In case you're confused about the chapter numbers, I inserted 5 chapters into the story on Friday, so everything is renumbered. This chapter used to be chapter 32 before the edits. Now it is chapter 37. It's still the one right after Lesson Day though.
Emilia didn’t seem to notice that Elise had woken up yet, so she took the opportunity to check her status window. Everything was the same as it was, except {Rune of Fate} had changed once again, and now had even more to its description.
[ {Rune of Fate}: A rune that !@#$%^&*(). Allows the user to channel divine power !@#$%^&*() ]
She glanced up at Emilia to make sure she still wasn’t paying attention, then reread the new description. She had channeled divine power? And that had let her resist the memory manipulation? How did Jerry not notice? Why did it only work on the memory manipulation, and not the part that knocked her unconscious?
Why can’t it just show me the full description of {Rune of Fate}? She thought.
“The developers have hidden some information from the user’s status screen at the request of the board of directors. We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you.”
Are the gods the board of directors?
“Yes! The board of directors is made up entirely of deities. In fact, it was these deities that commissioned !@#$%^&* to create the System, and it is at their request that changes are made to it.”
Why did they want to make the System?
“The board desired an easier way to keep track of their subjects and their statuses. By assigning numbers to each stat, and tracking growth through levels, it is much easier for the gods to tell what is happening in their demesne.”
Why are-?
“Oh, you’re awake,” said Emilia. “Did you have a good nap?”
“How long has it been?” asked Elise.
“Only about half an hour. I honestly expected you to be a little bit longer.”
Elise looked at her surroundings. She did not recognize any of the buildings or people around as the same ones from their way in, and when she looked ahead, the city walls loomed a lot higher than she remembered them.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Almost at the edge of the city.”
“What about the teleportation circles?”
“Oh, we’ll be flying back,” said Emilia. “It’s not that far.”
“Why didn’t we fly in?”
“I wanted to make sure that we got in early enough that you could meet as many people as possible. Now that we’re heading back though, I figured you’d want to see more of the world. It will be a few hours, but you’ll get to see more than you ever knew existed.”
Elise opened her mouth to speak again, then closed it, remembering her memories were supposed to be altered. Freddy had explained that she would only lose her memories of Ostra, and not the people she met, but what exactly did that mean? How much was she supposed to remember? She decided that trying to act as though she was missing the memories she was supposed to be would be too risky, so she changed the subject instead.
“Where will we be going then?”
“Wherever the wind takes us!”
----------------------------------------
As soon as they were far enough from the city gates, Emilia ducked into the woods on the side of the road, undid her disguise, and flew up into the air with Elise still in her vine purse. There were other people on the road, but they didn’t seem to notice the fey, so Elise assumed that Emilia was using her skill that made them undetectable.
They moved so fast that the trees and brush below blurred, but somehow, Elise felt no wind in her face. It must have been another skill. They were moving at what Elise thought must have been hundreds of miles per hour, passing over dozens of smaller cities and towns and hundreds of interesting landmarks, but they didn’t slow down for over an hour, when an enormous, thick forest started to loom in the distance.
When they got closer, and Elise could see the branches better, she recognized what it was.
“Is that the Sunless Forest?” she asked.
“It is,” said Emilia with a smile. “There are almost 300,000 drow living under those branches.”
Elise had already known that from the maps back in Dokkalfheimr, and from Bobbi the black cat’s geography lesson, but it was no less of an awe-inspiring number. That was almost fifty times the number of drow living in the cave. Normally, drow couldn’t live on the surface, because the sunlight burnt their skin, but the trees in the Sunless Forest were special. Their foliage was so dense, and their branches grew together so seamlessly that not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate the canopy.
As they kept flying, the trees gradually got taller and taller, until they reached the center where one tree rose up above the rest. It had to have been a mile tall, and its leaves reached out at least that far in every direction, blotting out the sun. Its leaves were all green, but the woven nature of its trunk was unmistakable.
