Spaceshifting doesn’t feel like anything. It does not feel like moving, not like riding in a carriage, and not even like flying under a [Flight] spell. It just makes it seem like the world around you changed. Kiresula and the others just arrived in the safe room. Kiresula immediately cast [Enhance Ability] on Kju to increase his fortitude, then she cast [Freedom of Movement], as well as [Nightly Sojourn] on the entire group, which afterwards made it out of the dungeon.

The group then went into the forest. The undergrowth here was not quite as bad, but the movement was still not as fast as they wanted. Fortunately, the combination of spells made the journey easier and almost traceless. They made it into a clearing and from there found a small wildlife path that they could use. Kiresula looked towards the sun, turned around to look at the trees and then okayed the direction.

A while and a few clearings later, Mayana stopped. There was slight synthic magic at that location and thus everyone paused to do Serenity and restore their magic ressources. After a short while, her magic was high enough for a second cast of [Enhance Attribute] and the group departed again. Kiresula oriented herself based on the sun and the vegetation (which itself followed the gentle lead of the wind, which around here favoured going west). Eventually, someone asked the important question: “Kysan, where exactly are we going?”

Kiresula smiled: “Ilkshehir.”

Mayana looked at her in confusion: “Is this really what you want to do? We don’t have any of our gear!”

Kiresula shrugged: “Can we do anything else? They are probably expecting us in Memleket. So I would prefer us to return when the situation had cooled down there. Until then, we can tell Ilkshehir what we know. We don’t have the texts, but we remember a lot of what happened.”

Kju was deep in thoughts when he responded: “So, you are hoping to find enough broken magic to keep me doped on [Enhance Attributes] for the journey?”

Kiresula shook her head: “I don’t plan to. I plan to get you enough level ups that I don’t need to, provided some of your free attributes hit Fortitude.”

Mayana raised an eyebrow: “So, I take it every glitchling in Ormankeuy will get a class?”

Kiresula nodded: “If I remember the maps and what I know from Makit teaching me navigation correctly, they need to wait a bit. We will visit Jetahkalesa first.”

Kju looked at the older glitchling and asked: “Just a quick question: Why is it named after a castle when it’s a pretty small village?”

Mayana covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, while Kiresula, unfazed from years as a teacher, explained: “It’s a different language. These lands are ancient and we are far from the first people on them. People know the Empire, of course, but they had not been the only ones and there are still remainders of them on the soil, if you care to look. Kalesi is… Ancient Imperial, all right and, yes, it refers to castle. But the Empire had been defeated by the Island people. They didn’t speak Ancient Imperial but Island-and-Coast language. And in that one Kalesa means small town. As a diminutive of Kala for city.”

Kju smiled: “I see,” he pondered something: “And now, the Mainland People are living here. Where did they come from?”

"They are a mix between all ethnic groups that were here, came here, fled here, and so on. We are about as pure and precious as a street dog." Kiresula explained.

"Oh." Kju seemed disappointed.

Mayana looked at Kju all of a sudden: "Kju, as a [Synthic Cleric], can I ask you something?" She fidgeted for a moment. "The green system is using classes named with Imperial loan words. But I had not seen any Coast-And-Island loan words. Or Southern Federated Tribes loan words. Or any other loan words from neighbouring nations. Do you know why that is?"

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There was a pause. Then Kju responded: "I am not sure. I have no way to ask the system. But it is quite interesting."

Kiresula decided to speculate: "Could be that this area just doesn't have as many loan words from these areas. Maybe the system adjusts for dialect and more coastal areas would call [Seferian Mage]s something like [Magic Wielder of Ntevan persuasion]."

Kju decided to join in: "Maybe it depends on where a class was invented. If it was in the Empire, on the Island or somewhere else…"

Mayana also gave her opinion: "Maybe the system just likes it better that way!"

There was a pause as no one could talk about this with any knowledge, until Mayana pointed to something poking through the trees. "Hey, I think the town is over there!"

The group rushed through the forest as fast as they could. Admittedly, for the glitchlings especially for Kju, that meant a rather sedate pace. Eventually though, they arrived at the brick and mortar structure.

Mayana saw first that this was not a city. Or a town. Or even a village. This was a ruin. A tall ruin that towered above the treetops.

When the group arrived in full, they looked rather shocked. "I don't think that this is Jetahkalesa." Mayana stated.

Kiresula did the glitchling equivalent of a deep blush. "I don't think that I will gain a navigation related class any time soon. I am sorry."

A tiny, black cat jumped out of the structure, ran past the group and disappeared in the forest. Just as it did, another black cat ran with the first one.

Mayana made a surprised sound: “This is Siyah Kedi Kalesi. A palace for black cats. I always hoped we could visit it.”

Kiresula raised her eyebrows in comprehension: “Oh yeah, I recall it. Such a strange story.”

Kju asked: “Can you tell me?”

Kiresula looked at Mayana in silent communication and she explained: “In Imperial times, there was a crazy cat lady, who was some kind of mage. She lived in what is now Jetahkalesa, which back then was a tiny hamlet. Back then, there was an illness, people ascribed to the black cats, which were generally considered unlucky. People suggested culling them, but that crazy cat lady,... she moved to the forest instead and created a cat palace. There is some spell in these old walls that attracts black cats to it. Apparently even today. The area around had spells on it to improve plant growth to attract birds. So ‘the little kitties have something to chase’.”

Kju sounded impressed: “And this is where we are now?”

Mayana nodded: “It looks like it, yeah.”

Kiresula smiled: “We should look for the dungeon?”

Kju looked at Kiresula: “There is a dungeon around here?”

Kiresula grimaced: “Maybe. Some people say there is, but it is a bit of a rumour. But yeah, if there was a dungeon, it might be able to remove Kju from the blue system, like the Dungeon of the Bridge did for me.”

Kju looked almost giddy: “You mean… I would no longer be hampered by the blue system?”

Kiresula immediately curbed his enthusiasm: “Not sure if the dungeon exists, not sure if we find the core, not sure if the dungeon has a broken magic issue, not sure if it cooperates with us, and so on.”

Mayana added: “We are not even sure if the dungeon has the power to do so. The local dungeon is underdvelved. And people know it exists.”

Kju looked glum about this: "I understand. We probably should have a night full of rest and search the dungeon tomorrow. Probably without me though. The [Enhance Attribute] spell just ended and I feel like someone just dragged me over a washboard."

Kiresula and Mayana helped Kju as they looked for a way into the cat castle. Eventually, they clambered through a window. The room was barren except for some strange structures, reminiscent of a tree in winter, but with platforms on each branch. As a cat gracefully jumped onto it and then made it through the entire room without touching the floor, its purpose seemed more clear. Mayana and Kju settled in an adjacent room in one of the many stone boxes of different sizes. Kiresula instead decided to look around the area for something edible. She surveyed the area and investigated plants until she found some edible leaves, edible flowers, some edible tree sap and other small things. She found a small stream, removed her shirt, cast [Waterproof object] onto it and used it as a waterskin. As she was about to return, she felt a fluctuation of synthic magic near herself.