An American Isekai'd

Hello Everyone! You know,life kinda sucks sometimes. I had hoped to have a whole lot more done with this by this time but due to reasons, I haven't been able to work on it in a while.

Thanks to those who have waited a long time for the next chapter and to those who have reached out to keep me reminded of it. Chapter 4 introduces some more worldbuilding aspects and hopefully starts to set the story up some. I am also midway through Chapter 5 and hope to have it out ASAP.

I appreciate all of you and your feedback and will do better to keep this story alive.

Chapter 4

Asses Kicked and Lessons Taught

Zeke awoke the next morning with something heavy on top of him. Opening his eyes, he lifted the blanket to find the red hair and freckled face of Saibh cuddled up to him, her head on his chest. Watching her for a moment or two, he admired the cute features he normally couldn't see very well, seeing as how she was usually only a few inches tall. Before long, though, he felt something wet on his skin. She was drooling on him.

Ugh. And here I thought she was pretty while she was asleep and not talking,he thought, rolling his eyes. Carefully, he slid out from under her, making sure to set her head gently on the pillow, as not to wake her. Then, he slid carefully out of bed and put on his shirt and shoes.

Quietly walking to the door of the bedroom, he eased himself out and gave her one last glance before closing it behind him. In the hallway, he stretched with a big yawn and started downstairs, careful to avoid the vase on the pedestal.

As he entered the living room where he had spent the previous evening talking to Eirlys and Mihalea, a strange sound filled his ears, and delicious aroma flooded his nose.

Someone was in the kitchen. Zeke could smell the food in the air, and he could hear utensils and the sound of a sweet voice humming an upbeat tune.

Did Eirlys wake up early to make me breakfast?

Walking into the kitchen, he was shocked. It was the person whom he would never have suspected of cooking, much less humming while doing so.

Positioned in front of a wood-burning stove, its stovepipe extending through the ceiling, was Mihalea. She faced away from him as she stirred a small pot, her voice like silk as she sang softly to herself. Zeke briefly surveyed the kitchen, noting the details since this was the first time he had seen the interior.

It was spacious and featured a large dining table made of dark wood placed against the left wall and flanked by two matching chairs. In the back corner stood a tall cabinet, crafted entirely from smooth stone, including its doors. Counter-tops ran from the cabinet's right side, split by the stove, with wooden cabinets situated beneath them and a sink embedded in the center under a window. Hanging cabinets were above the counters from the right side of the sink onward.

Adjacent to the entryway, on the nearest wall, stood another cabinet crafted from dark wood to match the table and between this cabinet and the stove, in the corner, there was a small door he presumed lead into a pantry.

While continuing to hum, Mihalea worked and Zeke admired her behind, her hips swaying while she stirred a large pot.

She turned suddenly and caught his gaze and he felt his face turn red and he scrambled to look away and cover up his embarrassment.

"You didn't strike me as the cooking type," Zeke said trying to act nonchalant.

"The things you don't know about me could fill a library," she responded dryly, turning back to the stove. "I decided that since you were to start training today, it would be best if you had a filling breakfast. I don't want you collapsing in the first hour."

"Thank you, I 'preciate it," he replied. "I know I ain't got shit right now, but I promise I'll stand up on my own soon."

"See to it that you do," she said.

She lifted her arm toward a bowl positioned on the counter beside her and transferred a substantial quantity of the pot's contents into it. After handing the bowl to him, she removed the pot from the burner and proceeded to the table where she then sat down and awaited him.

Zeke looked at the bowl in his hands. Inside was a creamy substance that looked like oatmeal with chunks of red and blue fruit. He sat at the table across from Mihalea and picked up a spoon she had placed there.

"That contains honey if you require it for sweetening," the vampire offered pointing to a small jar.

He gave a nod and added a small amount to his food, stirring it before having a small taste. His initial thought proved correct; it was oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries. He briefly wondered how they got fruit in this environment but quickly dismissed it and drizzled more honey into his meal and ate it appreciatively.

