The cave was buried in a remote area in the forest. Small foot paths led all around, but none that looked well-traveled. A light rain filled the early morning sky as her and Kate trudged behind Lily. Mia shivered as she wrapped her cloak around her, the wind picking up as the rain stopped tapping into her face. The leaves slopped under her feet making swishing noises as the trio marched deeper into the woods.

Mia sighed. They hadn’t encountered anyone since they set off. Most of the animals in the forest had left traces of themselves, but remained in hiding. The trees canopy gave little room for light as they loomed tall in the air. Since Lily was in front and Kate was pulling rear duty, she decided to use the time to go over her abilities and skills again. She thought she understood why she already had hand to hand combat skills, her Ba made sure she trained in that area. What was examine though?

Akasha Vision Alert: Ability activated – Examine

Examine – Use this ability to scan and examine nearby magical items or creatures. Data returned is dependent on ability level. Current ability level: Novice – Level 1

Do you wish to examine nearby Akasha? Yes/no?

Mia mentally selected yes.

Akasha Vision Alert: Ability level is not high enough to be used on nearby Akasha

Mia grumbled under her breath before Lily turned around to face her.

“Do you have an examine ability?”

“Hmm?”

Lily glared at her, then sighed.

Mia decided not to bother with her songbird ability, she had no idea how much attention it would draw in their direction.

“We need to start leveling you up.” Lily said as she turned around walking backwards.

“Huh?”

“You can level by completing quests and gaining experience points. Your Akasha Vision will usually derive a quest from whatever goal you have set for yourself. You can have multiple quests. Remember, your Akasha Vision is like your subconscious, so it will give you what you implicitly need.”

“That doesn’t sound plausible.”

Lily laughed. “Say for instance, you’re harvesting wheat and you’re in over your head, your Akasha Vision will usually alert you with a quest. If you’re able to complete the quest, this gives you experience, which levels you up. I have heard that you can gain a skill or ability from completing quests, but that’s rare. The higher your core level, the more spells you unlock, then you can level those up as well.”

“So, you can replace spells?”

“At certain levels, yes.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Again, it’s your choice. Your Akasha Vision will tell you if you have a spell that can be replaced by a spell of a higher tier. That takes a lot of work though.”

Mia shrugged. She wasn’t a stranger to hard work.

“By the way Lily, why can’t you just magic us to wherever where going, this trip is boring.”

“I used a lot of my jin portaling us out of the palace.”

“Before I ask about whatever you just said…why couldn’t you just take us straight there?”

“Because I can only travel so far, and Odgen is well out of my range.”

Kate scoffed. “What good is it for then?”

Lily turned to briefly look at Kate before giving her the biggest smile.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe saving that beautiful face of yours.”

Mia snickered as Kate side-eyed Lily, then pretended to scan the forest around them.

“I want to teach you a few things before we get there.”

“For the love of gods, no more lessons,” Kate whined as they stomped around a small thicket.

“All Akasha can cast a maximum of three spells based on their element. You unlock the first at level one, the next at level five and the last at level ten. Then you can replace or continue to level the spells you have. You also get three skills and three abilities.”

“See what I mean, what does any of this have to do with me? Why can’t you teach her at your guild or whatever you call it.”

“I do plan on training with her there. Properly. Where she would be free to cast her fireball and not have it burn down the entire area.” Lily sighed, “The most important part is understanding your magic and how to use it. I want to teach you that.”

Mia quickly checked her status page.

“It says I have one of seven spells unlocked, is that right?” She answered.

Lily stared at her. “You can cast up to seven spells?”

“That’s what this says, one of seven unlocked.”

Lily stared at her again, then shook her head. “I don’t even know how that’s possible…I mean not without a magical item.”

Mia looked at Kate who shrugged.

“Mia has always been kind of abnormal. I mean, who has purple eyes and carries around an old book anyway?”

She gave Kate a flat look before looking over her spell again.

“It says I have something called a songbird ability, but I’m not sure how to activate it?”

“How many abilities do you have? You know what, nevermind, it’s absurd that you even have abilities right now. Usually they aren’t unlocked until you reach core level five. Abilities don’t require a word of power. They are also instinctive.”

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Kate yawned loudly as she and Lily snapped to look at her.

