The first thing that came to mind was a need to sleep. Desperately. He didn’t even want to consider what had just occurred.

He stood out of his fridge and stretched, then walked over to his bonfire. He took his time starting a fire, then laid down in his lean-to. Harper closed his eyes again and was asleep in seconds. His dreams were plagued with creatures and monsters chasing him.

When he woke up again, everything was off. First, it was hot. Second, it was dark. Third, he was moving.

Honestly, he didn’t care about the first two. But the third one, that was terrifying. It could mean anything at all. Maybe the clone came back to kidnap him. Maybe an animal was dragging him away for dinner. Maybe he sleepwalked into the jungle. He didn’t have a history of it, but who knew with this jungle.

“Clone.”

Clone(Rank 1) 0/10 > 1/10

He didn’t want to draw attention by saying it out loud, but at the very least, if there was the option for more clones, he could scare whatever was dragging him. It’s not like he could fight anything that could carry him completely naked and weaponless.

The cloning process did start thankfully. What he didn’t expect was to be dropped on his back like a rock. The wind was knocked out of him and he gasped for air mid-cloning. Clearly breathing was important to the process, because now his endurance had sprung a leak.

“You’re awake.” This was not the voice of his clone. This voice had at least six layers of gravel to it.

So I go from being served a prison sentence to days not hearing anyone talk to two people attacking me back to back? Fucking great.

Finally catching his breath, he looked up at the source of the voice. It then became clear why the wind was knocked out of him: the being he was looking at had to be at least 9 feet tall. They also had arms longer than was normal, reaching down to their knees. The shoulders were at least the size of watermelons, if not larger. Not only that, when people used the phrase barrel-chested, this was who they had in mind.

“If you’re about done ogling me, get up. It’s annoying carrying you.” Annoying was likely as far as it went, Harper had no illusions about it being difficult. “I won’t ask again.”

He didn’t hesitate in shooting to his feet, nearly falling backwards when a clone ripped away from his front. It immediately set into motion mimicking him perfectly, disorienting him even further. Both he and the clone fell backwards into the muck.

The being grunted in displeasure before crossing their arms. “You look like a clown. You’re supposed to be a danger to the Cosmos?”

Harper furrowed his brow as he stared up at the being. “W-what? I’ve never even left the U.S. How would I be a danger to the universe?”

The being merely shrugged. “I don’t know. None of us do. And not the universe, the Cosmos. Now here,” The being outstretched a hand. “Get up. And try not to fall this time.

Harper grabbed the proffered hand and did his best not to cringe. It had the texture of a starfish, only fleshier, as well as six fingers.

“What are you?” He smacked himself in the face. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s fine. I am of the Gaer race. Now come. You have more questions, and I don’t feel like answering them. She’ll answer any questions you have, eventually.” With that, the large Gaer walked off. Or maybe he was normal sized? It didn’t matter.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Eventually? Greeeeeeat.

Harper looked over to his clone, who mirrored his annoyed expression. “Stop copying me. Follow and defend me. Pick up a big rock while you walk.” He turned and hurried after the Gaer.

True to his word, the Gaer walked in near complete silence. He only piped up to point out an animal floating at around chest height for Harper. It was called a calidum and had the appearance of a slug made of clouds. Apparently, if one walked through them, they stuck to the attacker and raised their body temperature in retaliation. Not only that, while they were clear as day to Harper’s eyes in the darkness, they were apparently invisible in the light.

Unfortunately, that was the only question answered. Other than that, the Gaer would say nothing more. That is, until one moment where he suddenly stopped. Harper walked into his back roughly, but if the Gaer noticed he said nothing.

He looked over his shoulder at Harper. “We’re being tailed.”

Harper whirled around with wide eyes and pointed into the darkness. “Clone, attack!”

It looked into the darkness without moving. Nothing was there. But then, a glimmer of movement.

It sprang to action. The glimmer charged forward.

The clone swung low. The glimmer kept moving. The clone lost an arm.

The rock thudded to the ground. The clone did not falter, jumping at the glimmer.

The glimmer flew through the air. The clone’s head separated from its body. It faded to dust.

“Run, you fool. I’ll handle th-” No sooner had the Gaer spoken than Harper turned and ran.

The jungle terrain went from flat to downhill, and Harper booked it with everything he had. He heard grunts of pain in the distance, but he paid them no mind. If the Gaer said he would handle it, then he would handle it. He needed to focus on surviving.

At the bottom of the hill he was sprinting down was a source of light. And yet, unlike when he went upwards, it was getting colder. Not absurdly cold, but cold enough he could actually feel his own nudity. Goosebumps spread across his entire body.

He heard the sound of branches being sliced to pieces behind him. Whatever had been fighting the Gaer before, it had won the fight. He didn’t need to look behind himself to know that.

What he was more focused on was the sound of revelry in front of him. Was that… laughter?

People? Holy shit, I think there’s people down there! I can’t die here, come on legs!

His legs felt hot from the sprint. The thumping of his bare feet against the dirt floor sent jolts through his bones. His lungs ached from the constant inhale-exhale cycle. But he wouldn’t stop.

The slashing of branches got closer. He could hear entire trees being sliced to bits. It was frantic, like it didn’t want him to see what was at the bottom of the hill.

But he could already see. There was a campfire, along with a silhouette standing by it. It was vaguely humanoid, but something was off. Either way, he didn’t care. Anything was better than nothing.

He felt himself fly down the hill, but could no longer feel himself running. His legs were gone. He slammed into the ground about five feet from the camp. He didn’t know how, but he was still alive somehow.

He needed to get into the camp. Needed to let them know he existed. That he was out there. He couldn’t just die outside of the camp without letting them know.

It seemed he wouldn’t have to. The silhouette stepped away from the camp and walked over to him. It was a woman, at least it seemed to be. Likely because he was dying, she looked blurry to his eyes. She was about five feet tall and had hair that reached her ankles. Why her hair was so long, Harper had no idea, but he didn’t think it was exactly relevant.

What was relevant was the glimmer that approached from behind Harper and slid around to her left side. He croaked out a warning that sounded more like a gurgle as he threw up blood.

She simply looked to her left and nodded. “Welcome back, Alvieri. I was wondering if you were going to catch him before he got here.”

A person with an odd circular metallic cavity in his chest, likely Alvieri, apparated behind the glimmer. The glimmer vanished. He grunted in the affirmative, but said nothing.

That was when a stomping sounded behind him, and out came the Gaer from before. The confusion was plain on Harper’s face.

The woman turned her head to him but kept her eyes on Harper. “Thoughts, Malgren?”

The Gaer, now Malgren, looked down at Harper, then up at the woman and Alvieri. “He did well. Self preservation instincts are optimal. I’d say he needs one to two more.”

One to two more? One to two more what? Give me some fucking answers, damn it!

The woman nodded to him, then looked down at Harper. “Get at least one more skill. If you can do that, you will see us again. We’ll answer any questions you have at that time.”

Alvieri moved his hand ever so slightly. Harper didn’t get to see what killed him.