"I apologize for not believing you yesterday," Mihalea stated hesitantly. "Eirlys and I have been isolated here for a long time, and are unaccustomed to visitors, particularly humans."

"I don't blame ya. I wouldn't believe it either if some dude showed up out of nowhere claimin' to be sent by the gods," Zeke conceded. "I guess I'm just new t' all of this. My brain hurts tryin' to absorb everythin'. I was under the impression that when I regained the memories of my last life, I would still have the memories and common sense from this one. Guess I was wrong."

" How do you think you lost them?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. " I suppose it might've been the head injury before I woke up. Maybe got amnesia. Ignaxi said I'd have more fun figuring it out myself."

"How droll," she said.

As the two exchanged small talk, Zeke began to realize that there was more to Mihalea than just her bitchy outer shell. She was a good conversationalist and he wanted to ask more about her and vampires in general, but felt it might be a sensitive topic after her cold response the day before. So, he figured he could just learn more by observing her and waiting for the right moment.

"Okay, pleasantries are over. Once you have finished eating, meet me outside in front of the house and prepare for a taste of hell," she suddenly professed and gave an evil smile.

Zeke's face blanched for a moment but he nodded and finished his oatmeal, leaving the dish by the sink before following her out of the house.

The pair descended the steps and entered the cavern, walking to find an open area free of large rocks. Upon arrival, the vampire turned to face him, and he stood before her attentively.

"We will start with some basic exercises. These must be done every day, with no exceptions. They will not boost your stats, but will help keep your body toned and ready. Even a fat ass can have high stats, but it takes work to keep yourself in shape. You will do one hundred pushups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats and finish by running two-leagues," she ordered.

Zeke felt he vaguely recognized that training regimen but couldn't recall from where.

Maybe it was something I read in a fitness magazine? Online somewhere?

During the years after he left being a paramedic, he spent a period regularly going to the gym, which might be where he learned it, but he still wasn't sure. Though there was another thing he was unfamiliar with.

"I have a question, but it might be stupid," he said.

"There are no stupid questions," she responded.

"How far is a league?" he asked.

"I stand corrected," she intoned again while palming her forehead. With a sigh she responded.

"A league is three-and-three-eighths sheppies."

"Okay yeah, I've no idea what that is either. We had different measurements in my world. My country more so than the rest." Zeke remarked.

Mihalea stared at him blankly for a moment, the edges of her mouth twitching.

"Just run until you fall over," she hissed finally, rolling her eyes.

"Gotcha," he acknowledged.

Zeke began the exercise with pushups. It was easier in a younger body. Doing a hundred would have been murder for his older self, but this body was in good physical condition. While he exercised, Mihalea began to explain the mechanics behind each of his attributes.

Zeke tried to concentrate on the explanations as he performed each repetition, but he only managed to grasp the main points of each, and used his gamer background to help fill the gaps.

Strength determined his physical power, the size and capacity of his inventory, and his ability to block attacks.

Agility determined how quickly he could move, the speed and ease of ranged weapons, how easy he could be stealthy, and dodging.

Endurance served as defense while also determining his maximum health and stamina. Each point allocated increased his HP by twenty and his STA by ten. Both would regenerate naturally over time after taking damage or tiring actions.

Intelligence was his attack power with magic and the casting speed. It also limited the total number of spells he could learn and the level of each spell.

Willpower was magic defense and total MP. Every point in willpower made total MP go up by ten, allowing the use of a larger variety or more complex spells.

Wisdom was perception and SP. Only two SP points were granted for every ten points given to that attribute, which was essential for utilizing abilities associated with skills.

Luck was the final attribute and very different from what he thought. Rather than signifying good fortune, it more represented a measure of probability, with both positive and negative outcomes. The greater the luck stat, the higher the likelihood of experiencing improbable events became.

Finishing the sit-ups and starting on the squats, he asked her how skills were different from abilities.