“What?”

Mia rolled her eyes as Kate gave her an innocent smile.

“Let’s talk about something else.” Kate said as she stretched her arms into the air.

“Like what.”

Kate snickered. “Like that book you’re always carrying around with you. Is it a diary? I swear it hasn’t left your side since we met.”

Mia’s face flushed bright pink as she stopped mid stride.

“How do you know about my book?”

“Girl, everyone knows about it. We see you reading it all the time. I could never find it though.”

She glared at Kate who shrugged her shoulders, not begrudging the truth.

Mia sighed. “Tell me more about this spirit element, Lily, what is it?”

Lily shook her head. “There aren’t any spirit Akasha that I know of. What I can remember is spirit Akasha can cast any element…which is also absurd I must add. Once word gets around that you’re an unbridled Akasha with spirit power, every guild will want you.”

“In a good way or bad?”

“That depends on the guild.”

Mia stared at Lily who shrugged. “Guilds are in place for many reasons, one being supplying the world with resources looted from the dungeons.”

“How do you join a guild anyway?”

“There is a selection after Akasha training school where guilds choose their next candidates. Any Akasha not belonging to a guild have their magic forcibly removed.”

“What?”

“It’s the way of the Akasha.”

“That doesn’t sound right to me.”

Lily shrugged.

“Me either, for that matter.” Kate chimed in.

The sun had come and gone. Lily spotted a nearby river where they could set up camp for the night.

“You two wait here and I’m going to see if I can find food. For some reason, my dimensional storage can carry anything but food.”

“I can go with you.”

Lily turned towards Mia, putting a hand gently on her shoulder, locking her amber eyes with hers.

“Mia, I need you to promise me something. If anything happens to me, get to Sagev and find the guild house, talk to the captain in charge. Tell them you know me, and they will know what to do.”

“What do you mean if anything happens to you?”

“Just promise me.”

Mia stared at Lily for a moment, not breaking her gaze.

“Ok, I promise.”

“I promise too, in case you were wondering.” Kate interrupted.

Lily smirked before jumping into the trees and vanishing into them.

Kate looked at her in bewilderment.

“If she could do that, why aren’t we there already?”

“Probably because we can’t do that, Kate.”

Kate rolled her eyes.

***

Lily sped through the forest on the branches of trees, moving quickly as she searched for anything edible. The bushes nearby only carried poisonous berries, her Akasha training in full bearing. How is she a spirit Akasha? Lily thought to herself as she absently scanned around. Her search was leading her deeper into the forest, much further than she intended. Lily shrugged. Mia and Kate were both Kings Guards, they should be able to handle themselves for anything they would find out here.

Lily let her mind wonder a bit back to when Mia was born. Lana must have known that Mia was a spirit Akasha. She shook off the thought as dozens of hordes of wild boars screeched in a stamped heading her way. The sounds of tusks clashed as they galloped away from an unknown source. She used the trees to move around them instead of across the scattered brush on the ground.

She looked at the stampede rampaging through the forest. The sound they were making attracting larger creatures by the droves.

“They shouldn’t be stampeding like this,” she whispered aloud to no one in particular.

Lily checked her status page and cursed to herself. She didn’t have any jin left. After starting her wild storm cast, she stopped in the middle after Mia wasn’t moving on the ground. This caused magical backlash, and her jin stopped rejuvenating ever since.

She cursed again. Using the teleportation crystal took the last bit of what she had left, and it would be hours before the debuff wore off.

Lily took out her dagger and long sword.

“Hard way it is.”

Lily jumped in the back of the stampede, using her ride the wind skill to easily pierce the boars in vital spots. Her skill allowed her to glide on the air beneath her, propelling her forward at alarming speed. The boars squealed loudly as Lily cut cleanly into them. The smell of blood still wafted in the air, however, attracting the howls of nearby predators.

Lily shook her head.

“This isn’t good.”

***

“I thought you usually tell me everything.”

“I do tell you everything.”

Kate scoffed. “Why am I hearing about so many things from Lily rather than from you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Kate gave her a flat look. Mia sighed.

“Ok, what do you want to know.”

“So many things, but ok, I guess I am most curious about that book you carry in that bag of yours. What is it really?”

