The scratching of quill on paper grated on Eleisa’s nerves, but she endured it. She had promised to write to her Queen and she would keep that promise.

She was interrupted by a knock at her door.

Who could that be?

“Enter.”

The door opened, revealing Jared and Naomi. He spoke as he entered.

“Hey, El. I just had a weird encounter, and I’d like your take on it.”

“I am listening.” She made a few final strokes with her quill, then set it down. Jared looked at her paper curiously, then continued with what he was about to say.

“So these two men were saying they’re from the Hunters’ Guild and wanted to talk with me, urgently. They made a big deal of it, so I went and talked with them. They said they were part of an organization high up in both the guilds, and that they wanted to recruit me.”

“That sounds like a promising opportunity.”

“Promising…” He trailed off. After a moment, he shook his head. “It seems like it on the surface. But something about those guys really rubbed me the wrong way. My instincts were screaming at me the entire time we talked.”

Eleisa frowned.

“Our instincts can warn us of danger that our conscious minds do not detect. This warrants further investigation. What is this organization called?”

Jared blinked. “I don’t know. They didn’t say.”

Eleisa shook her head.

How could he not think to ask so much as the name of an organization he was invited to join?

“That would be a good starting point, as it would be quite difficult to learn about an organization you do not know the name of. Inquire of the men the name of their organization, and anything else you may have forgotten. I will be here when you are finished.”

“What, now?”

“Why not? You will find answers only as quickly as you pursue them.”

“I guess,” Jared grumbled. Then he sighed. “You’re right. I’ll be back.”

With that, he exited the way he had come, leaving Eleisa alone with her letter.

Humans are strange.

She shook her head again, looking over what she had written.

My Queen,

I am well. I hope the tides of war find you unbattered.

I have found the human you foresaw. He is very strange, but I am learning that it is a characteristic many humans share. He is at once quite knowledgeable about some things, and completely blind to others that I had thought were common knowledge. He uses a strange weapon, the likes of which I have never before seen, and has befriended a mimic. But he opened my eyes to possibilities I had never imagined. In him, I believe I have found what the Council is looking for. We have formed a party, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for the three of us.

If you have further instruction or guidance, I would gladly accept it.

Your daughter,

Eleisa.

Satisfied that she had written all she needed to, she sealed the letter and placed it in a small, unassuming box on her desk. She closed the lid and whispered a word, feeling the characteristic pull of mana being drawn from her. Reopening the box, she found it empty. The letter had been delivered.

While she waited for Jared to return, she consulted her profile.

Name: Eleisa

Race: Kyrien Soldier

Class: Insular Mind Mage Lv. 13

Ascension: Basic

Stats:

Free Points: 0

Physique: 16

* Physical: 6

* Magical: 10

Alacrity: 26

* Physical: 13

* Mental: 13

Projection: 0

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* Evocation: 0

* Manipulation: 0

Skills:

Racial(2/5)

* Internal Focus(N/A) - Your magic is internally focused by nature. Any points that would be assigned to Projection are randomly assigned to another stat instead.

* Kyrien Affinity: Mind(N/A) - You have a natural affinity for mind magic, making it easier for you to learn related Skills and increasing their power.

Class(5/10)

* Enhance Reflex(Proficient IV) - You can spend mana to increase your Alacrity by an amount equal to the level of the Skill

* Open Mind(Proficient III) - You can learn any Skill, regardless of Class or other restrictions. When you learn a new Skill, you have a 3.25% chance of also learning which Skills it has the highest rates of combination with. This bonus increases by 0.25% per level in the Skill

* Enhance Learning(Skilled I) - You can spend mana to increase the speed at which you learn and improve. This includes your rate of Skill acquisition and growth. Speed and mana cost scale with Skill level.

* Spotters’ Eye(Skilled II) - You have been trained by an expert in the art of a sniper's spotter, and are starting to use your unique abilities to make it your own. You can more easily estimate the distance and size of targets. You are better at spotting hidden enemies and traps. These bonuses are increased per level of the Skill

* Spearmanship(Skilled VI) - You have trained with the spear, and have mastered the basic forms. While wielding spears, you deal an additional 13% damage. This bonus increases by 0.5% per level in the Skill

Titles:

* Live Bait - Earned for distracting a powerful monster on your own.

Effect: Your presence attracts more attention. Hostile creatures are more likely to target you.