"There are a number of different skills, split into Combat, Crafting, Magic, and Life," Mihalea stated. "Like the name, Combat skills relate to fighting. These include the skills using different weapons or the proficiency of dodging or parrying an attack. Crafting skills encompass most anything that is created through methods like smithing, carpentry and even cooking. Magic skills obviously mean casting spells and the last category, Life skills, usually refer to things dealing with labor and gathering materials like lumbering, mining, but can even apply to information through conversation and or negotiation. You get new skills or increase the level simply by engaging in the activity that corresponds.

Once your skill level reaches a certain point, you will unlock related abilities, which can be either passive or active. Abilities impart new knowledge directly or give boosts to the skill. For example, when you complete today's exercises, I expect you will gain the 'Athletics' skill, which will reduce the stamina expenditure associated with physical activities. Each subsequent level of proficiency decreases stamina usage but it will require progressively more experience to advance to the next. At some point, you may unlock an ability that will give you a boost to your running speed or the height that you can jump. Skills have twenty levels, with the highest-level meaning mastery,"

She finished the lecture as Zeke completed the squats, and a noise caused them both to look up. The front door of the house opened, and from within emerged Saibh, rubbing her eyes, looking as if she had just woken up. At some point, she had reverted to her usual form.

"Wazeverbodydoin?" she mumbled through a yawn while stretching.

"Ah, nice of you to join us," Mihalea remarked, as the fae glided down the stairs. "Since you are here now, I would like you to accompany Zeke on his run to ensure he does not get lost in the forest again. Travel east until you see this light up, then return."

Like a cartoon, the vampire suddenly produced a small black stone from behind her, and handed it to Zeke.

"Aw man, I wanted some food," Saibh pouted. "I knew I shouldn't have come to find you yet."

A scowl ran across her face for a moment as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

"Ugh, fine, but if I stop to pick a berry, you had better not leave me behind."

She then stuck her tongue out at Zeke, who just rolled his eyes and smirked at the image of her holding a berry that, relative to her, would be the size of a basketball.

"I will be inside the and will set an hourglass. When it runs out, I will activate the stone." Mihalea said. "When you return, prepare for combat training. I need to assess your proficiency with a weapon."

Zeke nodded silently and took off at a jog towards the entrance of the cave with Saibh following behind. He moved through the tunnel and out of the mouth, then turned right toward the rising sun and aimed for the line of trees. His pace was measured over the uneven ground, taking care not to trip over the vegetation.

While he was running, Saibh fluttered up beside him.

"So how long do ya think we will stay with them?" she asked.

"Beats me. I guess until they feel I'm ready to go off on my own," he huffed.

Saibh was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"They have a nice house, don't you think?" she reflected. "I feel sorry for them, though. Vampires are one thing, but elves don't usually live in caves. They prefer to be outside, surrounded by nature. They've been here since before my great-grandparents' time, but I don't know much about their past."

"They must have their reasons. Maybe after we get to know them better, they'll tell us one day," Zeke replied.

He continued running through the woods with the tiny fae flying next to him. After a while, he was sweating profusely and his chest started to ache, but he pushed himself onward, trying to keep up the pace. He had to slow down a few times where the brush was thick, making it difficult to get through, but that allowed him to catch his breath.

"There's an animal path up ahead. That'd make it easier on you," Saibh directed. She had been in the process of telling him about her life in the fae village and the mistreatment by her fellows due to her clumsiness. He felt bad, but he was too focused on keeping his pace to really pay attention.

Lacking the breath to respond, he proceeded along the path she indicated, estimating that he had about covered three miles. It was then that the stone started to shine and he paused briefly to catch his breath. Noticing a nearby bush, Saibh flew off to gather her breakfast and returned with a large berry in hands, her face smeared with juice, making Zeke laugh through his ragged breathing.

"You actually look kinda cute like that," he teased her.

She puffed her cheeks at him and blushed, a mouth full of berry keeping her from retorting.

***

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Skill: Charisma increased

Skill: Charisma increased

***

***

The notification surprised him. He still didn't fully understand the system. Did that mean flirting earn experience?

He shrugged it off for now and turned around to start heading back.

