Sam and Nara woke up early the following morning. After a delicious breakfast of beer biscuits, actual beer, and the most enormous vegetable omelet Sam had ever seen, the two were out of the guild gates and heading to an outfitter for camping supplies. Nara hadn't had time to pick up supplies the previous day, but she had managed to make a good bit of coin from selling the weapons, clothes, armor, and three storage items they had. She kept the ranger's bow and picked up a quiver and fifty steel-tipped arrows. They thought it was strange that all the bandit's storage items had been empty. Nara postulated it was an enchantment that destroyed the contents upon their deaths, probably forced on them by their employer.
Over their quiet dinner the night before, Nara had come clean to Sam that she could not use the magic Sam was giving her. She told Sam about meeting with Serge and how no one knew what a sorceress was. When she told Sam she couldn't even learn a simple light spell from a scroll Serge had provided as a test, a lightbulb went off for Sam.
Sam pulled out her primer and slid it to Nara across the dinner table, explaining what it was and, to some extent, what a sorceress was on Earth. And since Nara could already see mana, she should try manipulating it.
They returned to the guild and paid for a couple of hours of range time so Sam could show Nara how she manipulated mana by forming different constructs and firing them at the targets downrange. Nara had watched intently but could not replicate anything Sam did. Toward the end of their range time, a mage approached them from the small crowd that had gathered to watch a level 21 completely annihilate dozens of practice targets with ease. The mage had noted that Nara was a Tenarian Moonblight and suggested Sam attack her with a spell. He explained he had fought a Wild Moonblight once, and shortly into their fight, the Moonblight had started using his own magic against him. He could only assume the Moonblight was absorbing and replicating his spells.
Sam laughed manically and shot Nara in the foot with an arcane bolt. It worked! After Nara had stopped hopping around and cursing Sam, she could use the spell Magic Bolt. Nara's spell had a different name, and her mana was blue, but it worked the same as Sam's. Both women were delighted, but Sam was far more so than Nara. This surprised Nara until Sam turned to the crowd and yelled that she would pay three gold to the first person who hit Nara with a cleaning spell.
***
At Sam's insistence, they stopped at Alexander's, which was already bustling with activity even at the early hour. They negotiated for a better quiver for Nara, who apparently had an advanced archery skill that impressed Sam. Pleased with the purchase of the new Quiver of Replication, they moved on to the outfitters.
***
“I don’t care how much it costs Nara! We need this!” Sam was insistent.
"Sam, we don't have enough coin! There is no way you have enough gold, let alone platinum!" Nara was trying and failing to drag an enamored pathfinder away from the object of her fascination.
It was a spatial campsite that could be placed in a storage item. It came complete with a five-person tent so each occupant would have their own cot and lock box, an owner's tent with a king-size bed and writing desk, a fire ring, a picnic table, camping chairs, and a security ring automatically deployed around the perimeter. The display tag said the campsite guaranteed a level 2 safe zone and could be up to level 3 in some cases.
Sam had no idea how she had survived without this campsite of beauty! Who cared if it cost seventeen platinum coins! Compared to the spatial cabin next to it, going for fifty platinum, the price of the campsite was a steal! She drooled over it for a few more minutes before finally letting Nara drag her away.
Nara led them to a small sitting area, which reminded Sam of a vehicle dealership lounge; snacks and drinks were provided. Nara pulled out the list they made before Sam went on her rampage the other night and started reading it. She scratched out a few items they had acquired, like enchanted weapons for fighting the undead and arrows. She was talking as she went down the list, primarily to herself.
"Let's see, enchanted weapons to effectively combat undead…didn't we decide the weapons you create would work just fine?" At Sam's nod, Nara drew a line through that item. "Hm, we already have a quiver and arrows." Another crossed-out item. "Do you think you could make enchanted arrows?" Nara looked up.
"Absolutely," Sam said. "It would be awesome if the quiver replicated them."
"True we can see if it will replicate enchanted or magical arrows. Too bad the replicated ones only last for a few minutes. We could make some serious coin if we constantly replicate magic arrows." Nara frowned. The store clerk at Alexander's had been very clear the quiver would not make permanent replicants and to ensure they kept the original arrow segregated from the rest in the small slot provided in the quiver. It wasn't a surprise to the women, only a disappointment.
