Once again, Terry worked his way through the sequence of sword motions that other-Terry had painstakingly walked him through. It all seemed oddly basic to him. He knew he had already performed far more difficult things with a jian before. It also lacked the strain that he’d come to associate with the exercise. Since he’d apparently gotten the deluxe body upgrade package on arrival and then boosted it by absorbing monster cores, the swords just weren’t heavy enough to tire him out. It sort of felt like waving twigs around.

  Again, said other-Terry in a tone of infinite boredom.

  How many more times will you make me do this?

  Four or five thousand times, I expect.

  For god’s sake, why? I already know how to do this, complained regular-Terry.

  No, in point of fact, you do not know how to do this already. You only think you already know how to do this because some instinctual knowledge carried over in this body. You managed to combine that with some bleed-through information from me, and that’s given you an entirely false sense of confidence. The only way for you to actual know how to do this is to practice and then keep practicing. You need to do this so many times that you make those instincts into your instincts. Plus, it makes for a good break from practicing that ice technique.

  “I fail to see how this is a good break,” muttered Terry aloud.

  I didn’t say it was a break for you. You do a lot of complaining when you fail at controlling that ice technique properly. I swear, it’s like being on social media, except you’re all of the commenters. I’m the one who needs the break.

  Christ, that was harsh. I think you’re overselling it.

  You’re free to think as many wrong things as you like. Ain’t democracy grand?

  Terry was about to fire off a brilliant response to that, or so he told himself later, but he was distracted by a noise. He turned to find Kelima crawling out of the tent where she’d been sprawled in a mild coma for most of three days. She looked bleary-eyed and then confused as she looked around. Terry almost felt a little pity for her. Pretty much everything in sight was covered in either frost or ice that varied dramatically in thickness.

  “How long—” she started to say before shaking her head. “How long was I asleep for?”

  Terry knew he shouldn’t do it. He knew it right down to his bones, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “It’s been six months.”

  Kelima's eyes went so wide that Terry thought that they might just pop clean out of her head. I wonder if that can actually happen here, he idly mused.

  “What?” she demanded. “Six months?”

  “Yes. Good news, though. It’s time for you to head home.”

  Kelima stood there for several seconds, mouth hanging open a little, before her eyes narrowed.

  “It hasn’t been six months.”

  Terry rolled his eyes.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Of course, it hasn’t been six months. It was a healing potion. If I had something that could have knocked you out for six months, I’d have given it to you long before we got this far away from civilization.”

  “Then, why did you—” she trailed off. “You thought that was funny, didn’t you?”

  “I know that was funny. Now, go get cleaned up or whatever you need to do. I’m sick of looking at this clearing.”

  Kelima glared at him before she looked around again.

  “Dare I ask why everything is covered in frost and ice?”

  “I was practicing,” said Terry.

  Kelima’s face took on a bewildered expression.

  “Practicing what?”

  Terry went to speak, thought it over, and finally asked, “Does it matter?”

  Kelima gave that question a full three seconds of consideration before she said, “It doesn’t. In fact, I’ll probably be happier if I don’t know.”

  “That’s a good rule of thumb for most things involving other people. Ignorance is bliss.”

  “No. It’s just with things related to you. I have an absurdity threshold.”

  With that, Kelima walked away to do whatever Kelima things she needed to do. Terry took that opportunity to gleefully dismantle his tent and store it in his pack. He once more cursed the world for not having convenient storage treasures. Of all the goddamn things for a magical world not to have, he thought. He committed himself to finding or maybe buying one of the extant storage treasures out there. I’m a rank 2 adventurer. There’s probably someone who will sell me one, right? A traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered that Kelima and her family could probably put him in touch with one of those people.

  Terry didn’t want to even consider asking them for a favor. He was already dealing with the fallout of having simply crossed their path. If a favor was suddenly involved, he’d never manage to extricate himself from dealing with nobles.

  “Just finish the stupid fetch quest, get your swords, and go home,” he ordered himself. “That’s the smartest play here.”

  Did you actually just tell yourself that one of your plans was smart? Other-Terry asked.

  “I don’t need any more of your commentary today, thank you very much.”

  You should consider my commentary as a master class on wit, plebian.

  Oh, yeah, you’re a real Mark Twain, all right.

  I like to think of myself as more of an Ambrose Bierce.

  How do you even know who that is?

  Really? You’re surprised when I know things that you know about your own world? How can this still be shocking to you?

  “I just forget sometimes,” said Terry, shaking his head and looking around for anything else he could pack up.

  You know, that girl hasn’t eaten in three days, observed other-Terry. Do you really think she’s going to be ready to head right out?

  “Well, fuck,” grumbled Terry, realizing that the construct probably had the right of things.

  Accepting the inevitable, Terry went to work preparing a basic meal of dried meats and fruits. He even stoked the coals from the campfire enough to heat up water for tea. He didn’t even try to pretend to himself that he was doing it for Kelima’s benefit. Even if he had managed to learn or half-learn some things, he just wanted to be on his way after that extended delay. Kelima came back from wherever she’d gone wearing fresh clothes and with wet hair. Terry didn’t remember seeing her take any clothes with her. Nor did he see her carrying any clothes. He eyed her suspiciously. She came to an abrupt halt when she noticed the look on his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You don’t happen to have a storage treasure, do you?”

  “And if I did?” she hedged.

  “Damn it. You do. That’s so unfair.”

  “I guess. I mean, it’s not like it holds that much.”

  “Not the point,” snapped Terry.

  “Why is this such a big deal?”

  “Because it’s a world filled with magic. Those damn things should be everywhere, and I can’t get one.”

  “Oh, this is all about you,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “What else could it be about?” he asked. “It’s just me and you out here. I’m pretty much the only thing I have to worry about.”

  “There is me,” said Kelima in the driest of dry tones.

  “You’re still alive, aren’t you? I think I did my part concerning your well-being.”

  Kelima lifted a hand, pointed a finger at him, and said, “Shit. I wish that wasn’t actually a good point.”

  Terry just shook his head and gestured at the food.

  “Eat something, so we can get out of here.”

  “What’s your rush?”

  “I didn’t spend the last three days working on my beauty sleep like someone else. I’m bored. So, eat up! I’m leaving in an hour with or without you.”

  “I guess he woke up on the wrong side of the troll cave this morning,” muttered Kelima under her breath.

  “You know I can hear you, right?” asked Terry in a weary voice.

  ever need to know.