She eyed her Skills, focusing on Open Mind. It would allow her to learn any Skill, but that seemed to be more of a hindrance than a boon. With every possibility available, Eleisa had no idea what she should focus on.

While she was currently working with Jared, she knew she wouldn’t always be able to rely on him, for one reason or another. She needed to become completely self-sufficient and able to hunt on her own. Looking over her current Skills, she considered where she might be lacking.

The first thing that came to mind was healing. In her fight with the Shellback Prowler, she had been injured severely enough to take her out of the fight. If she had been on her own, she would have died.

The next thing she was lacking in was physical fighting prowess. She had Spearmanship and Enhance Reflex, but otherwise was lacking. She had a good reconnaissance Skill, and her Kyrien affinity would also make her mind magic easier to learn and more powerful.

So she needed healing, physical combat, and mind magic Skills.

Her musings were interrupted by another knock at her door.

“Enter.”

Jared entered, a puzzled expression on his face.

“They’re gone.”

“To what are you referring?”

Jared sat on her bed, looking perplexed and a little listless.

“I went to the room where I talked with the men, but they weren’t there. After that, I went to Theresa to see if they’d left, but she hasn’t seen them. I tried asking her if she knew anything, but she said the only thing she knows about them is that they have orichalcum Guild badges.”

Orichalcum!?

“You are lucky you still draw breath. People at that level of strength are often…unhinged in some way. Something about wielding such power makes them prone to acting irrationally. Forget my previous advice. Do not look for them, and pray you do not meet them again.”

Jared rubbed his face. “Okay… What do orichalcum badges even mean? How strong are they actually?”

Are all humans so ignorant?

“Orichalcum badges mean that they have passed the ascension at level 200. Beings at this level are so powerful, the GEAS gave this ascension the name ‘Disaster’. They are considered to be the peak of what most can accomplish, even talented individuals.”

“Okay…that sounds bad. I’ll try not to run into them again, if I have the choice.”

A pseudopod emerged from Naomi, who Jared had hanging on his back, and poked him in the face.

“What the..? Oh yeah! I was having something made for Mimi, and we were coming to get you when I was intercepted. It hasn’t been too long, but it’s technically afternoon now, so he might be finished.”

Afternoon? She looked out the window and was startled at the position of the sun. Had she spent so long in her thoughts?

Jared stood and opened the door, turning and looking at her expectantly. She joined him, and together they left the Guild, going to a part of the square Eleisa hadn’t yet visited. When they arrived at a shop, the rocking horse on the sign confused her.

“Jared, what use has Naomi for toys?”

He just smiled. “You’ll see.”

They entered, and found the shopkeeper standing at a table, rubbing what looked like a small wooden person with an oily rag. “Welcome to Cyrel’s Toys, I’ll-”

He turned an eye as they entered, then continued working with a huff.

“Oh, it’s you. You’re punctual. I’m just finishing up, if you don’t mind waiting a few moments.”

Jared shook his head. “No, that’s fine. I’m actually surprised you’re already done. Although, with the system doing a lot of the work, I guess it would take less time.”

The horse man stopped, looking at Jared in shock.

“Y-you still use the system assistance?”

Jared frowned. “Yeah. Why? Isn’t that how crafting is done?”

Cyrel was already shaking his head before Jared spoke the first word.

“The system assistance is supposed to be a demonstration, or at most, a guide. After it shows you the basics, you’re supposed to do it yourself, make the craft truly your own. If you had said what you did about the system doing all the work to any other craftsman, they would have spat in your face and told you to leave. I only didn’t because you already paid.”

Jared had a conflicted expression on his face, and Eleisa had to stifle a giggle.

He can really be clueless sometimes.

Cyrel finished what he was doing, and took a step back. The creation was, as Eleisa had seen before, a humanoid figure, about the size of a teenage human, carved from a light colored wood. It had joints that looked like they were articulated, and hints at a womanly figure, and its face was girlish, with a slight smile.

As the ipotane gestured that they take it, Naomi slipped off of Jared’s back and climbed up onto the table where the creation rested. Then the mimic created a large mouth, swallowing the wooden doll. A few moments later, she seemed to liquify, her shape growing and shifting until she had taken the doll’s form. Its wooden eyes softened, focusing on their surroundings, and the wooden smile split into an unsettling grin.