Nara went back to the list, "shovels, decent cutlery, plates, bowls, a pickaxe, outdoor shower," she scratched the last one out now that she had a cleansing spell and continued, "rope because you were insistent, we could always use rope and an adventurer without rope was just a useless waste of underprepared space." Nara tapped her fingers on the table, glancing at Sam sideways. "We could see if we can afford a defensive tent with sleeping cots and some basic perimeter wards for an alarm system. That way, we will always be able to create a safe zone."
Sam perked up and fist-pumped. It wasn't a spatial tent, but it still sounded cool.
A store employee soon joined them, and after about an hour of haggling over the prices, they walked out with everything on their list, plus a few extra items like cooking spices, oils, and a couple of basic repair kits for armor and their new tent to make their lives in the wild a little easier.
The only other stop they made was a bookstore where Sam purchased several books covering the basics of magic, the general politics of the area, a brief history of the kingdom they were in, and a guide to the local flora and fauna. The total was a whopping twenty gold, which Sam had to pay in silver thanks to their quickly depleting funds.
***
“Which job should we tackle first?” Nara asked. Once they were back on the road.
Sam checked her map to determine which was closest by the descriptions and the crude maps provided with the postings. The guild had a massive map of the surrounding area with pins for all the job locations and also handed out a smaller map for every job they took. After studying the large map on the wall of the guild hall intently for a few minutes, Sam's own map updated, much to her excitement and relief. It wasn't to the level of detail like when she visited a location, but it filled in names and distances, which was enough for her. She decided on a survey mission first and told Nara.
Nara viewed the location on the map provided with the job notice and nodded. She asked what Sam already suspected, "Do you think Helms Peak plans to expand to the south along the Beast Lands border? That might cause friction between Orlina and some of the closest tribes."
"It certainly looks that way," Sam said. It looked like an expansion from all the jobs in such a small area. Sam and Nara alone had snagged several postings. The one they were heading for was to survey and map an area of about five square kilometers. When Sam saw it, she quickly grabbed the job from the board; when Nara looked at her quizzically, Sam had whispered in her ear, "Cartography skill," and wiggled her eyebrows, causing the little Tenarian to clap excitedly and bounce up and down.
"The Witlings job is in the same area, so we can do both simultaneously," Nara said and started walking.
Sam shuddered a little when she started after Nara. 'Whitlings' were a pest species in Hallista, and according to her new book, they were a cross between a vampire bat and a lizard. They were roughly the size of a large dog and could suck blood or inject poison into their victims with their fangs. According to the book, they were primarily harmless and skittish predators in small groups. Still, once their numbers started growing, a Brood Mother was usually born. And when that happed their numbers started multiplying exponentially and they threatened local settlements, the residents, and their livestock and pets.
***
The two turned south into the forest as soon as they were down the mountain, and after about an hour of walking, they stopped so Sam could give Nara mana. At Sam's insistence, Nara morphed back into her natural form. Something about how she looked and carried herself in her true form was primal and fierce to Sam, and she couldn't get enough of it.
It was nearly fifteen kilometers to the survey location, so to pass the time, Sam kept reading one of her new books, "A Compendium of Local Life; Helms Peak Edition." Her slow hike became a scavenger hunt with her new book in hand as Sam tried to identify and match what plants and animals she saw with the book's descriptions. Nara even got into it since she grew up in a different kingdom before she was enslaved, and her contract didn't allow her to learn anything new without permission, which was rarely given. Nara didn't talk about her time enslaved to the Church of the Light, and Sam didn't pry. She figured the Tenarian would tell her in her own time or not at all, and she was okay with both scenarios.
They took their time exploring as they hiked. There were no time limits on the job contracts, which had been posted for a while without any interested parties taking them. The clerk who approved them taking the jobs seemed relieved to get the postings off the board. The girls picked the name 'Loot Hunters' for their party when told they had to register under an official party name if more than one member participated in a job. Sam was a little disappointed when Nara had downright refused to allow either Bad Bitches or Outworlders saying both would draw too much attention.
Sam was thinking about her and Nara being a party as they hiked while checking the notifications from her blackout night when an exciting notice popped up.
‘Bing’ Would you like to create a party with Nara Evander? Y/N
Sam picked yes and watched as Nara stopped in her tracks. A moment later, the chime of another notification echoed in her head.
'Bing' Nara Evander has accepted your party invitation. You may review her statistics in your Party Leader menu.