“Is that a Spirit Tree?” asked Elise.
“The biggest one in the world,” said Emilia. “And by a lot. There are drow tribes all around, but none so big or prosperous as this one, and it’s in no small part due to their Spirit Tree.”
Emilia started to turn, giving the Spirit Tree a wide berth.
“Are we not going to get a closer look at it?”
“No, if we get too close, we’ll be detected,” said Emilia. “We would be welcomed with open arms, but we don’t have the time to get caught up as guests.”
Once they had made it around the Spirit Tree, Emilia picked up the pace, and the ground below became a blur again. Their next stop was a strange structure known simply as the Floating Temple. It was an ancient structure that frankly wouldn’t have been very impressive if it wasn’t hovering a thousand feet in the air. It was a simple building shaped almost like a ziggurat, but round, and it’s outer area was open and supported by undecorated pillars. It stood on a flat disc of dirt that looked like it had been cut by a laser with how unnaturally smooth the edges were.
According to Bobbi, no one knew where it had come from. It predated all their written records, and its architectural style didn’t match any of the known ancient civilizations. It was impossible to get concrete answers about where it had come from either, because it was nigh unexplorable. It was an extremely high level spawn zone for undead, limiting its potential guests to only the strongest of the strong, and until the last century, it was barely even possible to get to it. With the exception of the winged Ainar, humanoids typically couldn’t fly, and most monsters had no interest in archaeology, and even less in dying to further its research.
“You and I would almost never be able to go in there,” mentioned Emilia.
“Why not?” asked Elise.
“Most charisma-based skills don’t work on most undead. Neither of us have good direct combat firepower.”
“Oh.”
Elise filed that information away for future reference while they continued their journey, giving the Floating Temple a wider berth than the Spirit Tree.
Their next stop was the Gravity Fields. From above, they looked like nothing more than rolling hills with the occasional rock jutting out from the ground, but even from hundreds of feet away, Elise could sense how wrong the mana in the area was.
The Gravity Fields were the remnants of a battle between a ninth tier Elven gravity mage and an Elder Dragon. Bobbi had glossed over this area in her lecture, but Emilia knew enough to go into more detail.
“The battle lasted for a whole week,” she said. “Or so they say. I can’t imagine anyone would actually have the mana to go for that long. I suppose the wizard could if they had artifacts, it might be possible, but dragons are notorious for relying only on themselves, and I don’t think even an Elder Dragon would be able to last that long.
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“Regardless of how long it actually lasted though, it’s undeniable that it happened, and the mana in the area proves it. The reaction between the two combatants’ mana permanently changed the area. There are invisible currents of gravity all around, and if you’re not careful, you could be swept away or crushed.”
On the way over the fields, Elise noticed that there were a few groups of daring humanoids making their way through them, and in one place, there was even a huge group of them.
“There are some areas that have been fully mapped out, and confirmed to be safe,” said Emilia when Elise asked about it. “It’s a popular tourist destination, and some young Adventurers go hunting for the animals that spawn here, since their parts have unique effects. See over there?”
Elise followed the line from Emilia’s fingers and saw in the distance a pod of dolphins. They looked every bit like normal dolphins, but they were swimming through the air, and occasionally making sudden directional changes that must have been to match the gravity currents.
Their next stop was a castle carved into a mountain. This location was one that Elise couldn’t remember Bobbi talking about in her geography lecture. She remembered learning about a few castles, but none carved directly into a mountainside.
“This is Dvergheimr,” said Emilia with a frown. “The land of the dwarves.”
“The dwarves?” asked Elise. “But what about Dokk- I mean the dwarves in the caves?”
“The invaders are only a small percentage of the living dwarves. They might be the last remnant of the old dwarven kingdom, but they are not the last of the dwarves. It has been almost 200 years since the dwarves of Dvergheimr won their independence from Albionia and settled here.”
“Then when the dwarves emerge from the caves, they already have somewhere they can go.”