As he came to the end of the path, he paused for a moment and glanced at Saibh who, after eating the berry, had resumed her story.

"Which way did we come from?" he asked between breaths, interrupting her.

"Umm...I think it's that way," she answered uncertainly.

"Whaddya mean "you think"?" he exclaimed.

"Well... I was talking and... kinda forgot to pay attention to where we came from. Hehe," she muttered, sheepishly.

Zeke facepalmed.

"Probably a thousand faeries in this forest and I get stuck with the one who could get a boy scout lost," he grumbled.

"Fae... not faeries," she corrected. "What's a boy scout?"

"Ugh, nevermind," he sighed and took off running again, hoping he was traveling toward at the cave.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up! Don't leave me behind!" shouted Saibh.

It was almost dark by the time they finally made it back. About halfway back, another alert had appeared at the top of his vision.

***

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New skill unlocked: Athletics

***

***

As they entered the cave, Zeke was covered with sweat and his shirt clung to his chest. He realized, that now, both his clothes and himself needed a wash and paused to consider how bathing worked in this world.

At the tunnel's end, he saw Mihalea sitting on the rock outside the door to the house, holding two wooden swords and leering at them.

"What took you so long? I almost thought you ran away."

"Sorry, but thanks to Columbus here, we got lost for a while," Zeke retorted, jerking his thumb toward Saibh.

"Who?" The fae quizzed.

"Famous guy in my world who got lost..." he started to explain.

"It doesn't matter," Mihalea interrupted, cutting of his explanation. "I hope you are ready. I do not intend to go easy on you just because you are a novice."

Tossing him one of the swords, she descended to the bottom of the stairs.

Zeke swallowed hard.

In his life before, he had once had a collection of swords, though he had never learned how to actually use them. They were mostly just for decoration. So his knowledge of swordsmanship was limited to what he saw on television or in movies, and he was skeptical that it would help in actual combat.

They moved to the open space and stood facing one other about three meters apart.

"To start, we are going to train in either blocking, deflecting, or dodging an attack," Mihalea stated, a smile creeping upon her face. "When you can do this to my satisfaction, then we will move forward. Are you ready?"

Zeke stood with his legs shoulder-width apart and holding his sword upright with both hands. Having seen it a few times, he assumed it was a basic stance, so he nodded his head to signal he was ready.

Then he blinked.

The moment his eyes closed for that split second, Mihalea instantly closed the distance between them. With a horizontal swing of her weapon, she struck his sword head-on before he could even begin to respond. The resounding crack echoed throughout the cavern.

The blow was heavy and sent Zeke stumbling backwards, his hands stinging from the impact. Before he could regain his footing, she was behind him and brought her sword down on his head.

Thwack

Zeke's vision blurred, and he dropped his sword. Clutching his head, he instinctively crouched down, visibly distressed with his HP cut in half.

"Do not drop your weapon!" she bellowed, pointing the tip of her weapon at him. "When facing an opponent who is quicker, anticipate their attack, as you may not be able to track their movements. Typically, it will come from behind."

He massaged the swelling knot on his head with a grimace and retrieved his sword before he resumed his stance. Mihalea positioned her sword under her arm and approached him slowly. He remained tense and prepared, but she merely adjusted the positions of his body with precision and then returned to her previous position.

"Reading a book is an effective way to learn, but it is not always the best. Actual experience will teach not only your mind, but your body as well," she lectured him. "You learn through pain. It is easy to forget what you have read, but pain will stay with your body and you will always remember."

And so began the next two hours, where she beat him mercilessly. When he was close to losing consciousness, she had Saibh heal him, and the cycle repeated. He managed to block and dodge some of her less challenging attacks, which improved the related skills by a level, but mostly she just kicked his ass. He also received a new title, indicated by golden words appearing at the top of his vision.

***

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New title gained: "Black and Blue"

***

***

When she was satisfied with his asswhopping, she had Saibh heal him a final time and gave giving him a pitiful look before sending him into the house where Eirlys was waiting.