Cass leaned back against her pillar, the fire was nice, but there was more she could do to help with the recovery process.

It was time for tea.

She shaped a pot from the stone around her and filled it with more water, all with Elemental Manipulation, then set it in the fire amid the burning Flintshrooms. While she waited for that to boil she retrieved her foraged plants from her pockets. Half her remaining Aster and a couple of the new Spones she’d found in the Safe Zone went into the pot. Both were supposed to have Health recovery benefits. She was hoping they’d taste okay too.

She placed her last vineroot potato to reheat beside the fire too. She didn’t need it, but it still felt wrong to just discard food. Maybe Alyx would like it?

Alyx watched the entire production impassively.

An impatient couple of minutes later, the tea was boiling and the potato was hot. Cass Elemental Manipulated two new cups, these with handles, and scooped them into the tea.

Green Spone Soup

[A very simple soup made by boiling Green Spone and simple herbs beside a fire. Improves Health recovery and acts as a mild painkiller. Not very filling.]

Cass smiled and held a cup out to Alyx. She looked over the mug with its thin, green liquid, her lips tight lines.

Salos, what’s the word for ‘drink’? Cass asked.

She will not drink your strange concoction, Salos said. How stupid do you think she is?

What? Why? Cass tilted her head to one side.

Do you accept food from strangers where you’re from? He asked.

I mean yes? I was a broke college student once. It was my solemn duty and life mission, to eat all the free food offered to me.

Salos sighed deeply. I have no idea what that means, you know that right?

I’m serious though, Cass said. She should probably drink this.

She pressed Alyx’s cup closer to the woman. Alyx’s eyes flicked between Cass and the drink.

Maybe she just needed to demonstrate? Cass took a sip of her cup.

She had to resist the urge to grimace at the taste. The flavor was closer to dirt than tea. Like if someone had burnt dirt boiled it again, then strained it through a mulch pile.

She took another sip anyway. It tasted really bad. But the warmth in her chest expanded with that sip. Was it her imagination? Simply wishful thinking? Or was it a real effect?

She forced another sip past her lips, completely ignoring the flavor. There it was. A sense of safety. It wrapped her like a blanket before a fire. It was the tiniest sliver of the feeling she’d gotten in the Safe Zone, a pale shadow of the joy of being home in her chair.

Health: 29/40

Health: 30/40

Cass smiled. Yes. Definitely helping.

Foraging has increased to level 5.

Foraging has gained an additional effect: [Greatly heightens perception of a target entity.]

Herbal Concocting has increased to level 2.

Cass’s eyes widened at the message. A new effect? She wanted to try it out right away but for one she was still trying to get Alyx to drink the tea/soup/tisane and for two she hadn’t seen a single plant or mushroom since entering the temple that she might try targeting. She’d have to remember to give it a go later.

In the meantime, she needed to get Alyx to drink it too.

Come on, just tell me how to say she should drink it, Cass begged.

If Salos had eyes to be rolling, that’s what they’d be doing. Fine. But try not to be offended when she refuses.

With his help, Cass told Alyx to drink it, explaining it was good for her Health.

Alyx looked between the drink and Cass. She shook her head. She spoke and Salos translated it as, “I cannot accept this from you. I am already in your debt. Do not waste your supplies on me.”

Salos snorted. What a polite way of saying, ‘I am afraid you poisoned it.’

Cass cocked her head to one side. Why would I poison it? How do you even go from ‘I’m in your debt’ to ‘I don’t trust you, please don’t poison me’?

Oh, sweet, naive Cass. Salos chuckled. What kind of supplies would a stranger use on another?

Cass blinked blankly.

Never mind. Salos sighed. It’s not important. Just, please do not take food or medicine from strangers. Please.

But, this really will help her, Cass insisted. Can’t she see it in the Identify description?

Probably not. The information in Identify is highly dependent on your other skills and knowledge. It expands on areas you are already familiar with. For example, you seem to know some things about plants? Maybe from your Foraging skill? Well, that empowers Identify to tell you more about plants, even plants you have never seen. On the other hand, if you know less about say minerals, for example, rocks and the like probably provide very little information when you identify them.

You have skills and independent knowledge relating to herbs, plants, and potions, so of course your Identify would provide you information on it.

However, for myself, it reads as ‘Dubious Soup’. There is no other information.

Cass looked down. Oh.

Yes, Salos said dryly. Oh.

But she should still drink it! Cass yelled. Help me say, “I’ve already brewed it, I can’t drink it all by myself. Please drink up. It’ll help your wounds.”

Salos did, after another round of begging.

Alyx picked up the cup, staring down into the soup. She sighed and downed the whole thing in a single go.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

She set the cup down with a grimace. Cass didn’t need Salos’s help translating the words she cursed under her breath. Between the disgust in her tone and the context, it was obvious she wasn’t anymore a fan of the flavor than Cass was.

Cass smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I suppose I could have warned you it tastes bad.”

Who are you talking to? Salos grumbled. She doesn’t understand you.

Cass ignored him, instead asking, You think she’s hungry?

I suppose you want me to translate that question to her?

Please? Cass asked.

He did and Cass asked it while pointing at the reheated potato.

Alyx sighed again and picked it up, she split it in half and offered half to Cass.

Cass shook her head. How do I tell her I ate earlier and I’m not hungry?

Like this, Salos said and recited some words for Cass to repeat.

Alyx frowned. She set half the potato on the fire ring but bit into the other half. She grimaced again as she bit into the potato’s blue flesh. She shook her head in disappointment but forced another bite.

