Noah strode into the camp with unhidden joy, glad to be reunited with his tribe and hopeful for some answers to his newfound questions. If anyone were to possess the knowledge he sought, Jeline would be a good place to start. He found Jeline waiting for him near the center of camp, several of his tribesmen nodding in greeting before letting them speak alone. Jeline smiled as he approached, already having changed into her humanoid form. Her green eyes were filled with mischief and a spark that hadn’t been there before. He tilted his head as he examined her, his curiosity piqued.

  “Jeline, have you advanced?” He asked. She giggled, taking

  “Hello to you too, Noah. Normally I would chide someone for prying into a lady’s secrets, but if it's you…” She winked, leaning forward to whisper. “I suppose I can let you in.” Noah blushed, caught off guard by what even he would know to be flirting. She laughed openly as she watched his response.

  “As for your question, I managed to advance my Gate. The final piece that had been eluding me clicked into place after the battle.” She explained, her voice light though not quite as suggestive as before.

  “How did you know?” She asked. Noah cleared his throat.

  “I thought I saw something in your eyes, a spark if that makes sense.” He replied. She nodded thoughtfully.

  “I believe I understand what you’re referring to. And I must say, I noticed something about you as well, though perhaps of a different nature?” She posed, her eyebrows raised.

  “You’re right. I have had a lot on my mind, and I was actually hoping you could help me with that.” Noah mused. The playful smile from before returned to her lips as she gazed at him.

  “I would be happy to help take things off your mind. I must say I am surprised to hear you suggest it though. I had thought you held certain proclivities.” She said, her grin widening as they met eyes. Noah’s head swam as he took in the direction of the conversation, Jeline’s words acting as the catalyst for him to piece together the numerous hints. His palms began to sweat and he heard a rhythmic thumping in his ears, something not too dissimilar to their war chant.

  “Jeline…” He started, his voice catching in his throat.

  “Noah, forgive my teasing. Your choice of words made it too hard to pass up. I can see that you’re not interested in that kind of relationship—yet.” She broke in, adding the last bit with an exaggerated wink. Noah let out the breath he had been holding, allowing some of the tension to leave his frame.

  “So what is it that I can help you with?” Jeline asked.

  “Thank you, Jeline.” Noah said, locking eyes with her for a moment before moving on.

  “I have started to notice the effects of the disparity between certain stats. I was hoping to see if you had any insight into that topic.” He explained. She nodded.

  “I see. I have also noticed those effects.” She paused as if considering something.

  “Noah, are you sure its wise to be having this conversation?” She asked. Noah blinked in confusion.

  “What do you mean?” He replied. She took a deep breath.

  “I like you, Noah. I find you interesting and perhaps something more. For that reason I will share this with you, but only this once. You are far too trusting. For months you were at my mercy and simply went along with it. You willingly became a pawn in my battle and from the looks of things, paid a great price to that end. Even now you are ready to share your weaknesses openly, trusting that any advice I give you would be worth following. Can’t you see the danger in that? What I have done to earn that trust?” She said, her words firm though her eyes were filled with concern. Noah wasn’t sure what to say, he hadn’t stopped to really think about it. Is it so wrong to trust her?

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Jeline studied the expression evolving on his face as he struggled to process her words. She frowned, realizing that the problem was even worse than she had initially thought. Did he really invest so little in wisdom? She wondered.

  Noah’s heart started racing, though this time had nothing to do with the beautiful visage before him. It’s worse than I thought. Memories began to flash through his mind, choices that he had made so easily now being called into question. Leaving Julie, approaching the orc slavers, throwing himself into battle after battle, almost getting killed by the cyclops, almost getting Ta’Ku killed by the same. He froze. Why did I do that? Why did I run into danger? His thoughts turned to their time in the frozen tundra, and then to his time with Jeline. He shook his head, finding it hard to sort out the motivations behind his decisions. Then Ro’Kar appeared in his mind, his dead form alongside so many of his fallen companions. It was me. I did that.

  Panic began to set in as his mind failed to shut down the torrent of questions. His saving grace came in the form of a polite cough from Jeline, who then cupped his face with one hand.

  “Noah. Are you okay? You looked lost for a second there.” She said. Noah nodded, aware of the hand still lightly pressed against his face.

  “You’re right, Jeline. I made a mistake that has led to cascading problems for myself and everyone around me. Thank you for the wakeup call.” He said with a friendly smile. Even though she had warned him not to trust her, he could see the care in her eyes, not to mention the way she was comforting him, or the simple fact that he wanted to trust her.

  “Thankfully I have saved a significant amount of stat points, I only hope they will be enough to fix the damage I’ve done.” He stated, before turning his attention to his status screen. Jeline’s eyes went wide.

  “Wait, Noah. Don’t use them all at once.” She practically yelled. Noah started at her volume and locked eyes with her again.

  “Why not?” He asked.

  “Assuming you were about to throw them all into wisdom, you have to know that it would cause even more imbalances. You should start slow and get a feel for each stat as it grows, just like you would have with your physical stats. It takes time and practice to adjust to new stats on both sides of the board.” She explained.

  “That makes sense.” Noah admitted, frowning at the near blunder. He didn’t remember being this impulsive on Earth. He felt hyper-emotional and all too aware of his ability to make a serious mistake, and his mind began to drift again.

  Slap!

  The hand that has been gently cupping his face left a stinging imprint that made Noah wince.

  “Pull yourself together!” Jeline demanded, her playful demeanor gone.

  “You have done just fine up until this point, and what’s done is done. No more useless speculation.” She said, her gaze steely. Noah nodded, rubbing at his swollen face.

  “You’re right and I guess I deserved that. What’s done is done. I can’t change any of it now.” He sighed. Even after the greater soul restoration, it seemed that he was still prone to the weight of guilt and shame, though he had been given perspective on the events. Learning that he had been responsible in a way he hadn’t recognized only served to reopen those memories.

  “Now that I am a bit more stable, there is a part of my question that we haven’t gotten to yet. Do you know of any other way to gain stat points? Or are we stuck at out levels for the foreseeable future?” He asked.

  “I have been looking for another way, but haven’t found anything yet.” She lied, smiling warmly at Noah.

  “That’s too bad.” He replied, steeling himself for the times ahead. He would have to turn to other methods of advancement while he searched for an answer.

  “About the battle, how did it go for you? If the enemy you fought was anything like ours, I imagine their were significant losses.” He mused. She nodded.

  “It was a long and bloody affair but I have managed to recuperate my losses by absorbing what was left of their army. Their king was a powerful warrior, and many of my people fell to his claws. Your part in claiming their capital worked as well as I could have hoped though. It turned the tide of battle at a critical moment.” She explained. Noah nodded.

  “I’m glad it served its purpose. It would have been hard to accept anything less.”

  “Indeed. Now that you have claimed their territory, what do you plan to do?” She asked. He smiled, this part had long occupied his mind.

  “We will build a kingdom of our own. I anticipate it will be quite different than the other though.” He said.

  “I look forward to seeing it.”