“Huh, let’s see what I’m working with.” Sam thought. She found the party menu in her interface and pulled Nara's stats.
Nara Evander; [Naris Blight]
Race: Tenarian; Mortal; [Level 26]; Soul Bound Blight [Level ?]
Class: Sorceress [Level 1]; Mana Reaper [Level 26]
Health: 546
Stamina: 351
Mana: 127598; [??????]
Attributes:
STR – 16 [??]
VIT – 34 [??]
END – 20 [??]
AGL – 38 [??]
INT – 23 [??]
Free Attribute Points 7.
Abilities: 2/4
Mana Sense [Level 7]
[Mana Siphon; Level 42]
Class Skills: 1/7
Replicate [Level 1]
Racial/General Skills: 3/7
Archery; Adept; [Level 17]
Identify [Level 3]
Mana Drain [Level 26]
Class Spells: 2/5
Magic Bolt [Level 2]
Cleanse [Level 1]
Racial/General Spells: 1/5
Charm [Level 2]
Resistance(s):
Pain [Level 12]
Poison [Level 3]
Magic [Level 27]
"How are you so strong?" Nara, who apparently now had access to Sam's stats, asked with disbelief. Just how many points do you get per level?"
"I get five free points per race level and double that per class level. Is that unusual?" Sam had been wondering how her Pathfinder class stacked up against other offensive-type classes in this world. All she had to go on was the healer class the System offered her initially.
"Yes, it's unusual!" Nara said in exasperation. "My Race gives me a point in vitality and Agility and two free points per level, and my new class gives me a point in Agility and intelligence with three free points. You get one extra point per race level and five extra per class level!" Nara threw up her hands, "it's like you get an extra level for every level up!"
Sam didn't know what to say, so she changed the subject. "Speaking of your classes, how do your class changes work? Do you lose all your points every time and have to start over?"
Nara nodded, "something like that. I was a level 25 healer before, with a focus on intelligence and vitality. If I switch my class back to Healer, my sorceress level gains will be lost, and I will start back at level 25 with all my points reassigned to where they were before as a healer. What you see is what I assigned from my race levels. I have to be vigilant of where I put my free points because, at any time, I could lose my class and all the points it has provided."
Sam understood what Nara meant and asked one more question, “why are there limits to how many abilities, skills, and spells you can have?”
"It's standard for people who aren't blessed by the System to have limitations, Sam," Nara said dryly, "not everyone starts their path as a demigod."
"Okay, okay." Sam held up her hands in surrender. "I'll tell you what, let's do our best to power-level you until you can keep up with me. Because, at the moment, you are something of a liability." She stopped Nara's objection with a placating gesture. "I don't mean you cannot hold your own with a group of lower-level monsters, but most of the monsters I have encountered were at least ten to twenty levels above me." She gave Nara a stern look and asked, "Tell me truthfully, if I am engaged with a level 56 Great Timberwolf, will you be able to handle another one if they are a mating pair? What if they have pups?"
Nara wanted to argue Sam's scenario was unrealistic. It would seldom happen, but then she thought of all the encounters Sam had already told her about, especially the one where Sam saved her life and knew she had no argument. She sighed, "fine. What do you have in mind?"
Sam only grinned.
***
Sam pointed to the water, "See them? There are two right there."
"Are you sure about this?" Nara's voice was full of concern. They had walked most of the day without encountering anything more dangerous than a few Lightning Cervidae that galloped off once they saw the two explorers.
"Absolutely!" Sam said confidently. "But first, let me ask you something that has been bothering me. Do we need to breathe?"
"No, not as long as you have life energy and mana," Nara confirmed Sam's suspicions. "I can imagine it would be difficult to adapt to not breathing for someone like you who has always needed to do it for survival instead of just to talk."
"I thought it would be, but I held my breath over an hour earlier and never felt the need to breathe. My mana repair skill kicked in within the first five minutes, completely removing the discomfort I initially felt holding my breath." Sam said.
Nara nodded at Sam's words and explained further, "It's the same reason you didn't die when you were frozen or paralyzed the first time you tried the Deep Hunter meat. As long as our core has access to magic energy, our body can use its magic to supplement what it would normally need to survive, such as food, oxygen, or even sunlight in some cases."
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Or human flesh?” Sam asked curiously. She didn’t really care but just wanted to know.
