Extend the Story - Add a Room

"Alright," You say; "I accept your proposal."

"I am glad to hear it," He replies; "The salve is going to make you sleepy, and I would hate for you to be alone and vulnerable like that."

"As you already know, I am Hector Metzger," you tell him, extending a hand.

"I am Wan Ou Long." He tells you. "Do you feel up to hunting with that rifle of yours? I'd be glad to get a fire started."

You nod and tell the old man that you will go after the food, taking your rifle with you. You check the chamber and find only five bullets within. You wonder if the arena has any hidden caches of bullets but soon realize the ridiculousness of that strategy. You briefly imagine finding a box and expecting something you can use only to find bullets and no gun.

You try to climb a tree from which to perch yourself, but the pain from your wound prohibits you from doing so. You settle for a spot at the base of a tree behind a bush and sit in wait, hoping that whatever animals approach aren't able to catch your scent before you can do them in.

An few hours pass and you start to feel a little drowsy. You are about to return to camp when you spot something moving in the distance.

Putting the scope to your eye you lock onto the target and pull the trigger. The deer runs off for a few dozen yards before collapsing onto the ground.

You grab the carcass and pull it behind you easily enough back towards the smell of smoke. Wan has a fire cracking several feet away from the trail where you left him last. All of your equipment is in a pile near the burning wood.

"There you are," He says by way of greeting; "I was beginning to wonder if you the prey had caught you."

"Not likely," You tell him. "I'm glad to see you were able to get the fire started, I was wondering if the flint would snap your brittle old bones."

He smirks a little before bursting into a brief fit of laughter. You laugh along for a moment as well. It feels good to laugh again.

You sit on the ground as your weariness grows overwhelming and are asleep before you know it.

Wan shakes you awake to tell you the deer is cooked and ready to eat. You wave him off and try to return to sleep but he is pretty insistent that you eat.

You decide to humor the old man and eat. You needed to eat eventually anyway. You tear into the deer, eating more than your fill and drift off to sleep.

You wake in the morning to see a corpse sprawled out on the trail. Wan seems pleased to see you rise.

"Welcome back to reality, Dr. Metzger. I will leave your company now and wish you luck in this contest." The old man tells you. He rises to his feet, collects his things and starts walking to the trail.

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