“That wasn’t so bad.” I huffed while trying to catch my breath. Taking a deep and refreshing breath of air, I glanced around at the slightly slanted plateau I climbed up to. “Pals do come in all shapes and sizes huh?” I started my uphill hike to circle around the large mountain pillar. “That one sort of resembles those robed people, wait, glowing weapon!” I shouted in realization that I was the intended target.

“Yah!” The humanoid shaped Pal with matching green pants and headgear yelled as energy gathered on his crossbow. His bright red cape billowed out behind him. “HA!” It shouted while four laser beams spread wide from the tip of the glowing magical arrow.

“What is this?” I stopped and watched the lasers move in closer together, they all started to converge on my chest. I witnessed a halo of light spring up around the weapon before it was sucked into the arrow. “Sh-” I kicked my feet out while swinging my hands upwards, forcing my body to fall to the ground faster. “Ngh..ow.” I wheeze from landing on my back.

“Gah?” I heard it’s surprised cry as an arrow of pure light ripped through the air near supersonic speeds above my sore body.

“I’ll take back pain over that anyday.” I cough out while scrambling to rush up the slope faster.

“Haah.” The Pal tried to follow me, but it seemed a bit sluggish after that attack.

“Karma’s a bitch, Pal!” I laughed as I turned to sprint away with a second wind. My head slowly gets a tad fuzzy. “It’s right there!” I shouted while panting from the running. “I got this-” A blast of solid air struck me in the back. I could feel it bending me in a way humans shouldn’t be able to while throwing me a good distance forwards.

“Yahha!” The Pal puffed out while lifting his bow above his head in victory.

““Screech!”” A pair of white and green large birds dive ontop of the tired out Pal while I land roughly on the ground facing the Pal with a short rock wall to my back.

“Ugh, told ya, shit.” I sharply inhale as a tearing pain spreads throughout my body. “Something is broken, besides reality…” I mumble trying to move my limbs to access the damage. “It hurts like hell, but how-” I use the wall to quickly pull myself up. “How can I still move…” I twist my upper body around, seeing if I can feel those broken bones.

[All physical damage a Trainer receives is transmitted to the soul, while the body stays in peak operational conditions. Upon lethal damage, your soul will be revived and your body transported to the nearest respawn point.] My Paldex just dropped a huge bomb on me.

“I have SO many questions for you!” I shout out loud while pointing angrily at my Paldex.

“Haayah!” I heard from the battle behind me, I turned to see the archer Pal scatter a bunch of glowing seeds which began to quickly glow thin vines while they floated around the area.

“Kaw!” One of the birds cries out and dives through the tangle of mess to attack the archer. Yet once it touches the vines, they snap and coil around the bird. “Kwaw!” It tries to spread its wings out, but the vines gather more from the surrounding seeds.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Not my problem.” I turn back to the wall and struggle up it. While my body might be fine, I can still feel a lingering phantom pain that just bothers me as it slowly fades. “Note to self, don’t get him twice, or at all.” I sigh again while I toss the few berries I had left in storage into my mouth. “Can Trouble really lay eggs? I thought he was a male.” I ask my Paldex while my still empty stomach growls at me.

[Once you build your Base and unlock the required Tech, it is possible for your Pal to lay edible eggs for your consumption. Gender only matters when breeding.] The Paldex chimed as a few locked screens flashed above it for a moment.

“I’ll get to that soon, ugh, I really need that bed.” I yawned as I felt the lack of sleep, among other issues, weighing my body down. “I think it’s just over this ridge.” I dragged my tired feet up the slightly sloped short hill to peek at the source of the smoke signal. “So what are you- well shit.” I stare over the crest to witness a standoff of Syndicate thugs and those robed people. Weapons were drawn as the two supposed leaders were having a shouting match over some airdropped style crate.

“This is our property!” The thug leader shouted at the spear-wielding green robed leader. “Back off, now.” He held up his pistol as a black little dino in a hoodie next to him had flames gathering in his mouth.

“According to the agreement, fallen loot in our territory belongs to us.” The green robe slammed his spear on the ground as a tall slender, yet muscular ape with a head of anime hair was summoned behind the leader. The ape Pal smiled as it slammed its fists into the ground.

“Not this shit, this is Syndicate property. Orders from the Boss.” The thug leader held up a fist, signaling the rest of his gang to release their Pals. “I’ll count to three.” The thug started.

“I’m amazed you can count that high.” The green leader laughed as the rest of his group let their Pals out as well. “Now which ‘boss’ are you speaking of, your little trapped mistress in the tower? Or the traitor who put her there?” The green leader snarled as he held his spear at the ready. Electricity arched off his weapon as the tense grew.

“Clunk” The large fallen crate they were fighting over let out a loud sound when I undid the latch. I lifted my head to see the two factions staring at me.

“Please continue, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” I held my right hand up in an attempted friendly wave, while my left was busy triggering the loot function on my Paldex.

“Who the fu- are you stealing from us?” The thug leader’s googled eyes narrowed somehow, as he caught onto me.

“Me, steal from the Syndicate? Heavens no!” I fake laugh while wiping a fake tear away. “You know the rules.” I took a quick look around the area. “Finders keepers.” The large fallen crate the two groups were arguing over vanished into magical light as I finished looting it.

“Wrong move.” The green robed leader stepped up next to the thug leader. “We kill him, loot is ours.” The green leader’s eyes never left my still body.

“No deal, it’s ours.” The thug leader turned to shoot the other green leader. A spear deflected the weapon so his shots missed each time. “Bastard!” The thug’s large pistol vanished as a metal bar was held in his grip.

“Damned fools!” The green robed leader shouts out as his group engages the Syndicate’s side. “Kill them all! For the cult!” The green leader shouts as his weapon clangs against the thug’s.

“It’s been fun y’all, but it’s way past my bedtime.” I had been slowly backing towards a cliff’s edge I noticed a while back. “This is better than being shot. This is better than- oh shit!” I tried to ease my fear of heights a bit, but screamed the moment I jumped.