"Unfortunately, not all metabolic functions can be circumvented with mana infusion," Nara said, then pointed at Sam's stomach. "You wanted to know why you could drink your body weight multiplied many times in beer the other night? It's because you were actively poisoning yourself while at the same time healing yourself, so your body was converting all the beer you drank into magical energy while, at the same time, you were burning through that same energy to cure the poison."
“So that’s why I don’t poop!” Sam exclaimed.
Nara looked at Sam curiously, “what is poop?”
Sam thought briefly, then said, "You know the stinky brown stuff that exploded everywhere when I sliced those wolves to pieces? That's poop."
"Oh, it's the magical waste that creatures who can't use mana or have an excess of mana create when they eat," Nara said in understanding. "It is disgusting but extremely mana-rich! I would have suggested we collect some that night, but I would not help Arron if I didn't have to." She looked at Sam curiously and asked, "Why do you know what it is? You are a magic user."
Sam quickly explained there was no magic in her world and what pooping was, much to Nara's disgust.
“That sounds disgusting! And you had to do it every day?!?” Nara was incredulous.
"At least once a day," Sam corrected, "taco Tuesdays were a different story altogether… at least six times on those days…and the poop lit my asshole on fire."
Nara just looked at Sam in speechless horror, so Sam turned her attention back to the two Deep Hunters patiently waiting for them to enter the small river they had come to on their hike. Looking at Nara, Sam gestured to the water and shrugged. It was an unspoken question, and Nara understood.
"You promise it will work?" Nara asked, standing up, gripping one of Sam's harpoons in one hand and charging a Magic Bolt in the other.
"I am one hundred percent sure," Sam said confidently. She had no idea if the Magic Bolt would work underwater, but Nara didn't need to know. Sam knew she could step in and save the poor little Tenarian if it didn't work. The Deep Hunters were only leveled in the low thirties and shouldn't even pose a problem to Sam. “Besides,” Sam thought, “She should be the one telling me if it will work or not.”
Taking a deep breath, Sam knew she didn't need; Nara dove headfirst into the river, her Magic Bolt fizzling out the instant it contacted the water.
“Well…shit,” Sam mumbled, dismissing her armor and clothes into her inventory as she dove in after her friend.
***
"You said it would work!" Nara half coughed, half screamed at Sam as she lay choking on the riverbank, spitting out gouts of blood from her shredded neck.
"Hold still! Stop squirming!" Sam said as she kept a firm grip on Nara's arm, doing her best to hold the writhing woman still as she healed her. Sam tried to explain herself, "My mana spikes don't dissipate under water. And you could have fired the bolt into the water to check before jumping in—" Sam trailed off when Nara glared at her.
"You said it would work. I trusted you." Nara's words were like razorblades to Sam, and they cut deep.
"I'm sorry, but look, you're fine now," Sam said as the last of Nara's wounds closed. "I bet you gained a ton of levels too." Sam sat back in the fine sand of the sand bar and gestured to the two Deep Hunters lying next to them. "They were both over level thirty. How many class levels did you gain?"
“None, Sam!” Nara was pissed, “I couldn’t use my goinking class spell underwater, remember!”
"Oh, so that's how that works," Sam mumbled, causing Nara to throw her hands up in exasperation. Nara's shredded armor looked more like a tasseled jacket than protective gear.
"So, is it too soon for you to get into another fight?" Sam asked, not making eye contact with Nara, instead staring over her shoulder.
"Too soon to—why would you even ask that?" Nara glared at Sam. "I barely survived the fight we were just in!"
"Okay, okay!" Sam held up her hands. "It's just that three really nasty-looking lizards are staring at us from the tree line, so maybe you should hide somewhere while I take care of them."
"Salamanders, this close to Helms Peak?" Nara jumped up to stare in the direction of Sam's gaze. Her anger already forgotten.
The two women identified the closest of the three pony-sized lizards as they crept slowly from the shadow of the forest's edge.
'Bing' Sigea Salamander [Level 39]; Hostile; Affinity: Tera; This salamander species is not native to Hallista. Additional experience will be granted for assisting in eradicating this species.
Sam started to move, but Nara stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Let me fight the closest one. Just keep the other two off of me.” Nara said as she summoned two Magic Bolts in front of her palms.
“Are you sure?” Sam asked, concerned. She didn’t know what these things were capable of.
