Palworld; Rhea's Odyssey

Chapter 01: An Unlikely Friend

Rhea and Chloe were sitting next to a campfire and roasting a handful of berries they had gathered from nearby bushes. The sweet aroma of the berries could attract anyone. Rhea was devouring them quickly, as she was not sure when she had last eaten. Chloe waited patiently with her eyes closed and arms folded, trying not to judge Rhea for her ravenous behavior.

"Aren't you going to eat any?" said Rhea, with a mouth full of berries. 

"No, that's okay, and you may want to slow down yourself. You could get cramps from eating that much before physical activity."

"Really?" Rhea stopped abruptly.

"Yes, but enjoy your food. In the meantime, let's go over what you've gathered so far."

Rhea quickly grabbed the leather sack she had found earlier and poured out everything she picked up during her trip through the ruins. Laid out in front of them both was a pile of lumber and assorted rocks, a few being blue and shinier than others.

"Alright, I see a lot of wood and stone here, which is essential for most things you'll craft. I'm going to teach you..." Chloe spoke in an educating tone until something caught her eye. "Wait...What's that there?"

Chloe's hand stuck out with a finger pointing to the odd device Rhea had woken up next to.

"Oh! I'm not entirely sure. I found it near me when I woke up on the beach and it seems like a pretty handy piece of technology. Although, I'm unsure of how it works, exactly."

"That's a Paldeck. It records information on Pals you encounter and does a host of other useful things. They're exceedingly rare items and not many people can get their hands on them..."

"Wow, then I guess I'm pretty lucky to have one! Could you teach me how to use it?"

"I can try. I haven't been lucky enough to find one myself, but I've seen someone use one once; my mentor." Chloe's expression changed from curiosity about the device to being lost in thought. 

"So, how do we start?" Rhea said snapping Chloe back to reality. 

"Uh...We'll start with the local Pals. I'll tell you what I know and you'll use your Paldeck to learn anything else, and then we'll use all the information to come up with a battle strategy and teach you how to fight. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect and well thought out. Is that how your mentor taught you everything you know?"

"We're not talking about my mentor," Chloe snapped.

Ouch. Must be a touchy subject for her. Still, there's no reason to be so snappy with me.

Rhea was taken aback by Chloe's tone of voice, but she chose to remain silent and listen to whatever Chloe had to say. Although the sun was still high up in the sky, Rhea didn't want to interrupt the opportunity to learn as much as possible from Chloe before she left or it became too late.

"Let's start with Cattiva; my least favorite Pal around these parts. Listen, Cativa are mischievous cowards. They'll do all sorts of things when you're not looking. Petty little small things to inconvenience you, and if you let them, they'll walk all over you. It's pretty embarrassing, to be honest, but I've seen a few humans who are bigger cowards than them."

"Like what?"

"They'll kick dirt on your campfire if you leave it unattended. They'll spill your water or throw rocks at you and hide their hands. They'll trip you up while you're busy running for your life from more threatening monsters. It seems like small stuff, but for a beginner, they can give you hell and be the difference between life and death, so don't let 'em push you around."