Mia smiled. “It’s called the Young Wooden Maiden. My father gave it to me when I was little and I guess it’s been my favorite ever since.”

“Aww, that’s cute.”

Mia grabbed a nearby twig and threw it at Kate, making her run around the makeshift tent Lily left behind. They were still getting the pieces together when low rumbling growls came from behind the trees around them. Dark red eyes appeared in the darkness, as piercing howls sent chills down her spine.

A pack of wolves surrounded them, their footsteps mimicking her heartbeat. The wolves moved in and out of the shadows through the trees and out onto the small patch of forest they decided to set up camp.

“Any ideas?” Mia whispered to Kate, who was standing behind her with their backs pressed together. The small fire they set up beforehand was small and didn’t give much life, but apparently it was enough to attract them.

“Run for it?” Kate asked, giving her a slight nudge in the waist.

“That’s a terrible idea. They’ll hunt us down like…well…you know.”

Kate hmphed. “Pshhh, I could out run them.”

“I’m not going to bet on that.”

“It looks like we’re not going to have a choice. Do your magic thingy.”

“The only magic that I have is fireball…and we’re in a forest.”

“Burn it down then.”

Mia grabbed the decorative short sword from her hip as she felt Kate pull her weapon as well.

Akasha Vision Alert: New Quest – Defeat the pack

Quest Level: Uncommon

A pack of wolves has surrounded you. Defeat them to gain quest reward.

Success Conditions: Defeat 6/6 dire wolves.

Quest Failure or Refusal: Unknown

Reward: +1000 exp

Accept? Yes/no?

Mia mentally selected yes as a wolf attacked, lunging at Mia, almost catching her off guard. Their training kicked in quickly.

Kate swayed out of the way, as Mia swung her sword upwards, catching the wolf in the bottom jaw, killing it instantly. The other wolves attacked. The first wolf’s body slumped to the ground as two others jumped to bite her neck, their long jagged teeth dripping with bloody saliva. Her short sword blocked the first advance as she kicked one off balance, slicing the other in the side, dropping it to the ground. An attack from the third wolf hit on her blind side, landing square in her shoulder. The wolf drew goblets of blood as it locked onto her.

Kate swung and the wolf’s body was torn in two. Mia recovered, then spun slicing the next as it jumped at Kate from behind.

“Duck” Mia yelled, pushing Kate down and to the side. The alpha charged at them, his fangs and claws massive as it screeched it’s attack. She heaved her short sword as the wolf lunged, piercing the wolfs skull through its eye.

“That was a lucky shot.”

Mia grinned.

Akasha Vision Alert – Quest complete.

Due to companion aiding with quest, quest reward is halved. +500 exp.

Congratulations you have reached core level 2

+1 Stat Point

+50% HP

“Stat point?” Mia didn’t have time to think about it as sounds of howling grew louder from the distance.

“I don’t think we can handle many more. We need to get away from here and find a safer location.” Kate said as she tried to wipe the blood from her short sword.

“We can’t go too far away, what about Lily?”

“Lily can catch up. She’s a magic wizard or something isn’t she.”

Mia sighed. “Let’s go down wind and lay low for a while. When the coast is clear, we’ll head back here and wait for her.” Mia said as she tried to wrap her with a torn end of her cloak.

“I need to figure out how this Akasha thing works, anyway. Hopefully I’ll get something better than fireball for my next spell.” Mia responded as she rushed to retrieve her short sword. The wolves that first surrounded them were dead, but she did not like the sound of the other howls she heard.

“Which is useless right now by the way.” Kate snorted, rolling her eyes.

Mia grinned tightly. “Let’s just go up the river, we can always follow it back down.”

Kate nodded, then flashed her a smile.

Mia laughed then dashed through the tree line and downwind of the river. The howls behind her now pounding in her eardrums as her heartbeat pounded out her chest. She zigzagged through the trees until she spotted a large one with thick roots coming out of the ground and branches that looked sturdy enough to sleep on. She hit a hard left turn, causing Kate to almost hit a tree as she tried to change direction going at full speed.

Suddenly, a loud crack took her by surprise as the flooring gave way, plunging her down a hidden cliff and into the raging river below.

“Ughhh!” Kate wailed as she jumped in after her.