"I'm sure, Sam. I can do this. Land is different than water for me. Remember, my agility stat is pretty high." Nara said confidently, dismantling Sam's argument.
Sam grinned, "Okay, we move on your signal."
***
Nara signaled by firing her magic Bolts and dashed toward the closet salamander. Sam moved a split second later, blasting the other two lizards with arcane bolts at a speed rivaling a modern assault rifle.
Three earthen walls sprang up before the salamanders, forcing the two women to leap over them. Neither of them hesitated in vaulting over the salamander's earthen defenses. Sam, who was keeping a close eye on Nara, nearly jumped directly into the waiting maw of one of the creatures when she cleared the wall of sand and soil it had erected. As Sam used a mana thread to yank herself out of the way of the creature's teeth, she watched in fascination as Nara contorted her body in several impossible directions before flipping onto her lizard's back using a carefully placed hand on its snout to pivot her entire body barely avoiding the razor-sharp teeth as the lizard's jaws clamped shut. Even as she flipped around, Nara never let up on her assault as she blasted scales and chunks of flesh from the creature's neck and head with her Mana Bolts.
“Okay, that looks cool,” Sam thought as she watched Nara gyrate around the massive lizard, dodging claws and teeth while shooting bolts of blue energy into the green whirlwind of death. "Damn girl, you said you were agile, not a freaking ninja!" She was so enamored with Nara that Sam almost missed the tail swipe from the lizard she was engaged with.
Ducking under the beast's tail, Sam sent a mana spike into the second lizard she had promised Nara she would handle. The spike hit home, and now Sam was between two angry salamanders. She smiled; this was fun.
***
"You are fucking amazing!" Sam had her hands on Nara's shoulders as she stared deeply into the Tenarian's large, deep blue eyes. "How did you move like that? I have a higher agility stat than you and could barely keep up with the other two lizards. You made the one you were fighting look like it was moving in slow motion!" She pulled Nara's face so close their noses touched, and stage whispered, "Where was that flexibility the other morning?"
"I have been trained in the art of—oh, I was nervous; it was my first time in…" Nara's face turned dark grey, and she pushed Sam back, "Never mind…I mean, thank you…wait, no! I'm still mad at you!"
Sam fell back laughing. She laughed so hard it turned into a coughing fit. When she finally got ahold of herself, she said, "You are so precious! The look on your face is priceless. That color grey really compliments the blue of your lips by the way."
Sam dodged a playful swing from Nara with a backward roll. Mad or not, Nara had a smile on her face. Coming out of her roll and hopping to her feet, Sam started looting the corpses. The Deep Hunters gave their standard items, but the loot from the first lizard she had killed was undoubtedly different than usual.
Sigea Salamander Items:
37-System Credits [SC]…[Error! The current planet's energy level is insufficient to sustain a system shop network. System Credits will be converted to experience.]; Monster Core [Level 27]; Sigea Salamander hide [Level 27]; Tongue of Sigea Salamander; Salamander Claws x 5; Sigea Salamander Scales x 30; 33kg Sigea Salamander Meat; Vial of Sigea Salamander saliva x 3.
“System Credits? System shop network?” Sam was processing that information when she got to the Salamander Nara killed.
'Bing' This creature has not been processed by the individual who killed it, and you took no part in the defeat of this creature.
Sam looked at Nara curiously. Nara was looking at something in her interface, and a moment later, Sam received a message.
'Bing' Nara Evander has allowed loot sharing through your party interface. Do you wish to share the loot with Nara Evander? Y/N
Selecting 'yes,' Sam looted the final two salamanders, noting that all the items were split between their inventories in their party menus. Flipping through her party tab, Sam noticed many options required permission from both parties, so she sent requests to Nara in the party menu. The one she was most excited about was the party communication line. By burning a little mana, all individuals in a party could use a voice chat function to communicate secretly up to a certain distance. Sam watched as Nara went through and accepted all her requests.
"Five levels, congratulations Nara." Sam was checking Nara's stats in their party menu. She was now level 6 in her sorceress class. "I'm surprised you didn't level in your race, too." Sam had picked up a level in her race and class, putting her at level 21 and 22, respectively.
