Hellbents
Chapter 2: Bizzare

Ava sat down, her hands moving to massage the points where her legs had cramps earlier. The night wind that blew froze his wet body. After a while, his energy gathered. He then snatched the backpack lying three meters away from him, checking the contents. The disguise was clearly covered, the make-up bag that he had water proof so that the smartphone makeup, as well as the headset inside was safe, the knife, gun and two spare magazines were also still there. So the list of problems he faced was wet, cashless, in the middle of nowhere, with a bike that obviously could no longer be used.

Well, it can still be overcome.

Speaking of motorcycles, Ava no longer saw flames in the distance. Was it because of the rain? The driver of the truck most likely did not survive, he was almost sure, heard from the deafening bang before he jumped into the river earlier. But the driver's family may have wanted to take his body for proper burial. So Ava decided to call an ambulance, but her cell phone did not get a signal. Is it because he is on the edge of the forest?

He walked to the asphalt bridge was there, while looking for a network. But something strange happened again. No matter how far he walked, the bridge was gone. The silhouette of his shadow did not exist even though the purplish light shone brightly from the moon.

“Hm.”

Ava stood still, but her brain and senses were busy observing the surroundings. The forest that was somehow vast was separated by a thirty meter wide river. There were no asphalt roads, only rows of trees welcoming him. Was his body washed away without him noticing? Not likely. In addition, “hanyut” cannot explain the purple ring encircling the current month.

Ava knew of phenomena such as lunar eclipses, supermoons, and blood moons, but she was sure none of the things she mentioned caused the moon rings to glow purplishly.

But the sound of water stopped his mind. His posture was uplifting, instantly taking a standby stance with a gun in hand. The huge ripples of water that caught his observation quickly gushed towards where he was. He quietly walked backwards. That big thing in a river, crocodile? But Ava never knew that the area she used to pass was crocodile habitat, so the possibility is small. Thenwhat?

At that moment, someone jumped out. Oh, naw. Not someone. A creature.

The green scaly lizard standing on two legs instantly brandished its spear, Ava reflexively leaping backwards. He could feel the warm blood from the creature's spear scratches on his neck, too late just a little bit his head was cut off from the head. His life has just been threatened.

Dor's!

A bullet went straight through the head of that human-shaped lizard. As a guarantor, Ava fired two more bullets that hit the eyes and muzzle of the creature. Despite the night, the moonlight was bright enough to clearly see the target, coupled with a distance that was only a few steps to make it easier for Ava to take aim. That way, the monster fell. The dark green liquid, which Ava assumed to be the blood of the creature, flowed profusely from the three holes on her face. He approached, looking more closely at what he had just killed. There is no more accurate explanation than the lizard man, similar to the nightmare manifestation of a child who likes to read fantasy books.

At that time Ava also heard the sound of “ding!”, instantly a transparent screen shades of light blue filled her view.

Level increased!

Reward: 1 status point

Ding!

Process error!

“What?” Not finished with the confusion, Ava stricken with dizziness very very very. His body was shaky and his eyes blurred.

Shit, poison? For a monster of bad size, that fucking lizard is smart too.

With his remaining control over his own body, he staggered towards the forest, as much as possible away from the water, but on second thought, with all the strangeness that appeared at this time, he staggered as he could, another kind of monster could have emerged from the forest. So no place is really safe. But his consciousness could no longer endure.

The thumping of a heavy step was the last thing he heard before the darkness dispelled his consciousness.

I don't know how long Ava had been asleep, but it felt so heavy just to open her eyes that seemed glued. After his consciousness was intact, a wave of pain immediately bulged him, especially in the neck. "Aragh!" with a hoarse and broken voice, he whimpered.

Only then did Ava catch the movement in the corner of her eye, reflexively the girl grabbed a knife that was usually tucked in the waist of her right side, but the weapon she was looking for was absent. That's when a woman's delicate voice is heard by her, “don't force her to move or speak first.”

Ava turned her head, seen by a middle-aged woman with long yellow hair who sat on a wooden chair next to the bed she occupied. In the woman's fingers are still fresh from the impact of green plants on the top of the drawer, Ava also just realized the sensation of wet and sticky in the neck area to her shoulders, Ava also realized, bandages with blackish green stains that penetrate the folds of the fabric are neatly tied to the part. He recalled the wounds from the lizard's poisonous spear scratches from his last memory. So the woman before him was the one who took care of him when he was unconscious? Ava was secretly relieved that her survival reflex had failed earlier, because otherwise the woman had been stretched with a gaping neck.

“Are you the-” Question Ava interrupted, shocked at her own voice that impressed like strangled.

“For the next three days, your whole body will feel painful and stiff, especially in the swollen neck, so your voice so so. It was fortunate that the poison from the Green Lizard was quickly dealt with before the wider spread. So my advice for the next three days, just take a break,” the long braid swayed as the woman advised Ava in a professional tone while packing the tools and materials used as medicine.

Continuing her truncated question, Ava said in a voice more like a mouse squeak, “Did you help me in the forest last night?”

Still with high formality, the woman replied, “Oh, if it's not me. The one who helped you in the forest is-”

“Bu Leslie, I've been looking for ingredients for the drug-Oh, are you awake?" a friendly-faced man accidentally interrupted them.

“Dia.” The doctor gave the man a professional smile, then said goodbye.

Being left alone with a stranger certainly makes Ava anxious, but showing hostility when the condition of his body like this will only worsen the situation. So, he spoke as decently as possible with a broken tone due to his swollen neck while collecting information from what he saw, “Said the doctor earlier You were the one who saved me, for that I thank you.”

With sparkling green eyes, the man knew he was sitting before Ava. “Ah yes, not nothing.”

Sunburned skin, field workers. Claw wounds on the right cheek and back of the hand, the body is muscular and well-built, but the steps are light and agile, meaning he is trained but not police or soldiers, in contact with animals. A hunter? Moreover, seeing that he was not trying to continue the conversation even though his body language showed enthusiasm, the man seemed to be unusual in talking to others. But Ava has not had time to run her undercover interrogation, she was preceded by the man, “I'll get you food and drink.”

Moments later she appeared with a bowl of porridge and warm honey water, Ava received a tray propped to her and pressed her lips against the glass without drinking the contents. So far the man looks harmless to him, but it's better just in case.

“My name is Rina.” Ava reopens the conversation under a false name, although she doesn't ask in person, people tend to feel overwhelmed and give their names away.

“River Doyles. By the way, [Status] ..” his words hung, then his fingers danced in the air, it seemed as if he pressed a screen in front of him.

Uh! The mystery of the transparent blue screen last night has also not been solved. Suddenly a bag of coins just appeared in River's hand, which he then gave to Ava. “That's the sale of the Green Lizard carcass you killed yesterday.” Feeling confused, the article of which crazy person only gives a dime rather than a sheet of money when transacting? Ava looked briefly into her pouch, where she saw a number of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Instantly, a blue screen like yesterday appeared in front of him.

Deposit coins? [Yes] [No]

Purple-ringed moon, lizard man, mysterious screen, different money system.

Too many strange things to analyze.