Omar woke naturally. He was still chained to the post. A quick glance found the prisoners sitting together on the boat, bound. They seemed to be more alert, but their faces were still pictures of despair. Omar noticed fresh wounds on their necks. They had been muted. The blood wasn’t running freely. Omar had given up on saving them from their fate long ago. When the other elves were busy loading the boat the leader quickly poured a few small potions down Omar’s throat. As planned, there was a pain killer a minor health potion and a sleeping potion. The sleeping potion was picked more for it’s color and the reaction it had with saliva. If swallowed it would put him to sleep and numb pain. It was intended for field surgery, but if mixed with saliva it would foam slightly and turn blood red. The leader nonchalantly walked back to the boat, checking their progress. Omar’s mouth tingled briefly but then grew numb. The rest of his body started to feel heavy. He could feel his heart start to beat faster and his face grow flush as the healing potion kicked in. The leader was quick to notice and yanked Omar to his feet. Omar felt comfortably numb. He could see the white in his skin as the lead elf pulled him in front of the boat.

The four other elves started chanting some prayer. Two grabbed his arms while on undid the binding behind his back. The remaining praying elf presented a dagger wrapped by some kind of leather. Omar focused on the lead elf, waiting for his queue. The dagger was picked up with reverence. The lead elf nodded slightly. Omar released a healing spell to match the healing potion he had drank earlier. With practice precision the raid leader struck three times, avoiding organs and trying to minimize damage. Though muted, Omar felt the pain. It had almost felt like it was happening to someone else. It also hadn’t been the only time he had been stabbed. His mind started to wonder as the potions and the healing magic he cast upon himself started to combine. He faked a cough, spitting some of the potion in his mouth onto the sand. The lead elf pushed Omar face first into the sand, Omar turned his head slightly to avoid a mouth full of sand. Omar accidentally swallowed some of the sleeping potion. The last thing he heard was the sound of wood scraping on sand as the elves pushed their boat back into the water.

Hours passed and Omar woke with sand covering half his face. A quick brush of his hand knocked it away. It was getting close to night. Omar had about a day and a half before another group of elves landed nearby, unless the leader changed something. He would probably still be able to make the chance encounter with the old man, Samuel. Omar walked to the cache. He found his old knife and a belt. There were also a day’s rations included. Put the knife on the belt. He felt more comfortable with a weapon at his side. He could probably take on a boar. There were also small wildcats in the area but they didn’t hunt humans. They focused more on the small monkeys that lived in the area. The added protection was at least He wasn’t too happy on the lack of a bag to wear, but was at least grateful that the leader had spared some kind of food.

He traveled cautiously through the trees and bush. The heat during the day was certainly an annoyance. So was the humidity. He hadn’t been able to recall if there were any elves that were still hunting for slaves in this area but he would rather avoid any conflict. Getting injured this early could force the loop to reset. It could be possible that Omar had been pushed back to a branch and he would find himself preforming similar steps but having entirely different outcomes. The whole concept had been alien to him on his first time through. Samuel had been like him, but Omar hadn’t realized it at the time. He thought it right that after all this time, it would be nice to see the man.

The day grew darker, although at this point the light had mostly been blocked out by the canopy overhead. Omar had been unable to take stock of his magic circulation system. He could see that there were some spells that he could potentially learn a few spells. It had been a clue. When he wasn’t resting or walking, Omar had collected a few useful plants and fruit storing them wrapped into a crude sack fashioned from his shirt. When he decided to stop for the night he was able to make a contained fire. It would last him until the morning. A few of the additional plants he fed to the flames would keep away the pests. The unidentified meat from the elf ration wasn’t good, but at least it was filling. He would supplement the food with the fruit he had collected. His current resting place wasn’t ideal, but it would at least see him through the night. He woke sore in the morning, thankfully free of insect bites. He made sure bury the fire as well as he could using a few branches. It took longer than it would have if he had a shovel, but he was confident that he wouldn’t cause any future trouble for himself.

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The traveling through the jungle would last for three more days. He had to take shelter on the second day as rain started to come down. It just confirmed he was right on schedule. He spent his downtime carving javelins and finishing them by blackening the ends in fire. When he had finished he had ten of decent size. They weren’t the best, but Omar was certain that they would get the job done. When the next day started Omar was on the lookout for the encounter with his friend that never knew him.

It hadn’t taken long. Samuel was standing over ruined clay jugs, cursing up a storm. Omar hid next to a tree, but purposefully stepped on a branch. Samuel instantly grew silent and whirled toward the sound, pulling his machete free. Omar slowly peeked out from behind the tree he had hidden behind. A mix of emotions crossed Samuel’s face. There was the reaction to seeing a fourteen year old boy, the reaction of the state of his clothes and then finally the recognition of the javelins strapped to his back. Samuel stood still for a moment before he sheathed the machete.

“What happened to you?” he asked casually.

Omar stood silent, trying to look afraid. He honestly didn’t remember how to act like a scared fourteen year old. Omar had been through so many loops that at this point everything had become familiar.

“Can you understand me?” He sighed and scratched his head, “Are you hungry?”

Omar approached Samuel cautiously. Samuel sighed and gestured to a rock for Omar to sit on. He rummaged through a sack and pulled out some bread and meat which he dutifully split in half, giving a portion to Omar. They ate in silence. Samuel glanced appraisingly. When they finished eating, they sat in silence for a while.

“Are you ok?” asked Samuel.

Omar nodded, “Yes, thank you.”

Samuel mumbled to himself for a moment. He looked over at Omar and sighed.

“I’m fine,” said Omar said, “I’ve only escaped an elf raid.”

Samuel squinted at Omar for a moment and looked over his clothes. Omar nodded.

“And you’re fine?” Samuel said skeptically, “You’re ok?”

Omar laughed, “Probably not.”

“Where were they?” asked Samuel, with a complicated look on his face.

Omar recounted his story, altering details and dropping others. He had talked about his first time nearly being sacrificed, only to drink a healing potion that had fallen into the sand as he bled out on the beach. He downplayed his survival skills and attributed his javelins to his father teaching him the skill. Samuel stopped him from talking and stood. He looked at the remaining clay jugs with a look of grief. He picked up a rock and set about smashing the remaining jugs into pieces. A dull yellow liquid splattered around the area. Omar was distraught. The drink was quite good each time he had managed to get his hands on some. If he had managed to make himself seem just slightly more pitiful, Samuel might have share some with him this time. On the other hand, he was a bit relieved that he wouldn’t have to help carry a few of the jugs back this time around.

“You win this time boars.” Samuel said to himself.

“You didn’t have to smash them,” Omar said.

Samuel cast a sidelong glance at Omar.

“I was going to make these a gift, but it wouldn’t be right, now.”

They talked for a little while more, but Samuel was anxious to spread the word about the elves. He offered to watch over Omar, which was quickly accepted. The town was another few days travel. When they arrived Omar stared at the town with a smile. This would always be his home The buildings were constructed mostly with wood and a small stone wall that kept the trees of the jungle at bay. Thanks to Omar’s warning the raiding elves would not be able to take anyone from this town. Omar took him to the town’s elders where he answered every question. They tried to treat him gently at first on account of his age, they were surprised at how well Omar seemed to know the elvish tactics. He met with different set of officials every day for a week, and spent his night’s at Samuel’s. Just like the other times, Samuel was quick to accept Omar’s company. They got along quite well.