The rest of the day passed without much happening. Phisola was too busy managing the blood they’d collected while Eric used the time to take his new surroundings in properly.

The following day, Phisola woke up to a strong smell. She jumped out of her straw mattress instinctively, her right hand opening as if she was about to choke someone with it.

But there was no one around. The only strange thing her eyes could see was that someone had already lit the campfire and was sitting right next to it.

Grilling a skewered fish over it.

“Oh, did I wake you up?” The male voice said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to be useful and cook us some breakfast before you wake up.”

She remembered the last day instantly and lay back in her “bed”.

“Don’t you know that fish has a strong smell?” She asked.

“Yeah, but … I didn’t think it would be a problem. Did the smell wake you up?”

“I can’t sleep in a stinky room.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“I’ve already heard that. Just tell me when you’re done and put the fish somewhere far away.”

“Sure.”

-----

“Are you awake?” Eric approached her after a while, asking in a whisper.

“No. I’m sleeping, and some idiot is bothering me in my sleep, asking me if I’m awake.”

“It’s done.”

“Fucking finally. Did you put the fish away?”

“Yes, I did.”

She stood up slowly, raising her arms diagonally while swaying slightly.

“Morning exercise?” Eric asked.

“Shut up.”

She stood like that with her arms outstretched for a while, until Eric could feel a breeze in the air. The breeze only grew in intensity, eventually turning into a proper wind.

Eric finally understood what was going on: “Are you getting the smell out of the camp?”

“I told you to shut up.”

Realizing he’s dealing with a sleepy, sadistic female who has repeatedly shown she’s prone to violence, Eric decided that the smartest thing to do would indeed be to shut up.

The wind didn’t last very long though, but the fishy smell was out.

“That’s very cool,” Eric said, “It’s very useful.”

But Phisola got back into her bed, covering herself with furs: “Just don’t wake me up again. One fuck-up I can tolerate, but two is pushing the limits of my patience.”

“You’re not going to eat?”

“I need to get some sleep first.”

“It will get cold.”

“Then I’ll heat it up. Just let me sleep, and don’t push your luck.”

“Ok, fine, fine. I’ll get out of your way then. Sweet dreams.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

-----

“Now that I’ve made us some breakfast, what is left for me to do?” Eric started thinking in his boredom, sitting next to the campfire, “The smart thing would be to go and get the stuff from my camp. And there are some useful things there. A pen and a lighter especially. Those things ought to impress that psycho and make her realize I’m not some barbarian. But it looks like she is.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

He took a stick and started prodding the campfire idly: “I just can’t figure her out. She’s both barbaric and cultured at times. And she’s certainly well-educated. As I understand, mages are top-tier students in this world. But that’s not how people with higher education act. Sure, they can be jerks, but they don’t go rap … ok, some of them do. But they aren’t that violent. And the worst thing is that she’s doing her best to control her violent impulses so I wouldn’t run away. Who knows how violent she is for real.”

He sighed tiredly: “Man, this is the very definition of a toxic relationship. And worst of all is that there’s no way out of it. I’ll die for sure if I go alone. I’ve barely survived that one encounter with those dinos … and I’m not so confident I’ll survive the next one. I’m not a damn warrior. And the beasts seem scared of her, so … I guess they’re smarter than I am.”

“Maybe the adventurers can help me? Maybe they’ll help me get out of here, if I manage to find some. But she clearly doesn’t like them and, ok, she made a good point about avoiding them. I’d also shoot first and ask questions later in this place.”

“Huh … just like Detroit …”

“Oh well … it looks like she wants me to be submissive. And she made some good points about that one, too. Why does she have to be both logical and violent? That speaks of some seriously fucked-up mentality. But then again, she did mention that she is a devil.”

