SURVIVAL 101

Rephan took a moment to look around expecting to spot Gordon but he was nowhere to be found.

Feeling a little relieved he didn't have to deal with the embarrassment of almost committing suicide by running out of the cave system.

And probably into the mouth of some monster out there.

Exhaling he started to use the time alone to sort out his thoughts.

'Did I just dream about my past?'

I guess that might have something to do with this place.

Flexing him right arm and left ankle to test if they were really healed.

'Huh they are good as new.'

He was feeling fine.

Physically, anyway.

Hard to believe they were just chewed on by… what did he called them …daemons.

Oddly he felt no breeze coming through the opening of the cave.

Picking up a stone, he threw it to the opening… and it bounced right back almost hitting him in the face.

'Probably one of Gordon's magic toys.'

'I guess there is nowhere to go for now.'

Plopping back down on to the hard stone ground, he started to consider his situation.

He was lost in a place Gordon called Mirror Earth.

There were existences in Mirror Earth who seemed to want to kill on sight most likely because of hunger.

'But I'm not sure the look in that thing's eyes, it felt deeper than just hunger.'

He suppressed a shiver at the memory of the daemon hounding him.

'How did it all go so wrong?'

'I was just supposed to obtain the package from the collector and head to the dropoff point.'

'But I was intercepted by shadowy figures, I couldn't tell them apart from the darkness.'

'Eventually I got surrounded'

'I tried calling Boss, but none of the transmissions went through.'

'I turned to face my attackers, thinking I wouldn't go down without a fight.'

'Boss had put his trust in me, I had to see this through.'

'But before I could blink the chain holding the package to my hand was cut cleanly, too fast for me to discern anything '

'The package was gone."

'And then I heard the words "Finish it", as some of the figures turned around heading back.'

'The figures closed in and then a rift in space opened a few meters to my left.'

'A bit apprehensive at first, I was quickly reminded that i had no choice by the sharp sound of gunfire and bullets hitting the ground beside me.'

'A strong wind pushed against me out of nowhere but pushing through it i had jumped through the portal escaping my pursuers.'

'And found myself staring down the maw of a monster about to decapitate me.'

Rephan held the sides of his head as he found a headache coming on as the memories crashed into him like a tidal wave.

There were so many inconsistencies, how had he lost the package without anyone getting close to him.

The rift that had opened up out of nowhere.

An answer suddenly popped out.

There was only one thing that could explain these irrational events.

Something that was even more irrational… magic.

Just then he felt the breeze return and a shadow was cast across the ground.

Gordon had returned.

Rephan turned his gaze up to Gordon from his sitting position.

Studying him intently.

"Staring is rude you know, I want you to know I'm not your enemy."

Gordon quipped while leaning his rifle against the cave wall.

Rephan was skeptical after the previous events he felt like he had the right to be like so.

Though he had to admit Gordon didn't have to save his life back there, he could have just left him to become daemon poop.

"I'm apologetic if the barrier at the cave entrance might have caused you to panic, I just didn't want you running of to your death like last time or for a daemon to come in."

Rephan lowered his gaze at the mention of his attempted suicide.

"Yeah I was not in the right state of mind to make decisions."

And then Rephan remembered something.

"But did you have to knock me out though."

Gordon just smiled with one side of his mouth while pulling a chair out of thin air and plopping down on it.

Rephan wanted to be surprised but he just accepted that was just something Gordon could do.

Rephan let the silence hang for a minute before he spoke.

"I will be the first to admit that all of this has sent me reeling."

Rephan said while gesturing to cave opening.

"But I would appreciate it if you could at least explain some of what is happening to me."

Gordon's face took on a little bit of seriousness.

"They say all the most important conversations are had over a meal, wouldn't you agree."

Rephan's stomach gave a low rumble at the mention of food, it seems like a part of him agreed with the words Gordon had spoken.

Gordon stood up and started to pull kitchenware out of thin air.

Rephan who had finally come to accept that people could manifest things out of thing air didn't flinch.

But just when Gordon was about to start cooking.

Rephan stood up.

"Would you hand me the apron."

'I have to do something to repay him even if it is in a small way like this.' he thought to himself.

Gordon seemed to catch on to his intentions and handed him the apron.

Most of the food items were mostly meat.

'Probably from the corpses of the daemons.'

Starting out he didn't pause for a moment until it was done.

The moment the food was put onto the plates the other kitchenware disappeared leaving momentary darkness in their place before space returned to normal.

Placing the food on a table Gordon had conjured he dug into his food immediately.

During the meal, Gordon took the liberty to comment on the dish.

"Are you a chef or something, this is better than anything I could whip up though it is a bit rough"

Rephan replied between mouthfuls.

"I'm … not a chef… I just know… how to eat… and I know how… to cook … to eat."

'Pertaining to the food being rough… you know what they say; if it goes in rough it will come out smooth.'

Rephan hadn't realized he had been so famished.

'I guess that's what being stressed does to you.'

Rephan then took a moment to notice Gordon's features; brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, a hawk like nose and a little under six feet.

Though Rephan was not in a position to talk himself, he was not exactly what you would call tall.

He was wearing nanobot pants and a thick vest topped off with glasses he had removed for now.

After both were finished with the meal the plates magically disappeared leaving the table bare.

Gordon let the suspense hang in the air a bit before he started.

"Ok to start with…"