Nara looked at Sam, realizing something, "Sam, you don't know, do you?" Then she answered her question, "Of course you don't. Why would you." With a sigh, Nara explained to a patiently waiting Sam, who was looking at her expectantly. "Levels," Nara started, trying to find the right words, "your first twenty-five levels, how should I say it…are easy. Most System scholars agree it is the System's way of increasing the overall survival rate of young individuals who reach their race's system age limit to begin leveling. They can choose a class at that time as well." Nara looked at Sam intently, "It is imperative to establish base stats and decide how to plan future progression to best complement class and race benefits by level twenty-five."
"What kind of a curve is it?" Sam asked, "Once you reach level twenty-five, I mean?"
Nara shrugged, "It's not a fixed amount, but for most races, it takes roughly double the experience per level every twenty-five levels." She looked at Sam for a second, "you might be a special case. I don't know how it will work for you, but most humans will have double experience costs per every twenty-five levels up to one hundred. Then, you can either decide to evolve your race or wait until your class reaches its evolution level or vice versa and try for a more powerful evolution. Also, just because you are human doesn't necessarily mean you can evolve at exactly level one hundred. Sometimes evolution can be up to a dozen levels late or even, in rare cases, a few levels early."
“I assume most people wait for the better evolution?” Sam asked.
"Actually, no," Nara said, "there is no guarantee waiting will result in more powerful or rare options unless it is a known class/race combination, and even that is no guarantee. The options you receive are based on factors like stat distribution, skills, abilities, resistances, affinities, spells, and other less quantifiable factors. That's why most people stick with certain race/class combinations. Like city guards, for example, they are almost always warriors, mages, archers, or other standard classes. It is because they can be coordinated better in a large battle due to their known skills and abilities and the fact there are also known evolutions for those race/class combinations."
Sam was doing her best to absorb all the information Nara was giving her. It was giving her a lot to think about. “I have a sneaking suspicion I’m a rare or maybe a special case, but I should probably still plan for the possibility that I am not.” That thought brought up a question. She asked Nara, "How would you suggest I prepare for my potential level slowdown?"
Nara's eyes went unfocused momentarily as she reviewed Sam's stat window. "Wow, you really are all over the place. What are you trying to focus on? Are all your level points free to use?"
Sam answered the second question, "Yes, they are all free points." She had to think a little about the other question. Instead of answering, she asked her own questions. "Before I tell you what my plan is, let me ask you, how does each attribute change my body and complement the others? Do you know?"
Nara nodded and gave Sam a rundown of how each attribute affected her body, starting with strength. "Strength is self-explanatory; it helps you hit harder but also increases bone density and the size of your muscles. If you had put all your points into strength, you would look like those berserkers you tussled with back at the guild. All muscle but very little flexibility and very slow."
"Does it make a person harder to kill?" Sam asked. She was curious if increased density meant an increase in vitality, even if it might be slight.
"It makes a person harder to…break?" Nara said slowly. "Overall life force will increase slightly but not as much if the points went into vitality." Sam nodded in understanding, so Nara moved on, "Which brings us to vitality." Nara pricked Sam's arm with a blue claw, "how much of your life force did that take away? Also, could you please put some clothes on? It's very distracting right now. And why are you naked anyway?"
Looking at the single drop of blood on her arm, Sam summoned her clothes onto her body instead of her armor. She was very proud of the fact she could do that. Sam had spent hours one night trying to summon clothes and armor onto her body without success until Nara, after laughing at her antics for a while, suggested she put them on first and then try to dismiss them as a single set. The trick had worked, and Sam could now instantly summon and dismiss attire changes. Looking back to Nara, Sam simply said, "It didn't take any of my life force, and I didn't want to get my armor shredded. It's brand new!"
In disbelief, Nara stared at Sam momentarily, asking, "You do realize what armor is for?"
“Yeah, yeah,” Sam waved her hand, “but it was just these little tentacle monsters and some low-level lizards.” She pointed at the corpses around them. “They weren’t really a threat.”
Nara rubbed her temples and returned the conversation to the original subject, "So back to vitality. You didn't lose any health points because vitality allows every cell in your body to store more life energy, allowing the cells to use that energy to heal wounds much more quickly. That's why you didn't even lose health when I scratched you. Your cells already had enough surplus life energy they didn't need to draw from your pool. That effect usually starts once a person reaches forty or fifty points in the attribute. Vitality also increases body density, skin thickness, overall health, resistance to status elements, and, as you already know, lifespan."