Now there was just one thing left to sort out: What happened next with Alyx?

Salos, why exactly, can’t we just bring Alyx with us?

You want her to come? Salos asked.

Well, I don’t want her to die by herself. Cass knew she couldn’t protect everyone. She could barely even protect herself. But still. It bothered her to imagine Alyx dying by herself in the dark.

There are a number of issues with bringing her with us, Salos said. The biggest is she physically cannot make it through the path we are on.

What exactly does that mean? Cass asked. You’ve been cagey with the details on this plan. I think it's about time you spill.

You will need to pass through a hidden underwater pathway, Salos said.

Cass raised an eyebrow. I don’t see the difficulty?

Surely Alyx couldn’t be a worse swimmer than Cass. If Cass could get through such a section, why would the stronger warrior have trouble?

Cass, Salos said with a sigh. Physical-bodied beings need to breathe.

What was she supposed to do with that statement? He’d said it like this was a devastating burn. Like she was missing something blatantly obvious.

Like spirits didn’t need to breathe.

Cass blinked.

No.

No.

No way.

She had to be misunderstanding.

You aren’t telling me that spirits don’t breathe?

Salos spoke slowly, I didn’t think I needed to. Did you not notice?

Cass’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t need to breathe? What was she doing now?

You didn’t know? Salos asked.

Cass wasn’t listening to him. This shouldn’t be a surprise. She wasn’t human. She knew that. She’d been over this. She didn’t need to eat either. What was breathing really? Why did it matter that she didn’t need that? One of the most fundamental actions performed by all life?

She wasn’t human.

She didn’t need to eat.

She didn’t need to breathe.

This was fine. She was fine.

She wasn’t human and it was the only reason that she was still alive. It was the only reason Salos thought she could kill this Lord and find clues to go home.

She was fine.

She wasn’t human. That was fine.

But if she didn’t need to breathe, why did it feel like there was no air in the room? Why did it feel like she was suffocating? Why were her lungs pumping?

Pumping faster.

Faster.

There had been air here a minute ago. It couldn’t be gone.

She inhaled and inhaled and inhaled.

Faster and faster.

Shallow breaths.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Did that even do anything? What was the point of a heart if the blood it pumped didn’t need to carry oxygen?

What was the point of any part of her body? Was any of it real?

Was she real?

CASS! Salos’s words crashed over her like a wave. Her mind snapped back to reality.

She lay on the ground clutching her chest. Her body was numb. It was that pins and needles feeling that one got when a leg fell asleep, except it was over her entire body.

Are you back? He asked. His voice was loud and clear in her mind, yet her body felt far away and indistinct.

Cass pushed herself up into a sitting position anyway. It was clumsy, her arms weak. She took a deep (useless?) breath.

Alyx was staring at her. Cass didn’t make eye contact.

I think so, Cass said softly. I-I’m fine.

Abyss beyond, Salos cursed, You think so? Cass, you almost passed out. What was that?

How did she explain? She took another deep breath.

She couldn’t. Not to Salos. Not to herself.

So I don’t need to breathe, Cass said instead. And that is how you imagined I was going to get through this underwater section?

Salos hesitated. She could feel his presence close to her own, could feel the rolling concern and confusion. Could feel him pull away as he spoke. Er, yes. That was the thought.

How long would Alyx need to hold her breath if she wanted to come with us? Cass asked, barreling forward.

Ten minutes, at least. If you are fast.

Cass pursed her lips. That was a long time for anyone, and if that was him underestimating based on best-case scenarios, it would probably be more like twelve or fifteen. That was unrealistic.

Maybe if Alyx had magic or a skill?

But if she could make it through that section she would be able to come with us, right? Cass asked.

I mean, yes. But she can’t. That is impossible.

But she might have a skill, Cass said.

Why? Why would anyone have a skill for holding their breath for over ten minutes? Salos asked.

Cass shrugged. She could think of at least one fictional character with such a skill set. As for why a real person would need to hold their breath that long regularly… She could be a diver?

Does she look like a diver to you? Salos asked.

Cass glanced at Alyx. She was still staring at Cass, concern playing openly over her face.

Cass looked away again quickly. What does a diver look like, exactly?

I give up! Salos said. Sure. Okay. Let’s say she can get through the underwater passage. You still should not bring her with you.

Why? Cass asked.

Because we do not know her! Salos yelled. Do they not teach you to be wary of strangers where you come from?

Stranger Danger? Cass asked. I mean, it's something we tell small children.

Then why are you so eager to trust a stranger!

I mean, Stranger Danger is more about not getting into the vans of strangers offering free candy than it is not trusting women you rescued from man-eating spiders, so…

Cass could feel his frustration. If he had blood vessels, one would certainly have burst by now.

Cass sighed. Softer, she asked, What’s the real problem, Salos?

This isn’t not-a-real-problem. She is stronger than you, Cass. Much stronger than you. You have barely passed the First Step, level 9. She is already at level 20. Almost double your level, with all the benefits that come with it.

What do you plan on doing if she decides she needs to hurt you? That she wants to hurt you?

Why would she do that? Cass asked. I saved her life.

And she has been watching you like a hawk ever since, Salos said. She does not trust you. Why would she? She does not know you. You are an unknown quantity.

We’re both hurt and alone here, Cass said. Isn’t it in our best interests to work together?

Would you be looking for an alliance with a child? Salos asked.

I saved her life, Cass said again. She can’t discount my skills entirely. And we have a plan to get out with the rewards for killing the Lord. Isn’t that worth something?

Salos grumbled to himself. You can’t know that. There is no way to know what she might want.