5

I continued to sneak through the forest becoming attuned to the skill in such a way it feels natural. It’s at this point I notice the flashing in my periphery. I acknowledge the notifications and they pop up in my field of view.

~Congratulations Skill level up. Sneak has moved from novice to apprentice level. This will make it easier for you to move undetected.

~Congratulations Stat level up. Agility has increased 2 points for continuously sneaking for an extended period.

~Congratulations stat level up. Strength has increased 4 points due to continuous stress on several muscle groups, and strain on stamina while sneaking.

~Congratulations stat level up. Will has increased 2 points due to your tenacity in training skill sneak.

~Congratulations stat level up. Constitution has increased 4 points due to the strain on stamina while sneaking.

~Congratulations you’ve learned a new skill. Due to your continued sneak training through rough forest terrain, you’ve be granted the passive skill Chameleon. While sneaking in forest terrain you gain an additional 25% to the sneak skill.

~Congratulations stat level up. Intelligence has increased 2 points due to learning how to move through difficult forest terrain and acquiring skill Chameleon.

~Congratulations stat level up. Wisdom has increased 2 points due to learning how to move through difficult forest terrain and acquiring skill Chameleon.

I am totally shocked at the incredible progress I just made, but it makes sense. The training is working my entire body and mind and it's very taxing. I enjoyed the exercise so much I think I will make it a daily thing.

One final notification is left and this one makes me jump for joy. Through the hard work I’ve put in the past several days my experience had been leveling and I had totally missed it.

~Congratulations you’ve leveled up.

~You have 5 stat points to allocate.

I decide to wait until I get back to camp to deal with my extra stat points. This will give me some time to think about where I might need a boost.

Since I haven't had the chance to work on my knife skills as they are the only real close combat weapons I have. I should try training in in fighting. I think it’s time I call Waverly back to spar. She's supposed to be my teacher and all she's done is watched me.

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“Waverly” I call out, “I know you’re out there I can feel you watching me.” I close my eyes and get a tug from our connection. When I open my eyes, I see a chipmunk sitting on a log staring at me menacingly.

As soon as our eyes meet the chipmunk Zips its way across the forest floor. The tiny form is so quick, I lose sight of it. As I scan the forest in front of me a giant weight falls atop me. I see two clawed paws covered in brown fur touch down in front of my head.

Knowing due to our bond this is Waverly, I roll onto my back and flick my wrist calling blades to my hands. I swipe at what appears to be a brown bear and then shifts into a hummingbird before any of my strikes can land.

I lose sight of Waverly again and smile. She's upset with me about something, but I haven't figured it out yet. Unfortunately for me she's going to make sure I feel her rage.

I settle into a comfortable stance and continue to look for my target. Again, as I was scanning the forest ahead I sense something coming from behind. This time expecting it, I side step and lash out laterally scoring a shallow cut on the lithe form of a panther. “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.” I playfully say.

Waverly swats at me with her massive paw, the claws reaching hungrily for my flesh. I turn only taking a glancing blow, but that was enough to open 4 painful red stripes across my ribs. “Damn it Waverly what’s your problem. I thought you were unable to do combat.”

Waverly shifts back to her natural form and growls, “You haven’t been giving me any attention since we met Sullivan. You aren’t training enough while we’ve been traveling and I'm just tired of being out here in the wild with two douchebag men. For your information I said I couldn't help you in combat, not that I couldn't do combat. I am here to insure you survive training means I can and have to beat the shit out of you from time to time. Our levels are nowhere near close to each other.”

“I'm sorry Wave, but I’m basically a newborn here. I have no base of which to compare how I should or shouldn't interact with you.” I say compassionately. “I don't even have a way to convey my thoughts properly because I have no sense of background no way to imply from knowledge that you have forgotten I lack.”

Waverly looks away ashamed. “I know all this it’s not my fault you are here. Do you think if I gave you some information you would be more companionable?” she asks breathing heavy seeing me shrug. “fine then she says take it, take all the nooks and crannies and become cultured in the world of which we came. I was holding out until I thought you were ready, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was keeping the information selfishly, so you would be more reliant on me.” she yells in frustration, and information starts to flood my head. “I don’t know what I would do if it weren’t for you” she says quietly.

My nose starts to bleed, and it feels like my head's about to explode. “Waverly, I need you!” I struggle getting the words out. “Remember day one? You told me we are one and since I rely on you for all my information you are the most valuable thing to me besides my own life.”

Waverly begins to cry, “today is my birthday, and it's one of my most favorite days not only because it's my birthday, but because of the special times I’ve had with my loved ones from home. This is the first time I’ve really thought about it since being part of the Worlds.”

Everything becomes so much clearer to me now. “All you had to do is tell me Wave, and I would have done anything I could to make it special. I feel like we are closer than I have been with anyone. I know I have no way of knowing if that's true, but deep down in my soul our energies have become one and no one can ever take that from us. We can never be truly separated and if something is important to you it's important to me.”

With my last bit of energy, I smile at Waverly and collapse. Fighting for as long as I could from the darkness. I was overwhelmed with information and emotion. She fed me all the information she could pertaining to earth. A flood of history, knowledge, fighting techniques, pop culture, and although she did not intent to a bit of her own memories seeped through. All this in but a few seconds and my brain short circuited knocking me out cold.