Sam nodded, so Nara moved on to endurance, starting with a question. "How long can you maintain a strenuous activity? Like a long fight?"
Sam responded, "In the beginning, I was exhausted quickly, but now I can run all day without getting tired."
Nara anticipated Sam's response. "Endurance is usually an overlooked trait. Most people, myself included, only keep enough endurance to balance our other attributes. I can maintain a strenuous activity for up to twenty minutes at twenty points." Nara pointed to the salamander she had killed and asked, "How long did it take to finish that fight?"
Sam had to think about it for a second. The fight went by so fast that she hadn't even had to put in her total effort. She finally admitted she didn't know.
"It took less than three minutes," Nara said, "most encounters outside of a full-scale battle last less than ten minutes. It is a good standard to have at least twenty points in endurance to last at least double the time an average fight takes. My race is unfortunate because our endurance is our lowest attribute; we are built for speed and mobility over strength and endurance. Most of the predators on Tenaris are fast and stealthy, as opposed to the variety here on Hallista. I was forced to put far more free points into endurance than I wanted by the church so I could be a better…help." Nara's expression went dark momentarily, but her smile returned when she looked up to meet Sam's concerned gaze.
Nara slapped her knees with her hands standing up, her smile broadened as she dusted off her bloody shredded armor, "It all worked out, though. Now I can keep up with a psychotic demigod that drinks poison for fun and can run forever."
"Hey, we proved I'm not a psycho in the interrogation room!" Sam said in mock offense. She kicked the bodies of the Deep Hunters into the water. Bradly the Imp, at Alexander's, had informed her the Deep Hunters she had were primarily useless as crafting materials other than their cores and ink, so she didn't see any need to store their corpses instead giving them back to nature for scavengers to pick clean. “I hope something can eat them and I didn’t just poison an ecosystem.” Sam thought as the bodies sank beneath the surface out of sight.
Nara reached to store the salamander she had killed, but nothing happened when she touched the corpse. Sam also tried with the salamander she had slain.
'Bing' Time remaining to harvest usable parts from Sigea Salamander: 43 minutes 17 seconds. Are you finished harvesting this creature? Y/N
Sam selected 'yes' and stepped back when the salamander's body turned black and let off a putrid stench as it sizzled and bubbled, melting into the ground. She looked to Nara for an explanation, but the Tenarian stared back at her blankly.
“Maybe it’s because they aren’t native to this planet?” Sam guessed.
“Oh yeah, I didn’t think about that,” Nara said. “I guess the System is treating them like a dungeon monster.”
“Do you know how they got here to Hallista?” Sam was curious.
“It was the Church of the Light,” Nara said with surety, “the church’s followers use them as mounts and food for the raptors. Their saliva can be used as a—”
"Raptors!" Sam cut Nara off. "Did you say the church has freaking raptors?" Sam knelt, quickly scratched a rough sketch of a raptor in the sand, and pointed at it, "do they look like this and are about two to three meters long and maybe one and a half meters tall?"
"Yes, exactly," Nara said, then asked, "Have you encountered one?"
"No, but I want to!" Sam exclaimed, "They are so cool!"
Nara looked at her with her typical look of disbelief, "Sam, they are vicious pack hunters! Their alphas are insanely fast and cunning! They are terrifying alien predators the Children of the Light use as shock troops to great effect! Trust me, Sam, if you see a raptor, there are at least four more you cannot see stalking you."
Sam only nodded. She still wanted to see one but didn't voice that to Nara. Instead, she asked, "Are we going to set up camp now? Is that why you stood up?"
Nara pointed at a clear area on the other side of the river. “Yeah, I figured we could finish our conversation over a meal. Do you want to set our camp up over there?”
Sam answered by dismissing her clothes again and splashing noisily into the river. Nara rolled her eyes at the Pathfinder's antics but followed her example.
They talked about small things as they cleared a small area for their tent and firepit. Nara spent some time coaching Sam through setting some of the protective wards they had purchased around the camp.
Sam held one of the small pieces of cloth in her hand staring at the rune drawn onto the fabric. “So, this little thing creates a barrier if something steps over it?” She waved the small item in her hand. It felt really flimsy. Plus, the roll of twenty they had purchased had not been cheap at twenty silver.