“If they emerge.”
Elise looked up at Emilia. “What do you mean, ‘if’? They will emerge. The scouts have already seen them digging the tunnel and packing their bags.”
“Fate is a fickle thing,” said Emilia. “It’s impossible to know the future.”
“Are you planning something?” said Elise. “There is peace right now. Everything is going as it should. There’s no reason to try anything different.”
“I am planning to be prepared for the worst.”
“The worst won’t happen.”
“I hope so.”
The rest of their journey took most of three hours. They made a few more stops, but there was almost no more conversation. The atmosphere was too awkward, and Elise was lost in her own head.
Emilia might have just been trying to be mysterious, but what if she wasn’t? What if she knew something? What if she planned something. She had a long, deep grudge against the dwarves of Dokkalfheimr. Would she be able to let it go for the sake of peace?
Actually, if she really wanted revenge that badly, why hadn’t she tried to get it already? The dwarves weren’t weak, but from what Elise could see, Emilia was old and strong enough that it might not matter. She didn’t have much direct combat power, but that only meant her other abilities must have been incredibly strong. She had demonstrated her ability to manipulate the cows into conflict with ease. Couldn’t she start a civil war with the dwarves? Was she already doing that? Was Josef’s antagonistic nature her doing?
She promised not to make any moves while the dwarves were still carrying out their end of the bargain, and so far, it looked like she hadn’t, but it was impossible to be sure. The closer they got to the cave, the more Elise became aware that that day was the last of the 44 days allotted by Osanne’s prophecy, and the more sure she became that something was about to happen.
When they got back, Elise enjoyed the attention of the drow for a few minutes, then politely excused herself and made a beeline for Naomi’s hut. The scout captain emerged from her hut to greet her before she even got to the ground.
“You’re back,” said Naomi. “How was the trip?”
“It was fine,” said Elise. “Did anything happen while I was gone?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. The Dwarves are still digging their tunnel. We’re still feeling nervous about whether they’ll continue.”
“Can you make sure you pay extra attention to what’s happening? I have a bad feeling about the next few days.”
“I’ll double the patrols,” said Naomi. “No, I’ll triple them. And I’ll go out myself on a few of them.”
“And is there any way you can keep an eye on Emilia too?”
“Oh, I always have an eye on her,” said Naomi. “But I’ll take that mission on personally if that makes you feel better. I’ll put Nicole in charge of the patrols and scout units while I focus my attention on Emilia.”
“Thank you,” said Elise. “I might just be paranoid, but better safe than sorry.”
“I understand completely. Rest assured, Emilia won’t even be able to blink without me noticing.”
“Thank you,” said Elise again. “I’ll try to keep an eye on whatever I can too.”
Naomi nodded. “Until the dwarves are gone, I won’t sleep.”
“You don’t have to go that far.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” said Naomi with a smirk. “I’ve got a skill. I can stay awake for an entire year if I want to.”
“Oh, right, speaking of skills,” said Elise. “I got-”
She paused, reconsidering. Was Naomi trustworthy enough that Elise could tell her about the Rune of Fate? No. Not that she completely mistrusted Naomi, but she wasn’t sure anyone was qualified to know about that. Who knew what would happen if word got out that she could channel divine power.
No, the real question is would she recognize it if it happened. If Elise managed to consciously trigger the Rune of Fate, would Naomi realize what was going on?
“What is it?” asked Naomi. “You got a new skill?”
Only one way to find out, thought Elise.
“I did,” Elise replied. “Can you help me test it out?”
“Absolutely!” she said. “I love testing new skills. You need a sparring partner?”
“No. I need you to sit still.”
“Aww. Alright.”
As tempting as it was to test out a divinely powered {Magic Missile}, Elise knew better than to put an unknown amplifier on a destructive spell. Maybe she would try it again in the future, but for now, she needed something subtler. Something that would prove its effects, but without creating too much of a commotion. And she knew just the thing.