“A devil … is that really the case? I’m not an expert in the bible, but I think the biblical devil didn’t just kill people outright. As far as I know, he prefers messing with them much more than simply killing them. The fun lasts longer, I guess. But why does it have to come from the bible? Or, ok, monotheistic religions, since motherfucker exists in all of them. Why not something from paganism? Or is that translation messing with the language? I’ve seen that the translations aren’t perfect, so maybe it’s just a mistranslation? Maybe it’s more like an evil figure than the devil himself? She does have horns, but she isn’t completely evil. Looks like some childhood trauma has scarred her for life, so she’s now lashing out at everyone and everything.”

He straightened his back while stretching himself: “Damn, building trust with her is gonna be a real pain in the ass! Whoops,” he placed his hand over his mouth once he realized he said that part out loud, “I better keep my voice down. She did give me a fair warning. But how much sleep does she really need, though? Oh, but yeah, it does make sense. She’s a spoiled princess, after all. A spoiled little brat with way too much power in her hands. A dangerous combination indeed.”

“I also wonder how Lumpy is doing. Is he still alive at all?”

He kept prodding the campfire idly as he chatted himself to some amusement in the lack of a better alternative.

-----

“Did you get any sleep?”

Phisola’s voice made Eric stop prodding the fire and turn around: “Yes, I did. It wasn’t as comfortable as what I’m used to, but I did manage to get some sleep.”

“Ok, you got some sleep. But did you get enough sleep?”

His eyebrows rose: “Yeah, I did. Why are you asking?”

“How much sleep do your people need?”

“I got enough of it. I could tell you in hours, but that wouldn’t translate properly. But I’d say we need, like … half of your night here. Days are shorter on Earth.”

“Earth. That’s your continent?”

“My world. My continent is called North America.”

“That means there’s also South America.”

“Yes.”

“That’s stupid.”

“That’s just how it is.”

“Why would you use the same name for separate continents?”

“Because they’re connected with a tinny, narrow landmass.”

“Then why separate one continent into two?”

“Because it would be a large continent.”

“Would it be the largest continent in your world?”

“… no. There’s a larger one.”

“And something tells me that one isn’t separated into north and south.”

Eric gave her an embarrassed look before responding, “… true …”

Phisola shook her head while sighing: “That’s why I said it’s stupid.”

“Even if it is, so what?”

“Your people are just born stupid, that’s all.”

“And I’d agree with you on that. Yes, most humans are stupid. But we’re a race of extremes. We have both the dumbest people imaginable and the most brilliant ones.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Phisola said as he sat beside him while grabbing the fish he had cooked.

“Pardon me if I’m being too snarky, but I don’t think your people have figured out how to create lightning and use it as an energy source.”

“Do you still expect me to believe that?”

“No, I don’t. But I do expect you to believe your own eyes because I can prove it.”

“Ok, prove it. Go ahead and prove it. Summon some lightning for me.”

“For that, I’ll need to go back to my camp and fetch a few things.”

“Ah, aw see,” Phisola spoke with a mouthful of fish, “U wnt me to eskrt u,” she made a pause as she swallowed, “You want to fetch your belongings and bring them here, but you’re too cowardly to ask me directly so you’re baiting me. Rather lamely, I must add.”

“It’s not as big as the lighting that falls from the sky, but it’s a proof of concept. It’s a small lighting generator.”

“Generator?”

“You don’t know the word? It means something that’s used to create …”

“I know the word, but I’ve only ever heard a mage use it.”

“Well … back on Earth, everyone is a mage a little bit.”

She threw a fishbone at him, hitting him straight in the forehead: “That’s too much nonsense for so early in the morning. Wake up.”

“I was being figurative. But it’s true that on Earth everyone can light a fire out of thin air, for example. Just like you can.”

“Everyone, even a beggar?”

“Even a beggar. And I’ll prove it to you once we get my stuff.”

“Mhhmm … can’t wait,” she started licking her fingers, “but if you can’t prove it, then you’re going to get punished.”

“Fair enough. Liars do need to be punished.”

“But why would I go with you? Why wouldn’t I stay here and wait until you return?”

“Because I could get killed.”

“And? You can’t ask people to do something for you without offering anything in return. You’ll have to pay me first.”

“Well, I have nothing to pay you with!”

Her brows responded with a suggestive dance: “Oh, but you do.”