“Yes, but only for a few moments. Just long enough for a warning really.” Nara responded. “Now lay it on the ground. Perfect just like that right there.” She was coaching Sam through setting her first ward. Which is to say she was just telling her to lay a piece of cloth on the ground and infuse it with mana. “Okay, form a little mana on the tip of your finger and touch the corner of the cloth.”
Sam did as instructed and stepped back with a proud expression when the rune lit up momentarily. She frowned when the light faded and looked to Nara who reassured her, “The ward is set. Look.”
Looking back to the ward Sam watched as the cloth dissolved into nothing only leaving a barely perceptible rune burned into the sandy soil. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” Sam checked it with mana sight and the little symbol let off no discernible mana signature. “Too bad they’re only one time use and only last eight hours. I guess the time limit is a good thing though. Wouldn’t want to be leaving wards behind everywhere I go.” Sam thought.
They only set the one ward just to show Sam how it worked. After marking the spot so they wouldn’t accidently trip the ward in the night they continued preparing their camp for the evening.
***
"This is nice," Sam said, tugging the enormous wolf pelt around her bare shoulders, staring absently into the fire and relaxing deeper into the extra-large camp chair.
"Hey, save some covering for me," Nara complained, walking up to Sam and handing her a plate of grilled vegetables.
"Yummy! Thank you, Nara," Sam said, accepting the plate of food and holding up an edge of the wolf pelt with one of her threads so Nara could slip under the heavy covering. She sighed with contentment and snuggled up against Sam in the chair. Once Nara was settled and happily picking at the food with the arcane chopsticks, Sam had made her Sam asked, "Does agility do anything other than give flexibility and speed?"
"Yes," Nara said around a mouthful of food. She covered her mouth with her hand, chewed, and then swallowed before continuing, "Agility will lengthen your muscles and make your joints more flexible. It also increases your visual recognition and reaction speeds." Nara stabbed a purple tuber on the plate with one of the sticks. After scarfing it down with a moan of pleasure, she moved on to the following attribute, "intelligence increases the power of your spells by allowing your mind to sync more efficiently with your core. It also—"
"Cores." Sam corrected, "Your cores, both of them."
Nara looked up into Sam's eyes for a few heartbeats before slowly saying, "I know I should not be surprised by anything you say by now, but 'normal.'" She used her chopsticks to emphasize the word, "People have only one core, Sam."
Sam gently caressed Nara's delicate neck with her hand. She pressed two fingers into the base of Nara's skull, where her hairline met her neck. She leaned in and whispered into her friend's ear, "Then how do you explain the magical nexus just below your brain right here?"
Nara’s hand snaked up quickly to feel where Sam was pressing. “Are you serious?” She asked with her expressive eyes wide in surprise.
"Yep," Sam said. "Every sapient life form I have checked so far has one. When the System gave me my class, it displayed a 3D image of my cores and mana channels…I'm assuming that isn't normal."
"No, it isn't," Nara confirmed, still poking at the spot Sam had shown her with her fingers. She asked, "Can you see inside me with your magic sight ability?"
Sam made a non-committal motion with her hand, saying, "It's not as clear as external magic, but I can see mana concentrations inside living organisms if I focus hard enough. And you, my dear," she booped Nara's nose, "have a mind core and a main core just like everyone else so don't go thinking it's a special Pathfinder thing."
"I…how…how is this not widely known?" Nara looked genuinely concerned. She continued almost to herself, "There are so many powerful beings here on Hallista who can surely see cores—I can see cores!" She grabbed Sam's neck and pulled her so close her blue eyes nearly touched Sam's skin. "Hmm, all I see is your brain…wait," she twisted Sam's neck until Sam was sure it would break, then exclaimed, "I see it! It's so small! I thought it was just part of a high mana channel concentration!" Releasing Sam and sitting back, Nara reached back and touched the spot on her neck Sam had shown her, "I wonder why no one speaks of this—"
Nara's body went stiff, her blue eyes becoming vacant black orbs. Sam jerked back a little in the chair they were in. Nara's whole appearance changed for an instant before reverting back to normal. She grabbed Sam's shoulders, her eyes, now back to their deep blue, panicked.
"Eyes of blue will not hurt you!" Nara said with true panic and tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sam, I thought I had more time. Please remember! Eyes of blue will not hurt—" Nara's eyes turned solid black, and an evil smile spread across her face, complete with two sharp blue fangs.