“Let’s do it in your house,” said Elise.
“Oh,” said Naomi, who was already halfway to the ground. “Why?”
“I don’t want anyone else to see.”
“Ohhhh,” said Naomi with a wink. “It’s one of those skills. Gotcha.”
Elise wasn’t sure what “those” skills were, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Naomi led the way into her hut, and once they were inside, she sent some mana out, causing the tree trunks that made up her walls and the branches that made up her roof to grow tighter together and thicken. Soon, not a sound from outside reached even Elise’s ears, and the only light came from a small magic stone lamp next to Naomi’s bed and Elise’s wings.
“Alright, do your thing,” said Naomi, sitting down on her bed.
“Can you close your eyes too?”
“Eh? Really?”
“Yes,” said Elise. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine,” said Naomi. “‘Two can keep a secret if one has no tongue’, right?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
“No problem. As long as it’s not gonna hurt me. But I trust you.”
Why? Elise wanted to ask.
But that was a question for another time. For now, she had business to attend to. She hovered above Naomi, closed her eyes, and concentrated. For her other skills, activating them was as simple as thinking of the skill names, but {Rune of Fate} was different. Just thinking about it wasn’t enough. She didn’t know how divine power worked, but while she closed her eyes she did what was almost an internal prayer.
Whoever or whatever gave me this rune, I know you’re there. If you’re listening, can you please grant me some divine power?
At first, nothing happened. Then, she felt a warmth flowing through her, and when she opened her eyes, her wings were gold instead of silver. She stared at them in awe for a few seconds, then snapped out of her stupor to carry out her experiment before the divine power vanished.
She used {Fairy Dust}, sprinkling the particles all over Naomi and imagining her mind being healed. She knew that healing was one form of blessing she was capable of, but healing brain damage wasn’t easy, even with magic. However, maybe with the help of some divine power, she could cure, or at least lessen the symptoms of whatever was going on in Naomi’s head.
“This-!” said Naomi. “What’s-? Oh my-!”
The drow woman’s eyelids flew open, and a new source of light appeared. Her left eye socket, which had been empty before, now held a pristine eye with a glowing gold iris. The scar tissue around it was still present, but the eye looked fresh and full of life. She reached up and gingerly felt around it and pressed on the eyelid, and even went as far as to touch the eyeball.
“You got a healing skill? This is incredible! Everything is so clear! I can see everything!” She looked up at Elise. “What’s that on your chest?”
“What?” Elise looked down, but didn’t see anything.
“There’s a glowing symbol or something.”
“My rune?” said Elise. “You can see it?”
“A rune?” she asked. “Isn’t that what the dwarves use? Did they mark you? Also, why are your wings gold?”
“No, someone else marked me. And the gold is part of my new skill.”
Elise silently willed the divine power to dissipate, but it didn’t. The warmth remained, and her wings stayed gold.
“Who marked you?” asked Naomi.
“I wish I knew,” said Elise. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”
“My lips are sealed, but I don’t know how I’m gonna hide this.” She gestured to her new eye.
“Well, you can’t do it for long,” said Elise. “But hopefully we won’t need to. I have a feeling whatever it is is going to happen tonight.”
“Me too,” said Naomi. “Me too. My missing knee has been aching. That only happens when shit’s about to go down.”
“Right. So can you hide your eye at least for now, and also not tell anyone about my rune?”
“You got it! Anything else you need?”
“Hopefully not.”
Elise spent the rest of the day with Jean, playing in and around the Mother Tree. She kept one eye on what she was doing, and the other on everything else, trying to see if she could catch a whiff of anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Nothing happened, which made her uneasy.
Emilia spent the afternoon talking with Salome and napping. Not once did she leave the center of the Mother Tree, and the only people she ever spoke to were Salome, Osane, and occasionally, the queen’s attendants. She confirmed that information with Naomi later that night, then found an empty alcove in the Mother Tree as close to the ground as she could.
That night, she dreamt of Titania again.